By Fara McCune
We've learned in previous posts that
access to information is a critical component of democracy. As
students in an on-line program, we tend to take affordable,
high-speed internet access for granted. But for many, internet
access is unaffordable and/or unavailable. This so-called “digital
divide” is one of many reasons why the information technology role
of public libraries has continued to grow and remains a critical part
of their service to their communities.
It's not just the physical
infrastructure that is affected by the government's information
policy. These policies also affect the affordability of access and
which information may be accessed by whom (Jaeger, 2007). Even after
access is provided, the information may not be available to all due
to a lack of skills to use the technology, or due to disabilities,
location, or cost. According to Muir & Oppenheim, our government
recognizes that the digital divide is actually worsening along racial
and socioeconomic lines, and this may serve to reinforce problematic
class divisions within our society (2002).
Given that resources will always be
scarce, how should we prioritize providing access to information to
everyone? Should we spend those scare tax dollars to run fiber optic
cable for high-speed internet to a rural elementary school, or should
we use those dollars to fund special equipment for disabled users in
an urban public library? What about our responsibilities to the
global community? Should those funds be used to provide internet
access in other countries? What do you think?
References
Jaeger, P. T. (2007). Information policy, information
access, and democratic participation: The national and international
implications of the Bush administration’s information politics.
[Article]. Government Information Quarterly,
24(4),
840-859. doi: 10.1016/j.giq.2007.01.004
Muir, A., & Oppenheim, C. (2002). National
Information Policy Developments Worldwide II: Universal
Access-Addressing the Digital Divide. Journal
of Information Science, 28(4),
263-273.
