Search D-Lib: HOME | ABOUT D-LIB | CURRENT ISSUE | ARCHIVE | INDEXES | CALENDAR | AUTHOR GUIDELINES | SUBSCRIBE | CONTACT D-LIB D-Lib Magazine May/June 2017 Volume 23, Number 5/6 Table of Contents At the Edges of the National Digital Platform Sharon Strover, University of Texas at Austin sharon.strover [at] austin.utexas.edu Brian Whitacre, Oklahoma State University brian.whitacre [at] okstate.edu Colin Rhinesmith, Simmons College crhinesmith [at] simmons.edu Alexis Schrubbe, University of Texas at Austin adschrubbe [at] utexas.edu https://doi.org/10.1045/may2017-strover Abstract Libraries straddle the information needs of the 21st century. The wifi, computers and now mobile hotspots that some libraries provide their patrons are gateways to a broad, important, and sometimes essential information resources. The research summarized here examines how rural libraries negotiate telecommunications environments, and how mobile hotspots might extend libraries' digital significance in marginalized and often resource-poor regions. The Internet has grown tremendously in terms of its centrality to information and entertainment resources of all sorts, but the ability to access the Internet in rural areas typically lags that experienced in urban areas. Not only are networks less available in rural areas, they also often are of lower quality and somewhat more expensive; even mobile phone-based data plans — assuming there are acceptable signals available — may be economically out of reach for people in these areas. With older, lower income and less digitally skilled populations typically living in rural areas, the role of the library and its freely available resources may be especially useful. This research examines libraries' experiences with providing free, mobile hotspot-based access to the Internet in rural areas of Maine and Kansas. Keywords: National Digital Platform, Rural Libraries, Digital Infrastructure Hotspot 1 The Problem Across years of studying the communications infrastructure and opportunities in rural regions around the United States, our research team has visited dozens of libraries in small towns. They were usually tiny — just a couple of rooms — with dedicated librarians, small budgets, and invariably a few computers providing Internet access. Along with the local school, rural libraries typically have been a community mainstay in these towns. Even with abbreviated hours, they represent a place that welcomes everyone, that functions as a gateway to information, access and even entertainment, and increasingly a site for connecting people with the Internet. Our current IMLS project examines small town libraries that are sharing the Internet through loaned hotspots. While many libraries in At the Edges of the National Digital Platform http://www.dlib.org/dlib/may17/strover/05strover.html 1 of 8 5/20/17, 11:09 AM