Digital Divide

The digital divide is definitely something that still exists in the United States.  While ways of using the internet and the advancement of related technologies have progressed greatly (and subsequently the importance of the Internet in our day to day lives), access hasn’t progressed at the same rate.  There are many figures and statistics cited such as 30% of Americans having no access to the internet in their homes or that half of seniors in America do not use the internet.  At the heart of it is a lack of access.  This access has less to do with physical availability to broadband lines (although this is a factor for some) and more to with the economic aspect since according to the FCC “broadband adoption rates for American households are lower, on average, in the counties with the lowest median household income”.  Because many people even within the United States do not have access to the internet or even a computer in their homes they have to rely on outside sources- such as the library.  I believe that providing needed access falls directly within the Library’s mission of serving its community in matters regarding information access and the means to be a capable and fulfilled member of not only our democracy but society as a whole.