Digital Divide and Digital Inequality are often spoken of in the same breath, but have very different meanings and can impact communities, education, and society in different ways. According to Hargittai, the Digital Divide is defined as “the gap between those who have access to digital technologies and those who do not….” (2)

Digital Inequality, however, is defined as emphasizing “a spectrum of inequality across segments of the population depending on differences along several dimensions of of technology and use” (Hargittai, 2).

One place that the digital divide is felt most acutely is in our libraries-public, school, and academic. As Hargittai notes, “theoretically, many Americans have access to the Internet through a public library, access remains easiest for those who are connected through home or work computers” (Hargittai, 11). He then goes on to outline some of the issues associated with library access-how accessible is their library? Will the resources they need be available? (Hargittai, 11). Additionally (and perhaps even more importantly), what are they able to do once they are online? (DiMaggio, 4). Do they understand the difference between a browser and a website? At the library where I work, we have a duty to serve our community-as a state institution, we strive to provide access to library resources and internet access to those who come to use it. Public libraries face an even greater challenge and strain on their resources-if the public library is the only point of internet access for users, it becomes a critical need for the community. Access to the internet means a vareity of things for users-it can provide fiscal independence, medical information critical to their own health, and even put them in touch with family members from across the world.

I work in a college environment, at an academic library. It is somewhat staggering the evidence we see of the digital divide and digital inequality manifesting itself in our classrooms, at our reference desk, and through our outreach work. While many of our students come from schools and classrooms where they had computers and tablets-even one for every student-many of our students did not. Some are first generation college students, or their families did not have computer or internet access in the home. Combined with the fact that more people than ever are attending college, and coupled with President Obama’s education initiative to raise the proportion of college graduates from two or four year institutions from 41% to 60% by 2020, it sets the stage for many students to get left behind in terms of access, understanding how to seek and gather information, and be technologically literate in a business world that demands it. In library class sessions, we often see students who do not understand how to search effectively, are confused about submitting online, or simply feel so lost by the increasingly technology enabled classrooms that they have given up.

Adapting to the challenges that the digital divide and digital inequality present will be one of the biggest issues that comes out of this growing problem. As the divide between the “have and have-nots” becomes greater and pronounced, adapting to how we learn, teach, and reach these students and communities will be critical. In my place of work, we struggle with how to adapt and teach students who find searching internet resources, finding articles, and conducting research in an online environment very easy with those who find it to be a completely foreign concept. Many have never accessed an ebook, found an article online, or understand how a database works. Those that do are miles ahead of their peers-how do we reach those that are not quite as up to speed?

Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to these problems, but there are ways we can address these challenges to bridge the digital divide. Access is probably the most difficult to address, and one that has the murkiest solution. Many libraries - which, to reiterate, are often the main, if not only, point of access for internet usage for many community members- have tight budgets and thin staff time to devote to helping users become digitally and technologically literate. However, libraries can apply for grants, corral volunteers, and demonstrate the needs in their communities to bridge these gaps. Many library and graduate students are eager to volunteer in library settings, and especially to train users with technology-making use of these volunteers can be invaluable. Additionally, there are many grants out there (although grants take time to apply for and can be a strain) that can help purchase hardware and software, provide staffing, and connect resources that can help bridge the digital divide in communities.

One solution to the issues we face in our classroom is to provide remedial education for those who do struggle with technology. While no one likes the word “remedial,” it can be extremely helpful-for those who are new to technology, especially technology in the classroom, or those returning to school after many years. I worked with a student who went to college in the early seventies, dropped out to raise her family, and returned to school-and the landscape was completely different. Providing classes to these students-and students who come from schools where technology was not a part of their curriculum-can set them up for success in the classroom, library, and on campus.

Lastly, addressing our own need to adapt is probably the easiest. I would argue that the readings I have done for this assignment would be immensely helpful for all my colleagues to read-understanding where our students are and where they have come from can help in a myriad of ways; from changing how we teach to how we do outreach to how we liaison with different departments and majors on campus. Providing targeted outreach to those students will be critical (provided my institution can identify them), and also keeping in mind that those who are unfamiliar or part of the digital divide could be sitting in our classrooms and using our resources.

The tools and skills we equip students with today will be the change makers for the next generation-perhaps the student who grew up without internet access at home and without a computer becomes the next great computer programmer because he had access to innovative programs at school and was able to major in computer science at college. Addressing issues of digital inequality that stems from the digital divide is critical because it gives our education system a solid foundation to build from.

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