The Digital Divide

I remember when I was a kid and we got our first computer.  It was great we were now able to type our school reports and play computer games by inserting the square-like floppy disks into the disk drive.  Obviously by this description this was way before the internet, but even when the internet became available, our home computer was only functional to type…and even that was for a limited time, eventually our home computer “died” and we didn’t have enough money to buy a new modern computer.  To bridge the gap, my sister and I would have to use the school library computers to do research for reports and projects and to type them before their due dates, along with taking computer classes.  Aah, memories.  Fast forward to today and now I’m the Library Media Technician at a middle school.  We have a computer lab and the school library has 8 computers available for students to for mostly the same reasons I did—no computer at home and/or no internet access.  Providing computers in the libraries, public or school, is just one more important role the library plays in letting people have access to information and resources.  However, in Philadelphia this “digital divide” is even more apparent.  According to the video, Digital Divide in Philadelphia, 25% of the residents live in poverty and can’t afford computer technology.  While there are several computer centers available, the city attempted to provide city-wide low-cost wi-fi connection to attempt to close the “digital divide” but this plan was met with difficulties, including cost.  Unfortunately, their attempt failed.  Thank goodness for computer centers…and, of course, libraries once again meeting the needs of the community. 

Want more information?  Here's another video explaining the digitial divide that I came across.

Karin's Post- Digital Divide

     The term "digital divide" refers to the division between the population and the access to digital or internet use which in some low economic areas is very grand.  In the video, The Real News, Free Speech Radio News, by Matthew Petrillo a difficult situation occurring in Philadelphia is exposed where there is a large population, approximately 41%, who don't have internet access in their homes, hence the problem digital divide.  In this digital age where people require internet access either for school, job opportunities, or personal affairs, not having direct access to the internet can be challenging.  Petrillo interviewed a young girl who lives in a homeless shelter called People's Emergency Center who goes to the public library for internet access.  The time she has to complete homework is limited because the library closes two hours after she gets out of school and since her typing skills are minimal, she has a difficult time completing her computer tasks.  To help solve this problem the Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, has planned  technology improvements for the future.  To help close the digital divide, Andrew Buss, from the Division of Technology, is trying to implement a new mindset for the city creating public wifi spots and computer centers.  Also dealing with this issue is Nicol Turner-Lee, Director of the Medial and Technology Institute from the Joint Center for Political Economic Studies.  She feels it is necessary to invest in home computer and broadband access for lower income people.  This would change the lives of these people and drive economic development.  Unfortunately, the city has had blockades and had surmised that it is too expensive.  It's hard for people to function in a society where technology is so important but have limited economic means to obtain it.  I believe it's the downfall of the age of technology.  It has created a wider gap between socioeconomic groups in our society. This link describes this gap of  how some social groups are faced with this struggle in our society and how it is dealt with.  http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-01-10-minorities-online_n.htm.

Libraries as Social Hubs

Spoken Word Concert.  Book Club. Egg Hunt & Story time.  These are just a few of the events and activities scheduled at the Oceanside Public Library (OPL) this April.  The social aspect of the library attracts all ages and interests and the best part—they are usually free.  Last summer OPL offered a wild life show, my older son got to pet a porcupine, but, unfortunately he didn’t get a chance to touch the snake.  Oh, well.  Yvonne Stewart, a Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library patron from the “Partners in Health” video, described one of the benefits of going to the library as “a way to get to know the community.”  I think that’s a great statement.  Whenever I take my sons to the library after school my sons will see some of their school friends and the smile of happy surprise comes over everybody’s faces, as if they hadn’t just seen each other thirty minutes ago.  But now it’s different, now they’re seeing each other out in the world and part of the community.  In addition to the free events, OPL offers weekly free activities, such as a Wacky Wednesday arts and crafts for school children to participate in afterschool and one here’s one I used to take advantage of when I was a stay-at-home mom, Toddler Story time.  Not only was it fun for my son who got to sing songs, listen to a story and then play in the play area it was a chance for me to get some adult conversation!  Yay, a social life—at least in the library I had one.

If you live in Oceanside and are looking for something to do follow here’s a link to the OPL’s upcoming events: http://www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/gov/lib/about/calendar.asp  Enjoy!

Libraries in the Digital Age

For some reason there is a prevailing thought that a library is a very quiet place with the sole purpose to check-out books and in today’s world of e-readers and tablets even thought is probably followed by a resigned head shake.  I recently came across a co-worker’s comment that he believed that libraries were becoming obsolete and would be gone in 5 years.  What?  In his (half-hearted) defense, he works in the IT department and maybe doesn’t realize the library’s diverse role in the community.  For example, I just watched a video about the Bracewell Library (“Linking Seniors in a Digital World”) in Houston, Texas who offers computer classes for senior citizens.  These senior citizens learn how to navigate the online world, such as completing applications online or just communicating with their family and friends.  Another library, the Chinatown Branch (“A New Home for the American Dream”) in Los Angeles, California, not only offers computer classes but they offer it in a variety of languages and dialects to serve their large immigrant population.  My own father (who may not want to be referred to as a senior citizen) took computer classes and, before he finally purchased his own computer, used the computers that the library had available for public use.  Ok, let’s move past the senior citizens, what about the youngsters who have to do school research projects?  Sure, they can check-out few books on the person they most admire or on early California history, but libraries also provide databases with current and reliable information that will help them score that A-paper.  Libraries in the digital age are in full swing—too bad my co-worker doesn’t know it.

http://56wrtg1150.wdfiles.com/local--files/possession-and-its-effects-on-the-digital-divide/adult_computers.gif
A picture of an obsolete library? Hardly.

 

My Blog Contribution

Hello group!
For now, I added a search gadget. That might change later depending on the needs of our group/blog. =)

Nicole is figuring it all out !

 Hi,
I am Nicole Anderson.  I am a second semester LT student.  I wait tables, volunteer at the SDMA-Library, and now at Highland Ranch Elementary School Library.  I am also a mom to a five year old (soon to be six).
I have been good, so far, at online classes, but the blog world is totally new for me.  I'm figuring it out.
I liked the way the page was set up..so I changed the font and color on the blog dates.

Luz's Introduction

Hello fellow group members!

My name is Luz Amador. This is my first semester in the Library and Information Technology program at Palomar. I am taking 3 courses through Palomar, and 2 through Grossmont.  To  be perfectly honest, I am a bit overwhelmed by this online thing. I have taken online courses before, but never this many at the same time. I'm hoping to get a good grip on it soon, or I'm going to be in big trouble! Thank you to Kathleen for setting the blog up for us. I was a bit confused regarding how to even begin. I just happened to log in this morning and everything was all set up. It looks great.

I have included a link to an article I found featuring some awesome new presentation apps which we might find helpful.

Presentation Apps