By Todd Vandenbark

Columbia County Rural Library Director

Since the 1990's, the term digital divide has been used to highlight unequal access to computers, the Internet, and other forms of information technology that are critical to living in this "information age". Public libraries have made it part of their mission to give patrons access to technology that they would not otherwise be able to utilize. But as a report from the American Library Association points out:

Public libraries have made tremendous strides in giving people access to technology. Yet, more the 40% of Americans still do not regularly use the Internet, and many cite barriers to access or lack of skills as the reason.

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According to the Office of Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), lack of access to high-speed internet negatively impacts economic growth along with everyday aspects of our lives such as healthcare access, employment searches, and educational performance. The greatest impact is felt by K-12 students of color and low socio-economic status. Despite the ubiquity of cell phones, households earning less than $100,000 per year have broadband services, computers, and smartphones, according to a study by Pew Research. As a result of the pandemic, students in these communities have experienced "learning loss and higher dropout rates [during the pandemic that] are not likely to be temporary shocks easily erased in the next academic year... They may translate into long-term harm for individuals and society." If these learning gaps are not addressed, it is estimated that this will result in a yearly GDP loss of $173 billion to $271 billion per year by 2040 according to McKinsey. (San Diego Foundation, 2020)

While attending a meeting of the Port of Columbia some months ago, I was surprised and dismayed to learn that only 35% of businesses and households in Columbia County have any or adequate broadband access to the Internet. While the Port works to address this issue on a large scale, Columbia County Library offers a number of options for those without access to the Internet. We offer public computers with high-speed Internet access and free Wi-Fi. I recently obtained a grant to purchase additional hotspots for checkout and five Chromebooks with Internet connectivity. This grant will also pay the monthly access fee for our current fleet of seven hotspots, which had to be temporarily suspended until such funding could be obtained. More details will be forthcoming in this newsletter, on our website and social media pages once the devices have been received, cataloged, and made available to our patrons.