Libraries bridging the digital divide

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Public technology is one of a library’s most important services, according to Peterborough (NH) Town Library director Corinne Chronopoulos. “If I had to pick five things that we offered, that would be number one,” she said. The region’s libraries serve a vital role in an area that has inconsistent access to internet at home. Chronopoulos knows that the library is the sole source of internet for many of her patrons. She said that the seven computer terminals are in use at the library “from the moment we open til we close.” And many patrons who work remotely go to the library when they want to work near other people, she said. 

“We have pretty reliable access right now,” at the Rindge library, Library Director Donna Straitliff said, but believes speed could improve if the town adopts a municipal fiber optic network in March. “Today, you have to have the internet to participate in modern society,” Corinne Chronopoulos said, for medical appointments, job applications or receiving electronic receipts. “It’s vital that every town supports their public library and supports that source of internet.”


Libraries bridging the digital divide