In the last few years the issue of the digital
Addressing the digital
divide through
collection development
Romelia Salinas
The author
Romelia Salinas is a Social Science Librarian at California
State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Keywords
Collections management, Libraries, Equal opportunities
Abstract
This paper discusses how libraries have and can address the
digital divide through collection development. It provides
specific examples of services and/or programs that have
been implemented with this objective in mind. Since the
term ``digital divide'' is often debated, a working definition is
presented. The definition includes various components, each
of which are discussed in relation to libraries. The paper also
provides an overview of how collection development has
changed in general through the emergence of digital
technology. The importance of partnership among various
institutions of society is stressed if the divide is to be
properly addressed.
Electronic access
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0160-4953.htm
Collection Building
Volume 22 . Number 3 . 2003 . pp. 131-136
# MCB UP Limited . ISSN 0160-4953
DOI 10.1108/01604950310484456
131
divide has rapidly gained the attention of
various individuals and institutions in society.
Some claim that it no longer exists, while others
maintain that it is expanding. Often the
disagreement arises from the lack of consensus
on how the digital divide is defined. Some
believe the disparity is about access to
computers while others think it is also about
computer literacy. I consider the digital divide
to be an evolving term, increasing in complexity
and changing in nature the more we learn about
the effect of technology and digital information
on our lives and on society. Since libraries have
traditionally functioned as community
resources for information, they have become
critical agents in addressing this debated divide.
The American Libraries Association (ALA) in a
policy brief from the Office for Information
Technology Policy writes:
The challenge of the Digital Divide goes to the
heart of the mission of libraries to provide
equitable access to information for all ± regardless
of the information format (Shirley, 2000).
The brief furthermore recommends actions that
libraries ought to take for addressing the digital
divide. There are numerous approaches that
libraries can and have taken in diminishing this
divide, but it is not a job that can be done
single-handedly. It is a challenge that must be
dealt with in partnership among the various
public and private sectors of society, such as the
telecommunications industry, educational
systems, policymakers, and community
organizations. With this clarification made, I
will focus my discussion on how libraries can
and have addressed the digital divide through
collection development.
What is the digital divide?
In this paper I am working with a definition of
the digital divide I have adopted from reading
the interpretations of others on the topic, by
talking to people who directly work in resolving
this issue and from experiences I gained while
working with the Community Digital Initiative
(CDI)[1]. This is an evolving definition, which
might change by the time this article is read.
 Addressing the digital divide through collection development
Romelia Salinas
What we define today as the digital divide will
almost certainly be different in the future as the
impact of technology in society is revealed over
the course of time.
The digital divide refers to that disparity
between individuals and/or communities who
can use electronic information and
communication tools, such as the Internet, to
better the quality of their lives and those who
cannot. Thus, I agree with Richard Chabran
(2000), Director of the Center for Virtual
Research at the University of California
Riverside, when he states: ``The digital divide is
about people not computers''.
There are a number of factors that
contribute to this disparity, all of which must
be dealt with if the divide is to be closed.
These factors are:
. access to the technology (hardware and
software);
. skills to use the technology;
. relevant content; and
. becoming information fluent in today's
society.
Of the four, I believe the last one to be the most
challenging. Further elaboration on each of
these factors will be provided later on in the
article.
Reconceptulizing collection development
One of the core values of librarianship is to
ensure that the collections we build are
accessible to all current and future users.
Consequently we have taken a range of steps to
maximize access to our collections, such as
conducting usability studies, implementing
various services and programs, and practicing
active outreach. However, technology and the
changing nature of collections call for a
reexamination of the meaning of collection
development. In 1995, Wendy Lougee wrote
that in moving libraries towards collection
models, which include distributed network
information resources, is the acceptance of
``access'' as a viable principle for collection
decisions in addition to traditional principles of
ownership of library materials. Collection
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Volume 22 . Number 3 . 2003 . 131-136
development today is more about access than
ever before.
However, the concept of access has also
changed in recent years. Access is not solely
about building a collection or providing a set of
computers or implementing services to facilitate
use of that collection, it is instead the
intersection of those elements. Technology has
changed the nature of libraries and how the
various components interact. Therefore, it is
difficult to speak about these components in
isolation. When speaking about collection
development we also need to talk about
computer networks, literacy, instruction,
outreach, etc. Even though I write on
addressing the digital divide through collection
development I do so with the understanding
that collection development itself is in a state of
reconceptualization. In the emerging
environment, many of the prevailing factors for
collection decision-making are undergoing
change. This suggests that new policies and
perhaps new ways of defining collections need
to be made. In 1988, George Jaramillo's article
was already speaking about the impact of
computer technology on collection
development:
Current trends in computer technology suggest a
complete revolution in the status of collection
development.
Collection development then . . .
Collection development or selection decisions
in the past have generally been based on a set of
evaluative criteria, such as reviews, publisher
credibility, relationship to collection strengths
and gaps, and funding resources. To a lesser
extent collection development librarians have
considered issues related to the library's ability
to make the acquired resource accessible. For
example, many of our libraries own the Motif
Index of Folk Literature: A Classification of
Narrative Elements in Folktales, Ballads, Myths,
Fables, Mediaeval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux,
Jest-Books, and Local Legends. When purchasing
this title, little thought about how it was going
to be made accessible to patrons occurred. It
was understood that by putting it on our shelf it
was being made accessible to library patrons
 Addressing the digital divide through collection development
Romelia Salinas
although it is a complicated tool to use by most
librarians' standards. Collection development
occurred based on a set of criteria and the
question of access was not as critical as it is
today.
Collection development now . . .
Technological advances have produced
information packaged in an assortment of
formats. We now have to select among products
such as online databases, CD ROMs,
multimedia kits, DVDs, etc. and the issue of
access has become more significant. Greater
financial and human resources are now invested
towards ensuring access whether it is by
providing network computer workstations
and/or by spending a considerable amount of
time in instruction sessions demonstrating the
mechanics of using a particular database.
In addition, the surge of consortia whose
primary function is to license electronic
resources from aggregators creates a further
change to how we understand collection
development. Uma Hiremath (2001) writes
about the existing challenges inherent in the
consortial structure for libraries. To a certain
extent collection development librarians have
less control of what is and is not being added to
their collections. This is becoming more of a
concern as we begin to see a trend towards
exclusivity deals between publishers and
aggregators as is discussed in Steven Bell's
(2001) article ``The new digital divide:
dissecting aggregator exclusivity deals''.
Digital information has blended collection
development and access while selection options
seem to becoming slimmer. Based on such
changes in collection development it has
become imperative that libraries set in motion
actions to bridge the digital divide, if we are to
continue to work towards our mission of
providing equal access regardless of format.
But is it really different . . .
I view the digital divide dilemma as similar to
those that libraries and librarians have
encountered in past years. It is about identifying
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and assessing the needs of library users and
finding solutions to those barriers that deprive
certain sectors of our community equal access.
Similarly as libraries have established
campaigns and programs to address the needs
of illiterate users, of non-English speaking
users, of rural or distant users, so also do
librarians need to address the barriers that keep
certain sectors of the library community from
gaining the benefits that digital technologies
offers.
In the beginning it was about the
technology
To a great extent the public's concern about the
digital divide has focused on the gap between
those who have the ``boxes and wires'' they need
for Internet access and those who do not. With
the onset of the Internet and other electronic
resources being added to our library collections,
libraries have stepped up to this challenge by
purchasing computers and software to provide
access to these new resources. Universities set
up LANS and WANS across campus libraries
and eventually began to offer laptop lending
services, library dumb terminals became
internet-ready, multimedia workstations with a
multitude of applications available a click away.
Public libraries also eventually stepped up to
address this challenge with programs such as
California's State Library InfoPeople
project[2].
However, there is still a vast need for more
access to these boxes and wires. Libraries are
open only so many days and hours and can
provide service to a limited number of users.
Libraries need to work with schools and
community technology centers to provide
adequate access to the technology for their
communities. For instance, community
technology centers might be open during hours
that libraries are closed and would be able to
offer access to more software and equipment
such as scanners and digital cameras.
Although access to the technology is a
fundamental element of the divide, we soon
learned that it was only one of the elements.
Providing someone with access to a computer
 Addressing the digital divide through collection development
Romelia Salinas
does not ensure equal access if that person lacks
computer skills.
Then came training . . .
Libraries soon learned that physical access to
the technology was insufficient to bridge the
divide, so training became the next element to
address. It soon became apparent that issues of
language, literacy, and computer skills needed
to be simultaneously addressed, making it
clearer that the elements that contribute to the
digital divide are more than libraries can handle
alone. However, libraries started to build print
collections that supported the needs of these
individuals by purchasing books such as
introduction to the Internet, introduction to the
Web, to HTML, to Windows, etc. in a variety
of literacy levels and languages. In addition, we
saw libraries begin to offer workshops, such as
Intro to Windows, Intro to the Internet, How to
make your own Web page, How to use email,
etc. while keeping in mind issues of language
and literacy.
Access to the technology in relation to
computer literacy development seemed to be a
viable solution to the challenge of providing
equal access to digital information. However, it
was soon learned that even this was not
adequate.
Content soon followed . . .
Most recently another dimension of the digital
divide began to take shape, one with a profound
impact on people and those who teach them.
This dimension is relevant content. According
to the Children's Partnership's report, Online
Content for Low-Income and Underserved
Americans: The Digital Divide's New Frontier
(Lazarus and Mora, 1999):
Though many underserved communities are
gaining access to the Internet, many are not
benefiting fully because of barriers they face related
to content. Four of the most important barriers
are: lack of local information, literacy barriers,
language barriers, and lack of cultural diversity.
For Americans at risk of being left behind, the
characteristics of relevant content include:
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(1) needed employment, education, and other
information; (2) reading levels that can be clearly
understood by limited-literacy users; (3) multiple
languages; and (4) ways for the underserved to
create content and interact with it so that it is
culturally appropriate.
The lack of relevant online content for
lower-income and underserved people can have
a significant negative impact on their lives. For
example, the Internet has become a tool used
by many to secure better jobs, inquire about
various benefits and/or services, to gather
consumer information, and to communicate
with those far away. Such activities contribute
to the improvement of the quality of their lives.
Those for whom relevant information is not
available are being shut out from such
opportunities. The value of the Internet can be
directly correlated to the value of its content.
Until the Internet contains content that has
value and relevancy to all of its potential users it
will remain a place for the elite. What must
librarians do through collection development to
address the issue? It is the responsibility of
librarians to ensure that collections, whether in
print or electronic format, reflect library user
populations. Unfortunately, it is becoming
more difficult to accomplish this with the
changes occurring in how we do collection
development as has already been discussed.
Some steps we can take through our
collection development duties are to ensure that
our libraries subscribe to diverse content
databases such as Ethnic News Watch, Chicano
Database, Hispanic American Periodical Index
(HAPI) or Bibliography of Asian Studies.
Librarians must make it known to aggregators
that issues of diversity and literacy should be
kept in mind as they build their digital products.
Librarians must also lobby for computer and
literacy skills to be taken into account as
interfaces and Web sites are being designed.
Finally library Web sites should include links to
Web pages that provide content that is valued
by underserved populations and librarians
should support the development of such
resources.
In another report written by the Children's
Partnership (2002) it was found that there has
been a minimal increase in the availability of
relevant content to underserved people since
 Addressing the digital divide through collection development
Romelia Salinas
2000. Information producers, mainly
not-for-profit organizations, are becoming more
conscious of the content barriers that exist and
have created Web sites in response to some of
the shortages. For instance, the Children's
Partnership created the portal ContentBank
(www.contentbank.org) to demonstrate the
importance and feasibility of creating content
based on what low-income communities want
and need; and to deliver tools directly to those
communities to get started to make content for
themselves. The Westchester Library System,
with support from the Brooklyn Public Library,
New York Public Library, Queens Borough
Public Library and American Library
Association created Firstfind.info, a collection
of Web sites that provide basic information
about a wide range of topics, including local
community information, in plain and simple
English (www.first-find.info/). In September
2002, California Governor Gray Davis
announced that the Department of Motor
Vehicles launched a new Spanish language Web
site to better serve Californians
(http://es.dmv.ca.gov). These are examples of
the type of Web sites that need to be created to
bridge the relevant content gap. These Web
sites include local community information, are
written to be accessible to users with limited
English or reading skills, and provide culturally
appropriate information and tools to engage the
users in the production of content.
Finally information fluency
Information fluency is to be able to use critically
and effectively these new tools to find
information and communicate in a manner that
fosters personal or community growth and
health. It is not enough for people to know how
to navigate the Web, they also need to
understand the connection between being able
to navigate and their every-day lives. They
should be able to apply those navigation skills to
find a better job, to be better consumers, and
most importantly to continue learning new
things while being able to simultaneously
evaluate critically the information. This element
of the digital divide is the least addressed
through collection development. The need for
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partnerships becomes evident at this point. One
way of thinking about this is to perceive
becoming information fluent as the culmination
of all the other elements that need to be
addressed in ending the digital divide.
Conclusion
These are some of the ways that libraries have
or could address the digital divide through
collection development. In conclusion, I
reiterate the importance of partnership among
the various institutions of society to properly
address this divide. Libraries have always been
leaders in creating change, and the digital era
brings yet another occasion to leave a mark.
Notes
1 The University of California Riverside Community
Digital Initiative (CDI) is a high-tech name for a
hands-on concept. Richard Chabran, Director of the
Center for Virtual Research, set up a computer lab
with 22 Internet-connected terminals inside the Cesar
Chavez Community Center in Riverside's low-income
Eastside neighborhood. Free workshops and classes
are offered to young people, ages 14 to 23, and their
parents. The project is funded by grants from AT&T,
The California Wellness Foundation and Pacific Bell
(http://cdi.ucr.edu).
2 InFoPeople is a federally-funded grant project
administered by the California State Library through
the Peninsula Library System. InFoPeople was started
in order to provide points of public access to the
Internet in public libraries throughout California. That
aspect of the project was substantially completed by
1999. The project now provides a wide variety of
technology-related training to those who work in
California libraries (www.infopeople.org/).
References
Bell, S. (2001), ``The new digital divide: dissecting
aggregator exclusivity deals'', D-Lib Magazine, Vol. 7
No. 7/8, available at: www.dlib.org/dlib/july01/bell/
07bell.html (accessed 9 May 2001).
Chabran, R. (2000), ``From digital divide to digital
opportunity'', Hispanic Lifestyle, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 54-5.
Children's Partnership (2002), Online Content for
Low-Income and Underserved Americans, Children's
 Addressing the digital divide through collection development
Romelia Salinas
Partnership, Santa Monica, CA, available at:
www.contentbank.org/TCP-OnlineContent.pdf
Hiremath, U. (2001), ``Electronic consortia: resource sharing
in the digital age'', Collection Building, Vol. 20 No. 2,
pp. 80-8.
Jaramillo, G. (1988), ``Computer technology and it's impact
on collection development'', Collection Management,
Vol. 10 No. 1/2, p. 1.
Lazarus, W. and Mora, F. (1999), Online Content for
Low-Income and Underserved Americans: The
136
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Volume 22 . Number 3 . 2003 . 131-136
Digital Divide's New Frontier, Children's
Partnership, Santa Monica, CA, March, available at:
www.childrens partnership.org/pub/low_income/
index.html
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