Image of ALA President Patricia "Patty" M. Wong

We Must Lead on Digital Equity

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


Wired for Wireless

January 4, 2021

According to the Pew Research Center, more than 81% of US adults own a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011. That share is even higher for adults ages 18–29 at 96%, while just over half of people age 65 and older own one. Roughly one in five American adults are “smartphone-only” internet users, meaning they … Continue reading Wired for Wireless



Advancing digital equity

Advancing Digital Equity

July 1, 2020

Larra Clark, deputy director of PLA and the American Library Association’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office, moderated the event, joined by Betsy Fowler, director of Williamsburg (Va.) Regional Library; Misty Hawkins, director of Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System; and Julie Walker, state librarian for the Georgia Public Library Service. As nearly every aspect of … Continue reading Advancing Digital Equity


ALA Recommends Libraries Leave Wi-Fi Open During Closures

March 23, 2020

Our current crisis demands extraordinary measures. As most states and the federal government declare states of emergency, we appreciate that libraries and other public facilities have closed temporarily to support critical social distancing efforts. Our top priority and concern is the health and safety of our library staffs and the diverse communities we serve. As … Continue reading ALA Recommends Libraries Leave Wi-Fi Open During Closures


From left: Muy-Cheng Peich, Jim O'Donnell, and Ann Okerson

IFLA: Providing Access without Connection

August 28, 2019

This session, chaired by Ann Okerson, senior advisor on electronic resources at the Center for Research Libraries in Chicago, featured presentations by members of the Offline Internet Consortium: IFLA, Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF), and Arizona State University (ASU). Presenters showcased initiatives and programs that bridge the digital divide by providing resources and access to networked … Continue reading IFLA: Providing Access without Connection


Illustration of library in field receiving signals from towers (Illustration: © Auguste Lange/Adobe Stock)

Wi-Fi in the “White Space”

May 1, 2019

But the library is reaching them using an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant. The grant provides broadband Wi-Fi service to Huron’s parks through unused parts of the television broadcast spectrum. Often called “white spaces,” these parts of the spectrum were freed up when most broadcasters switched from analog to digital signals in … Continue reading Wi-Fi in the “White Space”


Panelists at Blockchain, Open Civic Data, and TV White Space

Blockchain, Open Civic Data, and TV White Space

February 11, 2018

Sue Alman, a full-time lecturer at the SJSU iSchool, outlined her study of how libraries can use blockchain technology in support of city or community goals. Blockchain, most closely associated with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, is a highly secure ledger system that records digital transactions. Alman said that her goal is to engage in a … Continue reading Blockchain, Open Civic Data, and TV White Space


Mobile Beacon, which provides mobile Wi-Fi devices (pictured above) and grants to libraries and other organizations for Wi-Fi lending programs, is one of the nonprofits that has filed a lawsuit against Sprint over a contract dispute. Photo: Mobile Beacon

Temporary Injunction Extended to Transition Libraries to New Wi-Fi Network

February 3, 2016

Last November, Educational Broadband Service-designated providers Mobile Beacon and Mobile Citizen successfully requested the court impose a 90-day injunction on Sprint’s plan to shut down its WiMax network and transition customers to the LTE network. Mobile Beacon and Mobile Citizen said they needed the injunction because contract negotiations collapsed with Sprint, which bought their former … Continue reading Temporary Injunction Extended to Transition Libraries to New Wi-Fi Network


OITP Deputy Director Larra Clark asks how many people in the audience are logged into the conference center's Wi-Fi

Washington Office Update

January 10, 2016

Washington Office Executive Director Emily Sheketoff started by noting “how important your voice is in the successes ALA achieves,” specifically citing the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act in December. Sheketoff said lawmakers were able to get library-friendly requirements into the bill because ALA members made the effort to call and write to their … Continue reading Washington Office Update


Mobile Beacon, which provides mobile Wi-Fi devices (pictured above) and grants to libraries and other organizations for Wi-Fi lending programs, is one of the nonprofits that has filed a lawsuit against Sprint over a contract dispute. Photo: Mobile Beacon

Temporary Injunction Keeps Affordable Internet Access at Libraries

November 5, 2015

Updated Nov. 6, 2015 with Sprint’s statement. Mobile Citizen and Mobile Beacon, which provide unlimited broadband access for $10 per month to 61 libraries, 429 schools, and 1,820 nonprofits, requested the emergency relief order after negotiations stalled between Sprint and the nonprofits in October over the terms of the transfer to the new network. Sprint … Continue reading Temporary Injunction Keeps Affordable Internet Access at Libraries


New mobile hotspot users attend a launch event at New York Public Library’s Mott Haven branch.

Bridging the Tech Gap

September 11, 2015

For years, libraries have helped bridge the digital divide by offering internet access at brick-and-mortar branches. Many are expanding this mission by offering patrons mobile Wi-Fi hotspots for checkout. New York City launched a program this year that provides 10,000 mobile hotspots to patrons across three library systems, and in 2014, Chicago Public Library rolled … Continue reading Bridging the Tech Gap