broadband Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Supreme Court Protects Federal Broadband Funding

June 27, 2025

The ALA applauded the Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision to uphold the Universal Service Fund (USF). The system of telecommunications subsidies administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) includes the E-Rate program, which provides libraries and schools billions of dollars each year for broadband access and connectivity. More than half of all public libraries apply for … Continue reading Supreme Court Protects Federal Broadband Funding →

American Library Association (ALA) President Patricia "Patty" M. Wong (left) and Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel discuss the state of the digital divide in the US at the Opening Session of ALA's Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., on June 24. Photo by Rebecca Lomax for American Libraries.

The State of the Digital Divide

By Sallyann Price | June 24, 2022

“Individuals and communities need to have the technical capacity to fully participate in modern society, our democracy, and economic life,” Rosenworcel said, echoing the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s definition of digital equity. “And I think for that to be true, we need to make sure 100% of us, no matter who we are, where we … Continue reading The State of the Digital Divide →

Special Report: Toward an Equitable Digital Future

March 1, 2022

Even as lockdowns have eased and most schools and libraries have reopened, the availability of reliable broadband, devices, and digital literacy training remains critical—whether for schoolwork, employment, public services, telehealth visits, social connections, or civic participation. And this need will grow exponentially as technology infrastructure continues to evolve. Library workers have been working to address … Continue reading Special Report: Toward an Equitable Digital Future →

Libraries are turning to the Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit to improve and advocate for their broadband connections.

The Last Mile

By Greg Landgraf | March 1, 2022

Using a 2015 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), nonprofit consortium Internet2 and its Community Anchor Program (CAP) have worked with technology consultant Carson Block to develop a free, downloadable toolkit to help library staffers understand and improve their broadband services and technical knowledge, says CAP Director Stephanie Stenberg. Called the … Continue reading The Last Mile →

The 411 on Funding

By Lara Ewen | March 1, 2022

The pandemic threw the issue of unequal access to technology into sharp relief. Multiple funding bills have been proposed in the past few years—many with similar names—to alleviate this imbalance. However, staying on top of which bills have passed, what funding is available for libraries, and how librarians can get that funding can be a … Continue reading The 411 on Funding →

Moving the Needle

By Sallyann Price | March 1, 2022

1: Look around The first step is to take inventory of what digital programs, services, resources, and staffing already exist in your library and identify gaps and opportunities, says Larra Clark, deputy director of PLA and ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office. “That’s the number one thing—where are you today? No matter who you are, … Continue reading Moving the Needle →

During the pandemic, Long Beach (Calif.) Public Library launched Tech To-Go, a Chromebook and hotspot lending service, while Digital Durham (in North Carolina) created fliers in English and Spanish that explain the Emergency Broadband Benefit program.

Getting There Together

By Terra Dankowski | March 1, 2022

“During the pandemic, the number of place-based digital inclusion coalitions has more than tripled,” says Angela Siefer, director of the nonprofit National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), a community of digital inclusion practitioners and policymakers. “The sudden awareness of digital inequities and the need for coordinated solutions caused folks to come together, [and] libraries are often … Continue reading Getting There Together →

A Broad Look at Broadband

March 1, 2022

Unlike most other types of infrastructure—such as roads, bridges, energy grids, water lines, and sewage systems—the nation’s digital infrastructure is largely corporate owned and generates revenues from paying subscribers. Why Access Is Important. During the pandemic, technology has been a lifeline: 9 in 10 Americans said the internet has been essential or important to them … Continue reading A Broad Look at Broadband →

Image of ALA President Patricia "Patty" M. Wong

We Must Lead on Digital Equity

By Patricia "Patty" M. Wong | March 1, 2022

A Public Library Association study released in September 2021 provides a current picture of how libraries serve as digital equity hubs. The study found that more than 88% of all public libraries offer formal or informal digital literacy programming, more than one-third (36.7%) have dedicated digital literacy and technology programs and training staff, and more than … Continue reading We Must Lead on Digital Equity →

Headshots of seven members of ALA's Policy Corps from various years' cohorts on red background with "ALA Policy Corps Update" in white text

Catching Up with ALA Policy Corps

By Jazzy Celindro | November 10, 2021

Since the Policy Corps’ founding in 2018, members have been active on a range of issues that have increased their expertise and networks while expanding ALA’s policy advocacy reach. As ALA begins to accept applications for its fourth cohort, here’s an update on members’ recent activities. School library funding When the American Rescue Plan Act … Continue reading Catching Up with ALA Policy Corps →

Diagnose and Fix

By Carson Block | November 1, 2021

The Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit is a free, open source learning, diagnostic, and advocacy resource funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The kit’s Creative Commons license allows users to remix, adapt, and build on the work, making it a powerful starting point for training in library organizations. The toolkit’s aim is to … Continue reading Diagnose and Fix →

Social Justice Requires Broadband Access

By Amy Carlton | June 26, 2021

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) estimates that 14.5 million Americans lack broadband internet access. Panel moderator Eldon R. James, a trustee of the Freedom to Read Foundation, opened the session by citing an independent research study that suggests the real numbers are likely closer to 42 million. Erin Hollingsworth is librarian at North Slope Borough … Continue reading Social Justice Requires Broadband Access →

Latest Library Links

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Robin Camille Davis writes: “It wasn’t until seven years into my career as a user experience librarian that I realized I’d been accidentally excluding a sizable segment of users from my user research. Interviews, surveys, and usability studies favor people who are gifted at oral and written communication. What about people who are more gifted at visual communication? In the context of user research, this participatory design invites participants to design their own response to a given prompt.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, June 30
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Stories from communities nationwide come to life on ALA’s new Show Up for Our Libraries interactive site map. The stories illustrate the real-life consequences of potential funding cuts to rural, research, city, state, and university library programs and, in turn, to the hundreds of millions of library users across the country. Services such as summer reading programs, telehealth resources, interlibrary loan, and ebooks have all been affected. ALA collected the stories in conversation with patrons, library professionals, and advocates across the country to better understand the impact of federal funding cuts since the President’s executive order to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, June 25
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On June 27, the Supreme Court upheld the Universal Service Fund, which funds the E-Rate program. ALA issued a statement regarding the ruling that reads, in part, “The ALA applauds the Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision to uphold the Universal Service Fund. The system of telecommunications subsidies administered by the Federal Communications Commission includes the E-Rate program, which provides libraries and schools billions of dollars each year for broadband access and connectivity. More than half of all public libraries apply for funding to subsidize the cost of internet connectivity through E-Rate each year.”

AL: The Scoop, June 27
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On June 27, ALA announced its new executive director, Daniel J. Montgomery. ALA’s announcement read, in part, “Montgomery has worked on behalf of public education and the rights of workers for more than two decades. He was elected to a three-year term as president of the 103,000-member Illinois Federation of Teachers in October 2010 and has been unanimously reelected every three years since then. He will start at ALA on November 10. The steering committee chose Montgomery because of his commitment to public institutions, his comfort working across diverse and difficult political situations, his service to both cities and rural areas, and his experience managing a complex, member-driven organization.”
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Oliver Moody writes: “In the €100 million Oodi library, which looms over central Helsinki like a cruise ship from the future, robots called Tatu, Patu, and Veera trundle back and forth between the shelves and the reading rooms. Against this backdrop, foreign visitors might be surprised to see how many children and teenagers are engaged in an almost unsettlingly archaic activity: reading and borrowing books. In the age of TikTok, Netflix, and Candy Crush, it is not just Finland’s public libraries that are booming, but also demand for their physical paperbacks and hardbacks.”

The Times (London), June 20
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Amit Agarwal writes: “Angus owns a beautiful apartment near the university campus. With the new semester around the corner, he wants to create brochures to attract students as tenants. But here’s the challenge: the university has students from all over the world who speak different languages. Angus needs to create brochures that speak to everyone—from students from Japan to those from France, and everywhere in between. While he could create PDF brochures in multiple languages manually, that process would be both time-consuming and error-prone. This guide explains how you can automate it all.”

Digital Inspiration, June 18
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Emma Roth writes: “A federal judge has sided with Anthropic in an artificial intelligence (AI) copyright case, ruling that training its AI models on legally purchased books without authors’ permission is fair use. It’s a first-of-its-kind ruling in favor of the AI industry, but it’s importantly limited to physical books Anthropic purchased and digitized. Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California also said in his decision that the company must face a separate trial for pirating books from the internet, and did not address whether AI model outputs infringe copyrights, which is at issue in related cases.”

The Verge, June 24

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