information divide: Almost half of poor Americans go to the library for Internet

from http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/03/almost-half-of-poor-americans-go-to-the-library-for-internet.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

There's more data coming in on the extent to which low income Americans depend on public institutions for broadband. A new report released by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says that 44 percent of those living below the poverty level access e-mail and the Web via their local public library. And nearly a third of Americans over 14 used library Internet services in 2009. That's about 77 million people.

The study was based on almost 50,000 telephone and Web form surveys. It also found that:

• Forty percent of those 2009 users accessed library Internet resources to find employment. Seventy-five percent of these looked for a job online. Half posted their resume or filled out an online job application.
• Another 37 percent researched some illness or medical problem, or searched for or made an appointment with a doctor.
• Forty-two percent used their local library's Internet for education; over a third of these did their homework online. A big portion of these users were teenagers.
• Sixty percent accessed a library computer to contact someone else.

The study is further confirmation (if more is needed) that low income Americans know that broadband is now an absolute necessity in this economy. It's also more evidence of the huge pressure on libraries to meet this demand. About a third of libraries say they lack both the 'Net connections and staff power to provide the services for which low income patrons ask.