The Digital Divide: My Nemesis

Jaisalmer :: Digital Divide
Originally uploaded by Avesao

I have found my Nemesis, my Arch-Enemy, and she is named Digital Divide.

The term digital divide refers to the gap between those people with effective access to information technology and the knowledge to use it, and those that do not. It’s the old story of the haves and the have-nots. The modern twist is that the lack of basic computer skills and technological access for the have-nots is not only affecting their ability to find a job, but to function in our society. The DD is the Joker to my Batman, and I will use all the bat-gadgets in my utility belt to defeat it.

As a library science student my professors covered the DD concept accurately and thoroughly. As an employee of the public library I come across it almost daily. Currently I work in the Youth & Outreach department and am partnered with an array of groups across Mecklenburg County. One group is the Urban Ministries center. Urban Ministries is an inter-faith organization that serves those that face homelessness and poverty. I run several monthly programs at Urban, the newest being a resume class where the digital dived was painfully evident.

Starting out I envisioned having several laptops at Urban for the patron’s use with internet access. I thought that I would be there in a support capacity and that the patrons would be writing up their own resumes and posting them online. Nope. The program ended up being very hands-on as the patrons I served did not know how to type, much less post the finished product on Careerbuilders.com. Many of them did not even have an email address. Take a moment and imagine not having an email address. It might be nice to be unplugged, but think about trying to operate in today’s world with out one. Now think about applying for a job without email. How does a potential employer contact you? How would you communicate with jobs of interest and send applications? Sure, there’s the phone, but realistically homeless patrons don’t have easy access to that either. Many of my homeless patrons are part of the digital divide have-nots and don’t know about free email accounts, posting resumes online, or job search engines. I’m not saying that you can’t find a job without those tools, but it sure is easier with them, don’t you think?

I adapted quickly and the program took a very interesting turn as I helped with resumes, job postings, and opening free email accounts. My digital divide nemesis almost took the day, but library services prevailed. I have decided to take it a step further and will start scheduling Urban fieldtrips to the Public Library to better connect them to our wonderful, free services. Down with DD!