COVID-19 has caused libraries in the United States to remain closed since mid-March. Less than two-thirds of Americans in rural areas have broadband Internet connections at home. The markup wrote about how libraries try to keep their customers online. It is worth reading.
In the city of Cherokee in Iowa, about 40 percent of school-age children do not have Internet access. Tyler Hahn, director of the Cherokee Public Library, said The markup that many of the services he previously provided to the city's residents had to take new forms. The library left Wi-Fi 24/7 and children are sitting in the parking lot using their phones. Hahn made it easier for older customers to access the Internet by shouting instructions through the building's windows.
"We have a lot of people who have switched from shopping in stores to using Amazon for the first time in their lives," said Hahn. "Through the window we walked her up the stairs."
People also came to the library to ask Hahn for the phone number they can use to claim unemployment benefits because they cannot look them up online themselves, he said. You threw dollar bills through the book slot to pay for printouts of forms.
Libraries across the country have had to pursue similar unconventional approaches. Some install additional routers in their communities, bring Wi-Fi in "moving bookmobile" and even rent hotspots. However, this is not a realistic solution everywhere:
Hahn, director of the Cherokee Library, says he would like to rent Wi-Fi hotspots in addition to the few Chromebooks that his library has, but believes that the needs of the community are so great that any program that does he started with current resources, would quickly be overwhelmed. The local public high school had students take laptops home to use for their (voluntary) distance learning program, but no hotspots, he said.
Several librarians independently stated that their hotspot loan programs were "just a drop in the bucket" or "just a patch" for the overwhelming need for reliable Internet and the basic skills to use it.
"Even if you work at McDonald & # 39; s, you will receive a 30-page online application. If you are not familiar with the dropdown menu, this will be a real challenge," said Kate Eppler, manager of The Bridge at Main , a literacy and learning center in the San Francisco Public Library system.
Other libraries offer roadside book collection, Facebook live reading events, handing out books and art supplies to students, printing and sending unemployment applications, and even creating face masks and shields with their 3D printers and sewing machines.
"Never before have people needed more access – at a time when the government is demanding more online activities – than during a pandemic," said Johnson (CEO and President of the Brooklyn Public Library). "It's a truly perfect storm: withdrawal is more extreme than ever and the need is greater."
The MarkupThe article provides an excellent overview of the unique impact of the pandemic on low-income rural communities and is a good read.
