Universal digitisation – the infrastructure is there, it’s just being dismantled

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Those of you who read this blog and follow me online know that two things that really annoy me are the belief that everyone has the internet and therefore we no longer need libraries, and that simply providing access to the internet is enough to ensure an informed populace.  Of course, the reality is far more complex than the media and politicians often present. Providing access to the internet is part of the battle (see all my posts here), but the development of skills is also a key component to reducing the digital divide.

At the back end of last week, a report commissioned by Go ON UK revealed that around 16 million people in the UK lack basic online skills (the full report is available here - pdf).  Titled “This Is for Everyone” The Case for Universal Digitisation, the report makes the following claims:

There are 10.8 million people in the U.K. who do not use the Internet, and they are consequently more vulnerable. As Booz & Company shows, this is no longer something we can dismiss as somebody else’s problem. We gain the full benefits ourselves only if everyone is online. The lack of basic digital skills for millions means “digitisation” is unbalanced—we will increasingly fall short of the U.K.’s potential if we do not start to address the problem.

…

A 79 percent usage figure means that about one-fifth of the population—including 10.8 million people 15 and older—do not use the Internet at all.  In addition, the e-Learning Foundation estimates that 800,000 of the most disadvantaged schoolchildren in the U.K. lack home access to the Internet. [A] BBC study found that of non-users, 71 percent are categorised among the three lowest socioeconomic groups, 51 percent are older than 65, and 50 percent have no formal qualifications.

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Using the Internet requires only the most basic digital literacy, yet lack of skills is cited as a key reason many people are not online. Indeed, 63 percent of working-age non-users and 78 percent of retired non-users state they do not know how to use the Internet.

Nowhere in the report, however, is there any mention of the key role libraries (or librarians for that matter) can play in enabling “universal digitisation”.  And yet, the provision of internet access in the local public library is the only way many can get connected and take advantage of the full range of services available online.  Libraries provide (in most cases) free access, skilled support and can often provide a certain degree of ‘training’ for those who simply do not have the skills or confidence to navigate the internet.  They are, therefore, crucial in encouraging people online and moving the country towards universal digitisation.

A little while ago I wrote a post explaining what I think needs to be done to address the digital divide in the UK. One of the key points I made is that public libraries should play a key role in getting people connected and enabling the economic benefits that the above report claims will come with universal digitisation.  The basic infrastructure already exists to reach the goals outlined in the report, unfortunately local authorities are dismantling it and the national government is standing by and letting it happen.

Ian Clark

A qualified librarian and co-founder of a leading national library advocacy campaign, I have written articles for The Guardian and the Open Rights Group on a range of professional issues.

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  • http://twitter.com/Philbradley Phil Bradley

    I think that you’re absolutely right Ian. A library is far and away the best (indeed for many, the only) place to go in order to learn this stuff. I think I would disagree with the report in one area though, which is to say “Using the Internet requires only the most basic digital literacy”, because I think it needs a great deal more than that. As a trainer, I’m all too aware that it’s very easy to take things for granted, and the things we think are very familiar (even down to using a mouse for example) can actually be a real obstacle for some people. If you can spend time with a helpful, non-judgmental person (ie the librarian), it’s going to help tremendously.

    How long we can expect people to be able to function fully in society without access to the internet is a fascinating question; heaven knows I can’t last ten minutes without it. Then of course, the more we rely on it, the more we require people to develop good information skills, and I think we’ll reach a point where it may be less about the haves and have nots, and more about the can find and can’t finds. :)

    • http://infoism.co.uk/blog Ian

      Hi Phil! Many thanks for the comment. This report was certainly very interesting and it seems to have slipped under the radar a little (not the first time that has happened!). I was saddened (although not shocked) that when I searched through the report there was no mention of librarians or libraries whatsoever. This is curious when you consider the importance of the People’s Network when it was launched a few years back. Are libraries no longer seen as the bridge?

      I agree regarding the finders and the can’t finders (although I think there will always be those without). Skills will be crucial and, again, there will always be those that are left behind. Libraries play a crucial role in facilitating access to information, they should certainly play a key role in facilitating access to digital information.