How Urban Libraries Can Bridge the Digital Divide
City libraries are ready to help get more residents online — but we need a national response to get people back to work and school.
Brooklyn’s Central Library projected a “Cinema Ephemera” series on to its facade last summer after the pandemic forced it to close indoors.
Photo courtesy of Gregg Richards
When Brooklyn Public Library had to close the doors of its 59 branches last March, borough residents were losing a lot more than books.
Tens of thousands of people who had depended on our WiFi every day suddenly found themselves on the other side of a digital divide that has widened to a chasm in the pandemic. These same people, it’s safe to assume, cannot easily log into class or complete their homework, search for job opportunities or submit applications, order prescription medication or locate testing or vaccine sites, or Zoom with their children or grandchildren.