I own an iPhone 6s and an iPad Mini 2. The devices themselves are still functioning well, but I have begun to hit device obsolescence. The updated apps for these devices now require an operating system that Apple has not made (and most likely will not make). In my paycheck-to-paycheck existence, things like phone upgrades were deprioritized in favor of a means to work. Despite being gainfully employed, I am part of the community of people who cannot afford better tech. Our modern world requires a base understanding of technology and online interactions, but what if there is a lack of usable technology, insufficient funds, limited accessibility, and inadequate skills? Jessamyn West’s article “21st Century Digital Divide” points out that digital divides still exist and for every step forward there is also backsliding in the margins.
Despite my older tech, I can operate in this hyperlinked world because of work benefits that allow me to have a laptop and use of institutional licensed software. I also know a lot about free library services in my area, so I am an avid user of various libraries’ tech lending program, free computer time, and free 10 pages of printing. Free printing is a blessing for those who need a résumé to present at a job interview or for that senior who has a free flip phone that does not allow them to access their insurance card. It is quite easy for these groups in the margin to be forgotten because they do not usually visit the library. The elders of my temple community who live with other seniors have language and physical issues is another example. Even when told of free services, they will ask everyone within the temple community first. Libraries do not rank in their minds as legitimate sources of information assistance because 1) the libraries they grew up with are not like those in the U.S. and 2) they do not want to look inadequate in front of strangers. So, in this case, the digital divide can only be lessened by increasing the skills and experience of one more person in the group.
How can libraries help? Community networks that boost WIFI are proliferating. LA County Libraries are also helping to bridge some of that digital divide by providing unlimited free WIFI beyond their walls with their Park and Connect initiative. The greater availability of internet access is useful, but it also increases the use of “convenient” online tools. Many of us upload and download files with ease, but there are those who find this difficult to do especially on jargon-filled websites (e.g. Social Security Association, Department of Motor Vehicles, and medical sites). For the seniors at temple, having to initiate a Real ID process by creating an account and uploading supporting documents was a struggle. They sought assistance from monks at the temple and then taught each other.
Since groups like this seek information and assistance from within their language or regional group, it may be useful for libraries to outreach to those cultural institutions that assist non-English speaking or less abled community members. It may also be possible to offer to host some of the cultural institution’s programs at the library. For example, the monk who teaches a computer basics class at the temple where space and computers are limited could hold the same program at the library with more people. Technology keeps changing. Some of it makes work and life easier and some harder. For a surety, the digital divide still exists. It will take continuous effort on the library’s part to make sure that available technologies continue to provide benefits to the library’s various communities.
References
LA County Library. (n.d.). Free Wi-Fi. https://lacountylibrary.org/wifi/
West, J. (n.d.). 21st Century Digital Divide. https://www.librarian.net/talks/rlc14/
Williams, A. & Muller, C. (2021, March 17). Libraries Are Bridging the Digital Divide. https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2021/03/libraries-are-bridging-the-digital-divide/
The hyperlinked library exists because of us. We made it with our inquiries, thoughts, needs, and actions. It may sound as I am speaking of just virtual spaces, but I really am not. I see myself as an information node that exists in both physical and virtual spaces—an ambulatory living library plugged also into a digital universe. I am hyperlinked. Hyperlinked librarians are knowledge facilitators who must embrace change because the information landscape is constantly evolving. They are perpetual knowledge seekers because there is always something new to know. 
Embracing technology changes is sometimes difficult. In longstanding units with defined processes, it may also lead to stress, frustration, and weariness. Thus, a hyperlinked librarian also needs to consider the whole person. People manage change differently. Their prior experience will also affect them. In my corner of the academic library world, the internet and new web-based applications changed technical services. Technical services—cataloging, acquisitions, receiving, processing, discovery, and resource troubleshooting—has many manual processes that are performed within set parameters. Regulations, terms, codes, and contracts only made best practices more highly structured. The internet and networked services threw a wrench into people’s physical world by adding electronic fluidity. We now have shared cataloging, consortia collections, integrated management systems, APIs, IT protocols, automations, discovery layers, linked data, and much more. In the end, managing these changes meant creating a TS group listserv, removing silos by sharing collective knowledge, and using tools like 
