Public Libraries and the Digital Divide
A new report by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation released Wednesday at the Public Library Association Conference shows that public libraries help narrow the digital divide by providing free access to computers and the Internet.
From the announcement of the report: “Today, more than 95 percent of library buildings offer public access computing, and 14 million Americans regularly use these computers. This benefit has especially reached certain socioeconomic groups that are less likely to have access at home or work. African Americans and Hispanics are twice as likely to use library computers as Asian Americans and whites. Families making less than $15,000 annually are two to three times more likely to rely on library computers than those earning more than $75,000.”
Survey respondents ranked computer access the third most important service a library could provide, after literacy programs for children (1) and evening and weekend hours (2).
Read about it in an Associated Press article via the Seattle Post Intelligencer about the Public Library Association conference.
