Libraries Break Down Barriers for the Digitally Divided · Libraries Break Down Barriers for the...

Jessamyn West librarian.net/talks/nyla18 #plsbreakbarriers

Libraries Break Down Barriers for the Digitally Divided

2This is a footer, so use it when you need it.

Sothanksforhavingme.IlovecomingtoNewYork.Andvisi:ngbig(ger)ci:eswheretechcanseemmorelikea(poten:ally)cooland

actuallyUSEFULthingandless(tosome)likeahos:leinvadersetondisrup:ngourwayoflife.I'mheretotalktoyouaboutthedigital

divide.Whatitisandhowlibrariesarecrucialtoovercomingit.I'mheretodothreethings

1. Talkaboutsomeofthecharacteris:csofthedigitallydividedandintroducetheideaofdigitalreadiness(orangecountyin2012)

2. Introduceyoutototheworkandtac:csofPhilAgreandbuildonsomeofit.

3. Openaconversa:onaboutwaysweaslibrarianscanmakethissitua:onbeNerwhichcanalsobeaframeworkforhowtothinkabout

thingsduringthisandotherconferences

AndIshouldmen:on:thesearemostlywhatwecallsoPskills.Hardtoquan:fy,"hightouch"qualita:velyreallyuseful.

Phil Agre's How to help someone use a computer

Computer people are fine human beings, but they do a lot of harm in the

ways they "help" other people with their computer problems.

“

Ifwasdoingthistalkin45secondsinsteadof45minutes,I'dsay"Thedigitaldivideisimportantbecause1.techisimportantforpersonal

andprofessionalreasonsespeciallyastheworldchangesanddigitallydividedpeoplegetlePbehind2.thepeoplewhoarebuildingalot

ofthetechnologyweuseare(some:mes,oPen)makingbadchoicesbecauseofthedigitaldivideandasaresulttheymakethingsworse

foreveryone.Notonpurpose,necessarily."

Librariansareusuallysomewherebetweenthefirstgroupofpeople(thedivided)andthesecond(thetechiesandprogrammers).I'dalsosay"ReadthislistofthingstoknowabouthowtoteachpeoplehowtousecomputersbyPhilAgre."ItwaswriNenin1996.It's

s:lltruetoday.Iusesomequotesfromitthroughoutthetalk.It'sgoodadvicebecauseit'snotjust"Holdthemouselikethis"butrather

"ThinkabouttheworldlikeTHIS"usefulforpeoplelikeusandwillplugintosomeotherthingsIamgoingtotalkabout.

It'ssortofhardto"show"thedigitaldivideandthisispartofthelargerproblem.Lotsofpicturesofbridges(anecdote:bookcover,

today'stopic).Librarianstendtounderstandtheissue—weseedigitallydividedpeopleinourpopula:onseveryday,buttheycanbea

liNleINvisibletothepeoplewhocreatethetechnologythatthedigitallydividedfolkshavetouse.Partofthedivideisthelackofoverlap

betweentech-richpartsofsocietyandtech-poorparts.Thiscanbeproximity,howfaryouarefromSiliconValley,butalso

demographically—age,class,race,gender.

20-somethingwhitemeninUSci:esarebuildingalotofthetechnologythateveryoneelseisusing.

(click)I'vetakentojusttellingstoriesaboutthepeopleIworkwith.ThisisJanet.They'reeverydaystoriesbuttheyplaybigonTwiNer

wheretechpeopleare.Iliketothinkthisishelping.ImetJanetthroughmyregulardrop-in:me,aprogramIdothroughalocaltechnical

highschool(youguyshaveteched?).Ihangoutinaroomonceaweekandpeopleinthecommunity(pop4500orso)comeintoask

ques:ons.I'vebeendoingitforthirteenyears.

It'ssortofhardto"show"thedigitaldivideandthisispartofthelargerproblem.Lotsofpicturesofbridges(anecdote:bookcover,

today'stopic).Librarianstendtounderstandtheissue—weseedigitallydividedpeopleinourpopula:onseveryday,buttheycanbea

liNleINvisibletothepeoplewhocreatethetechnologythatthedigitallydividedfolkshavetouse.Partofthedivideisthelackofoverlap

betweentech-richpartsofsocietyandtech-poorparts.Thiscanbeproximity,howfaryouarefromSiliconValley,butalso

demographically—age,class,race,gender.

20-somethingwhitemeninUSci:esarebuildingalotofthetechnologythateveryoneelseisusing.

(click)I'vetakentojusttellingstoriesaboutthepeopleIworkwith.ThisisJanet.They'reeverydaystoriesbuttheyplaybigonTwiNer

wheretechpeopleare.Iliketothinkthisishelping.ImetJanetthroughmyregulardrop-in:me,aprogramIdothroughalocaltechnical

highschool(youguyshaveteched?).Ihangoutinaroomonceaweekandpeopleinthecommunity(pop4500orso)comeintoask

ques:ons.I'vebeendoingitforthirteenyears.

It'ssortofhardto"show"thedigitaldivideandthisispartofthelargerproblem.Lotsofpicturesofbridges(anecdote:bookcover,

today'stopic).Librarianstendtounderstandtheissue—weseedigitallydividedpeopleinourpopula:onseveryday,buttheycanbea

liNleINvisibletothepeoplewhocreatethetechnologythatthedigitallydividedfolkshavetouse.Partofthedivideisthelackofoverlap

betweentech-richpartsofsocietyandtech-poorparts.Thiscanbeproximity,howfaryouarefromSiliconValley,butalso

demographically—age,class,race,gender.

20-somethingwhitemeninUSci:esarebuildingalotofthetechnologythateveryoneelseisusing.

(click)I'vetakentojusttellingstoriesaboutthepeopleIworkwith.ThisisJanet.They'reeverydaystoriesbuttheyplaybigonTwiNer

wheretechpeopleare.Iliketothinkthisishelping.ImetJanetthroughmyregulardrop-in:me,aprogramIdothroughalocaltechnical

highschool(youguyshaveteched?).Ihangoutinaroomonceaweekandpeopleinthecommunity(pop4500orso)comeintoask

ques:ons.I'vebeendoingitforthirteenyears.

It'ssortofhardto"show"thedigitaldivideandthisispartofthelargerproblem.Lotsofpicturesofbridges(anecdote:bookcover,

today'stopic).Librarianstendtounderstandtheissue—weseedigitallydividedpeopleinourpopula:onseveryday,buttheycanbea

liNleINvisibletothepeoplewhocreatethetechnologythatthedigitallydividedfolkshavetouse.Partofthedivideisthelackofoverlap

betweentech-richpartsofsocietyandtech-poorparts.Thiscanbeproximity,howfaryouarefromSiliconValley,butalso

demographically—age,class,race,gender.

20-somethingwhitemeninUSci:esarebuildingalotofthetechnologythateveryoneelseisusing.

(click)I'vetakentojusttellingstoriesaboutthepeopleIworkwith.ThisisJanet.They'reeverydaystoriesbuttheyplaybigonTwiNer

wheretechpeopleare.Iliketothinkthisishelping.ImetJanetthroughmyregulardrop-in:me,aprogramIdothroughalocaltechnical

highschool(youguyshaveteched?).Ihangoutinaroomonceaweekandpeopleinthecommunity(pop4500orso)comeintoask

ques:ons.I'vebeendoingitforthirteenyears.

Pew Research Center

13%13% of American adults do not use the internet at all.

Additionally, 9% of adults use the internet but not at home.

We'llstarthere.Thisisatruefact.What'sweirdisI'vebeendoingvariantsonthistalkforoveradecadeandthisnumberwhichwasa

liNleover20%usedtomoveanditdoesn'tanymore.Those13%arestayingput.

Whatdoesitmeantobeoffline?Whataretheoutlinesofthedigitaldivide?

Three (or more) digital divides

People couldn't afford computers or broadband.

Some still can't but libraries have filled that gap for most people.

Financial

Theideaofthedigitaldividesoundssimple,butitiscomplex.It'snotonethinganymore.Itwasandnowit'snot.Itusedtojustbe"Hey

computersareexpensiveandpeoplecan'taffordthem…"or"Gegngtheinternetisexpensiveandpeoplecan'taffordTHAT"But

realis:callynowintheUS97%ofourpopula:onshaveaccesstopubliclibraryservice.It'snotfixedbutit'smostlyamelioratedandhas

hadremediesthatwork.

Three (or more) digital divides

People couldn't afford computers or broadband.

Some still can't but libraries have filled that gap for most people.

FinancialWebsites are hard to use

and people have cognitive and physical

challenges that make this harder than it needs to be.

Usability

"Most user interfaces are terrible. When people make mistakes it's

usually the fault of the interface.

You've forgotten how many ways

you've learned to adapt to bad interfaces."

- Phil Agre

Secondly, there's the usability stuff or, as I like to call it in my facebook classes "let's learn where the tiny triangles are which hide all the stuff you want." Because seriously, this little triangle is dark blue on slightly lighter blue and it's 30-ish pixels on a 2000-ish pixel screen. That's a tough target. (click) The US healthcare debacle of a few years ago was a great example of this. Not only did people have to apply online, they were confronted with a terrible poorly-functioning website to do it. People got driven online, in droves, were forced to interact with this website and walked away thinking "Computers are hard" That is a failure on so many levels, and extra sad because it was untrue and avoidable. People who think they are bad at computers are often just having trouble with interfaces.We can help with this with our advocacy and our own good practices. Build good, tested, usable websites. Demand them from your vendors.

Three (or more) digital divides

People couldn't afford computers or broadband.

Some still can't but libraries have filled that gap for most people.

FinancialWebsites are hard to use

and people have cognitive and physical

challenges that make this harder than it needs to be.

Usability

"Most user interfaces are terrible. When people make mistakes it's

usually the fault of the interface.

You've forgotten how many ways

you've learned to adapt to bad interfaces."

- Phil Agre

Secondly, there's the usability stuff or, as I like to call it in my facebook classes "let's learn where the tiny triangles are which hide all the stuff you want." Because seriously, this little triangle is dark blue on slightly lighter blue and it's 30-ish pixels on a 2000-ish pixel screen. That's a tough target. (click) The US healthcare debacle of a few years ago was a great example of this. Not only did people have to apply online, they were confronted with a terrible poorly-functioning website to do it. People got driven online, in droves, were forced to interact with this website and walked away thinking "Computers are hard" That is a failure on so many levels, and extra sad because it was untrue and avoidable. People who think they are bad at computers are often just having trouble with interfaces.We can help with this with our advocacy and our own good practices. Build good, tested, usable websites. Demand them from your vendors.

Three (or more) digital divides

People couldn't afford computers or broadband.

Some still can't but libraries have filled that gap for most people.

FinancialWebsites are hard to use

and people have cognitive and physical

challenges that make this harder than it needs to be.

UsabilityPeople don't "see

themselves" in online spaces and don't see it as a place where they

belong.

Empowerment

And then there's empowerment. Offline people look at ads like these grinning white people all wrapped up in their own devices ignoring each other and say "That's not what I want. Why would someone think I want that?"A lot of people who are not fully online have … concerns. I used to moderate a giant online community, helped keep people from fighting with each other. The line I use about heavily online users is that they're online for a reason. Maybe they have a disabled family member they're caretaking for, maybe they are the disabled family member, maybe they're timeshifted, maybe they have agoraphobia, maybe they're an expat, maybe they have a small weird hobby or a kink. Understanding their lives can help you understand how to work with them when they struggle.The same is true for offline people. The 13%. They may have physical challenges but they may also have mental or emotional ones. Lack of energy for learning an all-new thing. Concerns over doing something wrong and wasting money or time. NOT LIKING TO FEEL STUPID. They're looking for more of a welcome mat and less of a "Hey have you tried Ubuntu?" approach.

Seriously "Try Ubuntu…"

SorememberJanet,theonewhoisorganizingthesquaredancingcampingspreadsheet?IgotthisfeedbackaPerItweetedabouther.

Andthisguyis…notwrong.Butwemightalsosay"notEVENwrong"becausehe'sgottherightsolu:onbutforthewrongproblem.

Whichisnotunusualinthetechworld.Butwe,librarians,canbecompassionatetowardshimwhiles:llnotinstallingUbuntuonJanet's

laptop.Unlessherproblemtosolveis"toomuchfree:meandadesiretolearnanewopera:ngsysteminher80s"inwhichcasego

Janet!

Three digital divides

People couldn't afford computers or broadband.

Some still can't but libraries have filled that gap for most people.

FinancialWebsites are hard to use

and people have cognitive and physical

challenges that make this harder than it needs to be.

UsabilityPeople are made to feel

unwelcome in online spaces or with UX

considerations and then figure "Why bother"?

Inclusion

Empowerment can also be inclusion. Or equity… These are different aspects of a similar issue. Often people, "computer people" to use Phil Agre's parlance, are looking for scalable solutions and they oversimplify the complexities of humanity into something that will fit into a checkbox or a database. Letting people fill in their own gender, using their own words, for example, is vastly preferable from a human standpoint, but difficult from a database standpoint (or a market research standpoint where your client is telling you "we need this split up by gender" and you're not deputized to explain genderfluidity to them). But how do you explain that to the digitally divided transgender kid who is faced with this choice? And that kid feels 1% or heck maybe 25% less likely to want to engage online because of it.

Credit: Garry Knight, on Flickr

"The digital divide hurts everyone"

Italkalotaboutsocialjus:ceandinequalityissues.Itrytobetac:calaswellastruthful.OneofthemessagesIfindhelpful,tac:cally,is

theideathatmanyins:tu:onalizedissues(poverty,racism,ableism,ageism,homophobiaandtransphobia)hurteveryone,notjustthe

peoplewhoarethe"targets"or"vic:ms"ofprejudiceandintolerance.Feminism,asamorestraighmorwardexample,canmakeamorepragma:ckindofsensetoawideraudiencewhenit'snotjustathing

forwomenbutathingforeveryonebecausetheideaofthepatriarchy—norma:vegenderstereotypes,toxicmasculinity,people

pressuredtofitsomesocietalno:onofgenderroles—isbadforpeopleofallgenders.

Sothisismymessageaboutthedigitaldivide:Ithurtseveryoneandworkingonithelpseveryone.WhenyoulistentoSadyFisherthis

aPernoonIsuspectshe'llbetalkingaboutmoreofthissortofequity.

Credit: Justice Ender on Flickr

Social model of disability

AndsowhenIthinkaboutremovingbarriers,some:mesIthinkaboutliteralones(ifsomeonecan'tuseatouchpadGIVETHEMA

MOUSE)butsome:mesthefigura:veones.

Aconstruc:onIfindhelpfuliswhatiscalledtheSocialModelofDisability(linksonthelinksheet).Whichiscontrastedtothemedical

modelofdisability.Thatis,thisguy'sissueisNOTthatheisusingawheelchairtogetaround,thatisjustafactabouthim.Thisguy's

problemisthatnoonemadethiswalkwayaccessibleinthesnow.It'sasocialproblemwhichneedsasocietalsolu:on.Notamedical

one(whereyoumightsay"weneedtoworktowardsasocietywhereeveryonecanwalk"whichisless-realis:candmoreobnoxious)

(click)andthereareposi:vemessageapproachesyoucanmake,likethisoneabouttheNYCMTA.Heyifyouputinanelevator,ithelps

alldifferentkindsofpeople.Thisencouragesmorebuyinanddecreasesthe"otherness"ofthedigitallydivided."You'renotbadat

computers.Computersarebadatworkingwithyou"

Credit: Justice Ender on Flickr

Social model of disability

AndsowhenIthinkaboutremovingbarriers,some:mesIthinkaboutliteralones(ifsomeonecan'tuseatouchpadGIVETHEMA

MOUSE)butsome:mesthefigura:veones.

Aconstruc:onIfindhelpfuliswhatiscalledtheSocialModelofDisability(linksonthelinksheet).Whichiscontrastedtothemedical

modelofdisability.Thatis,thisguy'sissueisNOTthatheisusingawheelchairtogetaround,thatisjustafactabouthim.Thisguy's

problemisthatnoonemadethiswalkwayaccessibleinthesnow.It'sasocialproblemwhichneedsasocietalsolu:on.Notamedical

one(whereyoumightsay"weneedtoworktowardsasocietywhereeveryonecanwalk"whichisless-realis:candmoreobnoxious)

(click)andthereareposi:vemessageapproachesyoucanmake,likethisoneabouttheNYCMTA.Heyifyouputinanelevator,ithelps

alldifferentkindsofpeople.Thisencouragesmorebuyinanddecreasesthe"otherness"ofthedigitallydivided."You'renotbadat

computers.Computersarebadatworkingwithyou"

Solookingatanothersocial-modelangle.Learningtechislikelearningtodrive.It'sathingmostpeoplecando.It'sathingmostpeople

do.Somepeoplecan't(money,health,access)andthereareworkaroundsforthem.Somepeoplewon'tandthosesameworkarounds

willworkforthem(andit'stheirchoice,notmine).BUT,nearlyeveryonewhomakesachoicenottodriveunderstandsthesocialcostsof

not-driving.(Chrisstory…)Peoplewhoareimpactedbythemedicalmodelofdisability,forexample,usuallyknowthat'shappening.The

sameisnottrueforpeoplewhoaredigitallydivided.

Theydon'tknowenoughabouttechnologytoknowtheyarebeingexcluded.ThecostsofremainingofflineareoPenhidden,oratleast

theyarerightupun:lyourtownfloodsandtheonlywaytointeractwiththegovernment'sFederalEmergencyManagementAgencyis

throughawebpage.Awkward.Weknowthisinthelibrarybecausewefrequentlyseethesepeoplestruggling.

IntheUSyoucanmaybegetasocialworkertohelpyouapplyforfoodstampsbutnotsomuchforcomple:nganonlineda:ngprofile.It

becomesasocialissue,people'slackofconnec:vity,whetherit'schoiceornotachoice.Itisolatesthem.

Phil Agre

A computer is a means to an end. The person you're helping probably

cares mostly about the end. This is reasonable.

“

Realis:cally,youandIviewcomputersastools.Digitally-dividedusersviewcomputersasobstacles.

What is needed?

Andthoseobstaclesfeellikeonestheycan'tscalethemselves.Pewlookedatofflinepopula:onsandaskedthemwhattheywouldneed

togetonline?Somedidn'tcareto,somedidn'twantto,somedidn'tknow(Iamhavingahard:methinkinghowthatconversa:onwent)

butmostwouldneedhelp.Theycan'tgetonlinealone.Asthedigitaldividehasbeenshrinkingthispieceofthepiegetsbigger.They

needhelp,theyneedourhelp.

Email is Internet 101. We need to get people to 202, fast.

WhenIwasinlibraryschool,myfavoritethingwashelpingpeoplelearntechnology.Ihelpedpeoplegetemailaccountsusingrocketmail

andmailexciteinthelatenine:es.IfiguredI'ddothatforafewyearsand…everyonewouldhaveemailandthenwecoulddealwith

moresophis:catedtopicslikeonlineprivacyorwhattodowhenEquifaxgetshackedandlosesthedataofmostoftheadultsinyour

country.IlaughathownaiveIwas.I'ms:llsigningpeopleupfortheirfirstemailaccountsin2018.Butpeoplemoveattheirownpace

andyoucanonlytrytomaketheironlineexperiencesengagingandposi:vesotheymightwanttohavemoreofthem.

Phil Agre

Your primary goal is not to solve their problem. Your primary goal is to help

them become one notch more capable of solving their problem on their own.

“

Becausethatiswhatwecanworkon.Ican'tmakeemailworkmuchbeNer(thoughIcanshowyouhowtoblockthoseannoyingads,

makethefontbiggerandmakeadistribu:onlist)Icanempower.Icaninclude.Helppeopleseethemselves.Helpthemfindtheirpeople.

Becauseinruralareasespecially,orforpeoplewhoareotherwiseisolatedfromtheirreal-lifecommuni:es,onlinespacesand

interac:onscanhelppeoplesolveproblems.Andhelpingpeoplesolvetheirownproblemscanhelpthembemoresociallyincluded,less

divided.

Hereareafewquickexamples.

Problems like…

shopping

SoIdon'tthinkanyofthesewillbetotallynoveltoyou,butIjustwanttorunsomeofthesedown.Ihelpsomeonelearntousea

computereveryweek.HerearetasksIhelpthemwith,barrierstheymaynotevenknowtheyhave,thatsolvetheirproblems.

Peoplewhoareofflinepaymoretobuythings(fewerdiscounts,moredifficultcomparisonshopping),aremoreatriskwhenbuying

things(gegnginacarinthewinter)andhavefewerchoiceswhenbuyingthings.

Problems like…

shopping working

Jobapplica:onsevenfor"offline"jobsareoPenonlineorrequireattheleastaresumeuploaded."Vocrehab"helppeopleretrainfrom

beingloggersorcarpenters.HelpingthemgetajobatHomeDepotislargelyjustteachingthemhowtofilloutapplica:ons.I'msureyou

seethesefolksinyourlibraries.Helpingpeoplewithcomputershelpsthemgettowork.

Problems like…

shopping working meeting people

Da:nghasmovedonline.Nowifyouareprimarilyanofflinepersonyoumightbelookingforanofflinepersonandyetmanysocialand

networkingopportuni:eseitherhappenen:relyonlineorarefacilitatedbytheonlineworld—facebook,socialmedia.It'simportant

whenwetalkabouttheseonlineengagementopportuni:estoexplainthatnotonlyisthishappening,muchofitisNORMATIVEnow.

Notyourthing?Fine.Butit'sanormalthing.It'simportanttosetthatexpecta:on.Ithelpspeoplebelessisolated."Youcouldsolvea

problemthisway"

Problems like…

shopping working meeting people civics

Andasthingsbecomenorma:ve,expecta:onsofhowpeopleareexpectedtointeractwiththeirgovernmentsarealsonorma:ve.When

ItalktolibrariansinMaine,forexample,theytalkabouthowonethingthatgetsdigitallydividedpeoplemo:vatedtogetonlineis

MooseLicenses.Havingsomethingappealingandmo:va:ngisalotbeNerthanhavingyourfirstonlineexperiencebewhenyourhouse

isunderwater.

Problems like…

shopping working meeting people civics learning

andthenwegetthingsthataren'tproblemsnecessarilybutmorelikeopportuni:es.Thereareatonofwayspeoplecanself-directedly

learnonlinefromKhanacademyorLynda.comorUniversalClasstomyfavoritelocalpas:me,watchingtractorenginesrunningand

learningtotunethemup.Researchisindica:ngthatmuchmoreofpeople'slearningwillbetakingplaceonline.

Problems like…

shopping working meeting people civics learning

Thislastone,though,thisiswherethingsaregoing.HowmanypeopleherehavelearnedathingbywatchingYouTubevideos?Ilearned

ukulele,Ilearnedhowtofixmycar'sbackseatwhichwasn'tfoldingdown,Ilearnedhowtoputmyhairinabun.Seriously.

Digital readiness

Skill Trust Use

+ =

digital readiness: whether people have the skills to use information technology, as well as the digital literacy tools to

help people determine whether the online information they access is trustworthy.

Thisisimportantforthelastpart,whatIsome:mescallthelastdivide:theconceptofdigitalreadiness.Withlots,many,most,learning

opportuni:esshiPingtoonlinespaces,peopleneeddigitalreadinesstotakeadvantageofotheropportuni:es.Weshouldunderstand

thisissue.Peopleneedskills(mouse,vision,reading)aswellastrust(trustintheirownabili:estodiscern,trustinthemselvesnotto

makemistakes)inordertobecomfortableandhappyempoweredpeople.Andthisistrickyinaneraofseriousbullshitanditsno

wonderpeoplehavetroublewiththispart.

Myjobasalibrarianin2018istohelpyoubedigitallyready,orhelpotherpeopletobe.Andthisislessaboutlearningtouseamouse

andmuchmoreaboutlearningtoteachyourselftheskillsyouneed.

library usage as indicator

Thegoodnewsis….Peoplewhoareusinglibrariesarepeoplewhoarealreadyprimedtousetheinternetforlearning.Wecanusethis

plamormtohelpthemusethelibrariestolearntotrust(orwhatnottotrust)

library usage as indicator

!!!

Thegoodnewsis….Peoplewhoareusinglibrariesarepeoplewhoarealreadyprimedtousetheinternetforlearning.Wecanusethis

plamormtohelpthemusethelibrariestolearntotrust(orwhatnottotrust)

Helpingpeopletrust,teachingthemtotrust,intheirownskills,intheirabili:estodiscerntherealfromthefake,thecrediblefromthe

fraudulent,withusandeventually…withoutus,iswherethenextstagesofdigitaldividemi:ga:onisgoing.

Thebadnewsis,people'strustisshaky,especiallylately(andespeciallyintheUS)

Everyone is part of it.

Andoneofthethingtheresearchpointsustoaboutdigitalreadinessanduptake(andthisistrueforclimbingoutofanumberofsocial

problemsgenerally,peoplejustoutofprison,domes:cviolencevic:ms,traumasurvivors)isthatthemoresuppor:vetheirENTIRE

NETWORKis,thebeNerofftheirabilitytogetoutoftheirbadsitua:ons.Nowlackofbroadband/connec:vityisnotnecessarilyabad

situa:onliketheseothers,butitdoesimposestructurallimita:onsonconnec:vity,inclusionandaccessthatweshouldbe,andare,

workingagainst.

Phil Agre

Take a long-term view. Who do users in this community get help from? If you focus on building that person's skills, the skills will diffuse to everyone else.

“

Sincewestoppedbeingaroomfullofbooks(thoughwearethat)we'vemovedmoretowardsbeingconduitsfordifferentthings.

Electronicinforma:on,skillbuilding,communitystewardship.Nowwe'regegngintoamorenebulousroleof,amongotherthings,

incen:vizingpar:cipa:on,calmingfears,andbecomingthetrustedsource/allyamongatonofpeoplewhoarejusttryingtosellyou

somethingorwhoaretellingyouthatyoudon'tbelong.

BecausetherearesomebarriersI'mnotinaposi:ontoremove—peoplewhoworryabouttheirci:zenshipstatus,orwhoheartheir

electedleaderstalkingsmackaboutthem,orwhohavehealthinstabilityandworryabouttheirfuturehealthcare—butIcan,usingthe

socialmodelofthedigitaldivide,explaintothemthatit'snottheirfault,thatit'stech'sjobtomeetthem,andit'stheirrighttoaskfor

beNerwebsites,beNeronlineexperiences,andbeNertreatment.

Ian Clark — Journal of Radical Librarianship

In the post-Snowden digital landscape there is an additional element to this skills divide to consider — the divide between those who can navigate the internet free from state and corporate oversight, and those who cannot.

“

Becausethedivide,especiallynow,isperniciousbecausepeoplewholacksavvinesswithintheirtechenvironmentareincreasingly

preyeduponbyit.Andifwewantourpatrons,andourselves,tobecomefullyrealizedhumanci:zens,weneedtogivethemasmany

toolsastheycanhandle,toachievecompetencyandcapacityforwhatcomesnext.

Thisisnotgiveapersonafish,thoughthatispartofit(thetech,thebroadband).

Thisisnotteachapersontofish,thoughthatispartofit(theskills,theprac:ce).

Thisishelpingsomeonenotbeafraidofthewater,showingthemagoodspotwherethefisharebi:ng,andguidingthemthroughtheir

firstfewfishingtrips.MaybeaskingthemhowitwentaPerwards.Inacomputerway.Digitalreadiness.

Thereisbeautyintechnology,notjustina"hotchips"waybutinthewayitcanbringustogether,helpuslearn,helpusbecomewhowe

wishtobe.

- Phil Agre

Knowledge lives in communities, not

individuals.

“

AsIsaidearlier,it'snotjust"Holdthemouselikethis"anymore.Thosemessageshavebeenintheaethersincewe'vehadmice(1984).

They'reimportantbutthey'renotenough.

Wenotonlygivepeopleaccesstotheinforma:ontheywant(andneed)butwealsoimproveandstrengthentheiraccesstotheir

communi:es.Andthatiswhathelpsimprovedigitalreadinessandhelppeoplebecomemorelike…themselves.Thedigitaldividehurts

everyone.Andthedigitaldivideisn'tpeoplenotknowingthings,it'sasocialproblem.Andlibrariesnotonlyhelpsociety,weAREsociety

(forbeNerorworse)andwecanhelpbreakdownbarriersforthedigitaldivided.

Thank you!Stay in touch!

jessamyn@gmail.com@jessamyn

<librarian.net/talks/nyla18>