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Bridging the digital divide, nationally or internationally, entails more than supplying communities with computers. Information (literacy) must be integrated in the quest to bridge the digital divide. This means that a sustained and holistic training approach must be adopted
to ensure that individuals can realize the technology's potential. When the digital divide is bridged, people are able to access the information and opportunities that the Internet offers.

If someone has visited his/her local public library recently, it may have noticed that the library contains more books than periodicals. Most public libraries in the United States, according to the 1998 National Survey of U. S. Public Library Outlet Internet Connectivity, offer public Internet access. Often, these public Internet access computers are people's only connection to the Internet. It is for this reason that libraries have come to be in the position to bridge the digital divide. Libraries have a long-held value of people's universal access to information.

According to the American Library Association's Office for Information Technology Policy Brief, 'Libraries and Digital Divide', "The mission of libraries, as well as their associated services, programs, and technologies, is a key reason that libraries are indeed central to digital divide solutions and partnerships. Libraries, especially public, school and academic libraries, are the only institutions that are already structurally and programmatically prepared to fully address many of the digital divide issues." Libraries are more than repositories for books and periodicals, libraries function as community and information centers, and are using their position to bridge the digital divide.

The best example of using libraries to bridge the digital divide comes from the Bill & Melinda Gated Foundation. According to the foundation's fact-sheet, the U.S. Library Program alone has made amazing strides: "More than 6,600 libraries have been reached, 28,000 PCs granted, and 8,100 librarians trained." Also, their International Library Initiatives are demonstrating how essential libraries are to providing universal access to a population.

Perhaps the most impressive example of this is the foundation's Chilean Library Program, where "368 Chilean public libraries will benefit from a US $ 9,284,339 Million grant. The grant will provide training, computers and Internet access for all the libraries." Such initiatives can only help to lessen the gap between the Internet "haves" and "have not". No doubt, there is a long way for the digital divide to cease, but every home and library that is connected to the Internet brings society one step closer to conquering this problem.

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Dr. Gursharan Singh Kainth specializes in Quantitative & Development Economics, and is currently Director of GAD Institute of Development Studies, Amritsar, a self-financed research institute. Has been honoured with various awards, including Guru Draunacharya Samman, Vijay Rattan Award, etc.
Ms. Kamalpreet Kaur is Research Scholar at GAD Institute of Development Studies.
Article posted on December 28, 2008.