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Learning and Libraries
The link between libraries and learning is as old libraries themselves, but the Internet explosion has taken both learning and libraries in new directions.
“Public libraries play a vital role in bridging the digital divide for those who do not have access to computers and the Internet. Today...if you can get to the library, you can get to the Internet,” says Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has actively supported the evolution of libraries into points of public access to computing.
Libraries aren’t only for the elite in universities; they’re for everyone, educated and uneducated, rich and poor. They’re the great equalizers and a democratic force in access to computers, the Internet, information, and learning.
Research from the University of Washington shows that individuals with less income and education are more likely to use the library as their only access to computers and the Internet. According to a 2001 U.S. Department of Commerce report, only 25 percent of households earning less than $15,000 a year are connected to the Internet, compared to roughly 80 percent of households earning more than $75,000. Across all demographics, more than 14 million Americans use library computers for Internet access.1
Given the broad influence of their work, this issue of The Sophist focuses on libraries and their growing connection to online learning and collaboration. “Digital Learning Commons: Libraries in the 21st Century” looks at how technology is altering the role of libraries--much as it has dramatically changed traditional classroom and teacher-student paradigms--by asking three library representatives to share their experiences.
“Yin and Yang: Learning and Teaching, Interoperability and Independence, Customization and Standards, and Other Library Debates” draws on observations made during a panel discussion at American Library Association’s midwinter conference this month and explores what it means for libraries today to be learning centers.
In keeping with the library theme, our standing feature "Monolog" is from Elizabeth Kellison, content manager for WebJunction, a portal that helps libraries support public access to computers and the Internet. “In Brief” highlights WebJunction and other great resources, including two articles on the role of libraries in online learning in academia, and outlines upcoming nonprofit conferences.
The Editors
1 “Eighteen States Awarded Grants to Sustain Public Access Computing in Libraries,” January 14, 2004. Available at http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Libraries/USLibraryProgram/Announcements/Announce-040114b.htm.
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