Justin Stout: Libraries play an important role in bringing broadband to the public

In the past few years, the Internet has moved beyond being simply a resource for leisure activities or research to becoming an essential part of daily life. In 2020, individuals are required to use the internet to look for and apply for jobs, seek educational opportunities, access government services, and do many other essential things that were previously done offline.

One of the ways public libraries serve the community is by ensuring that every individual has access to broadband internet. Neuse Regional Library will have a fantastic chance to share the importance of this service when it participates in a special community forum on Monday, February 10 at the McKinnon Conference and Training Center at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

The ReCONNECT to Technological Opportunity Forum will allow individuals from libraries, churches and faith-based organizations, local government representatives, educators, and non-profits from fields as diverse as health, workforce development, and community economic development to meet in one place to discuss the importance of broadband.

The forum is designed to give these groups a space to talk about how all North Carolina residents would benefit from unlimited access to high speed Internet. Participants will be asked to enter a “time machine” to a time when everyone has access to broadband and explore what communities can do to leverage high speed Internet in an equitable way.

The forum is focused on how both rural and urban communities are using broadband for economic growth. Portions of the forum will be aired on UNC-TV at a future date, so look for ReCONNECT programming to get a glimpse of this extremely important discussion.

Sharon Mervin, the Library’s Outreach Coordinator, will be attending the forum as a storyteller to kick off the proceedings and humanize the issue. Sharon coordinates the Library’s Stem 4 All program, which brings literacy and STEM education to local housing facilities in the form of an afterschool program. Sharon will share her experiences with using mobile hotspots and iPads to bring broadband to the program’s participants and relate her firsthand observations on how valuable these tools are for homework help. 

Sharon will share how the STEM 4 All program helps address the “homework gap,” which is a real observed phenomenon where students who do not have access to broadband Internet struggle with homework and perform worse than students who do have access. Students who do not have access to the Internet are starting many assignments at a disadvantage to those who do.

Through the STEM 4 All program, the Library is taking broadband out into the community to those who need it the most and giving students the tools they need to succeed on their assignments and become better students. This forum will give Sharon and the Library the opportunity to share with other attendees what a difference access to broadband can make in the life of every North Carolina resident.

There are many ways the Library helps reduce the homework gap and the “digital divide,” or the more general gulf between those who have access to the Internet and those who do not. Our public access computers are available to all, and the Library provides free wifi to anyone who wants to bring their own phone, laptop, or other device. The Library also checks out mobile hotspots to the public which allows patrons to bring the Internet home for a week. 

The Library’s mission is centered on ensuring that everyone, regardless of their demographic background or income, has access to information and opportunities for self-improvement. With the significant role that broadband now plays in these types of activities, it is absolutely essential that we continue to offer access to it without restrictions.

For more information on library services, please call 252-527-7066, Ext. 134.