Building Digitally Inclusive Communities

Concern over rising inequality in society and the challenges of creating sustainable communities through access to opportunity, underlie the recent United Nations 2030 Sustainability Goals. In addition, demographic changes, population growth, population mobility, and other community factors create further pressures to ensure an inclusive society that provides access and opportunity for all. This paper presents the results of a national survey of public libraries in the United States as a community-based agency for building digitally inclusive communities. The paper finds that U.S. public libraries provide essential services such as free access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), broadband, digital literacy skills, and facilitate access to economic, learning, health, and civic engagement opportunities -- all key aspects of Digital Inclusion (DI). The paper also finds that there is a relationship between the physical space and the ability of libraries to provide digital services. Finally, the paper outlines the need for additional research, particularly in the area of the impact of library DI services on the UN Sustainability Goals (e.g., poverty, equity, and inclusion).