4 Blog Posts by Vanessa Guevara

Libraries and the digital divide

    The digital divide is not something unfamiliar to me. I experienced the hardship of little to no access to technology growing up in a lower socioeconomic class. Looking back I can remember the feeling of almost embarrassment when my classmates would talk about a show that could only be watched on disney channel. Having an old antenna powered tv that only captured a few channels at a time I couldn’t contribute to those cable tv show conversations.

    The increase in the need for technology especially through the covid pandemic created a similar hardship for some families but I believe libraries have done an amazing job at bridging that gap. According to a study by the UN’s broadband commission for sustainable development in 2019 the numbers reflected that only about 53.6% of the global population has access to the internet. Luckily, federal policies and other agencies such as libraries across the world have made it a part of their mission to close the gap. A covid constituency article states that the establishment of a “digital equity office” would benefit all states across the US with closing the digital divide by addressing network gaps across demographics, acquiring more affordable subscriptions and devices for families, advocating for and effectively distributing funding, understanding and representing communities interests, and coordinating accessible digital skills programs. Working toward a better tomorrow by closing the digital divide in an increasingly digital world. 

Muller, Charlie “What Is the Digital Divide?” Internet Society, community  networks. 3 March 2022. https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2022/03/what-is-the-digital-divide/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20one%20digital,affordability%2C%20quality%2C%20and%20relevance.

Wise, Bob “Closing the Digital Divide: Strategies to Connect Students & Families” The Covid Constituency 2022. 

Assistive technology and libraries

I first became familiar with assistive technology after owning my Iphone. While browsing through the settings I noticed some features under the accessibility tab. These features are categorized by vision, physical, motor, hearing and general. After looking through and enabling some of these I quickly realized that Apple must have really done their research on the needs of users with disabilities because those accessibility settings are very well thought out. Ideally this same research and application should be done in all places, however it is not always possible due to funding or other restrictions. For the most part institutions such as libraries have had the opportunity to use adaptive technology for patrons who need it because they, like Apple, are aware that not all patrons have the same reading, writing, hearing or speaking abilities. According to the American Library Association the most common types of software used to assist patrons in libraries include: Zoom text, a screen magnifier that enlarges words for users with low vision abilities. JAWS screen reader, a program that uses voice readers for blind users. Among others it's important to note that although some technologies might be on the higher side economically there are many solutions libraries can use to be inclusive of all patrons. 

"Assistive Technology: What You Need to Know Library", American Library Association, September 21, 2015.

http://www.ala.org/asgcla/resources/tipsheets/assistive-technologies (Accessed May 16, 2023)

Document ID: 9ab48572-8954-1964-ed5a-8875365fdf4a

Mobile technology and libraries

When I was a child I remember the library being the epicenter of technology. Mainly because it was the place that provided me with access to the internet and computers, sometimes even phones that I didn't have at home. Today libraries are even more advanced than ever before with all of the programs and apps that are available. I would say that the COVID pandemic really opened up the door to new library opportunities in the subject of mobile accessibility. In a policy brief by the American Library Association  The Office for Information Technology Policy stated that “Libraries can better serve their users by embracing the growing capabilities of mobile technology. They can promote and expand their existing services by offering mobile access to their websites and online public access catalogs by supplying on-the-go mobile reference services; and by providing mobile access to e-books, journals, video, audio books, and multimedia content.” As an adult librarian now It surprises me that not all are aware of how libraries have kept up so well with the technological advances in recent years.

Vollmer, Timothy.  “There’s an App for That! Libraries and Mobile Technology: An Introduction to Public Policy Considerations” Policy Brief No. 3, June 2010.

Google books

I had not heard of google books before doing the research for this blog but after reading about it on The New York Times website I realized that it was the center of a huge copyright controversy in the US in the early 2000’s. The purpose of program was to digitize all of the worlds printed materials for easy access. I think the creators thought this would be a simple quest. However they were met with over a decade of legal challenges due to to copyright laws. Luckily google books has since surpassed its barriers and become the worlds universal library that gives us access to billions of texts. I can’t imagine what our world would be like today in academia without google or the internet. When I look back at my elementary school years I remember being taught how to use encyclopedias and dictionaries but that seems so far gone now with our technological advancements.

I did get an opportunity to browse around google books myself and found that this is a great resource for librarians across the board. I mostly found that having direct links to purchasing the items and reviews was the most helpful. As a librarian in charge of ordering material for my school I can see how google books coils really be the one stop location for researching titles and comparing pricing. Ten out of ten for me! 

“ Google Books: A Complex and Controversial Experiment”, The New York Times. October 28, 2015.https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/arts/international/google-books-a-complex-and-controversial-experiment.html