The arrival of COVID-19 created big changes in our lives. From work to education, healthcare to groceries, it changed many aspects of our lives and stress-tested infrastructure to the point of showing its weaknesses. One crucial example of that is internet access. While there are many factors for the digital divide, one of the biggest ones is that between urban and rural communities. Surveys like that from the Pew Research Center show that the amount of rural residents with broadband internet connection can reach about 7 out of every 10. (Vogels). This leaves roughly 30% without reliable internet connection at home, something that can prove to be vital as schools and jobs find it prudent to work remotely.
There is a clear need for libraries to provide internet access to those who rely on its public use. One of the ways this is shown is by the $200 million in funds devoted to the Institute of Museum and Library Services from ARPA (Pierce). These are some of the ways rural communities have devoted resources in making sure there is access to Wi-Fi even when a library may need to shut down its doors due to the pandemic.
Our first example takes place in Oklahoma. As discussed in “Solar Benches: Closing the Digital Divide Through Innovation, Engagement, and Learning” by Kelly Sitzman, the Pioneer Library System had the realization that coming out of the pandemic, just having digital resources online was not enough. In order to bring digital resources to those that lacked their own high-speed internet connections, internet and access to these resources would need to be brought to them. (Sitzman) The solution they came up with, as the article discusses, is solar benches. As the name suggests, it is supposed to be a self-sufficient, solar-powered bench that provides wi-fi and access to charging stations. One key feature mentioned in the article is that connecting to the Wi-Fi will bring you access to a digital library, and a QR code used in partnership with Overdrive gives access to apps such as Libby for access to public collections. Strategically placed in locations lacking in public wi-fi connections, this gives free Wi-Fi to those who need it, and patrons to the library from many new locations.
While the Solar Benches are an interesting and unique way to both provide internet access and advertise the library, the funds needed and the availability of companies making these solar benches means it has many limitations. For a more practical example we look to Yakima County in Washington State. In his article “How Yakima Valley Libraries Took On COVID-19 and the DIGITAL DIVIDE.”, Francisco Garcia-Ortiz discusses the demographics of Yakima County, showing that 19.7% of residents do not have broadband internet in their homes, particularly in rural areas.
Yakima Valley Libraries took several approaches to meet the needs in their community, but one I want to highlight is that of Drive-In Wi-Fi. By installing equipment and making use of pre-existing infrastructure, “each access point extends the Wi-Fi connection to a 1,000–2,000-foot diameter radius, providing an immediate increase in internet access that Washington residents, students, and workers can conveniently access from a library's parking lot or outdoor area.” (Garcia-Ortiz) A simple but effective solution, the success of which is measured in the article by the amount of garbage bins that needed to be added from the increased traffic of patrons in the spaces outside of the designated locations.
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Works Cited
Vogels, Emily A. “Some Digital Divides Persist between Rural, Urban and Suburban America.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 19 Aug. 2021, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/08/19/some-digital-divides-persist-between-rural-urban-and-suburban-america/.
Pierce, Dennis. “LIBRARY FUNDING: ARPA in Action.” Library Journal, vol. 146, no. 7, July 2021, pp. 26–34. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=151165906&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Sitzman, Kelly. “SOLAR BENCHES: Closing the Digital Divide Through Innovation, Engagement, and Learning.” Computers in Libraries, vol. 43, no. 9, Nov. 2023, pp. 13–16. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=173352010&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Garcia-Ortiz, Francisco. “How Yakima Valley Libraries Took On COVID-19 and the DIGITAL DIVIDE.” Computers in Libraries, vol. 41, no. 5, June 2021, pp. 16–20. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=150658710&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
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