We need another word for it. The digital divide — the gap between those with access to modern information and communication technologies and those without — has been recognized since at least the 1990s. Attempts to narrow this gap are usually publicly funded, always operating from scarcity, or small concessions
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wmtc: pacific northwest labor history association conference: the young organizers
Without a doubt, the most engaging talk I attended at the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association Conference was “Young Workers Rising,” a panel of young organizers interviewed by another young organizer. I won’t try to reproduce it here, as I could never do it justice, but I can share some
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: madame restell (nonfiction version)
In March, I wrote about My Notorious Life, historical fiction by Kate Manning, based on the life of a woman known as Madame Restell. I loved the book. Then, by beautiful coincidence, I stumbled on this book while in Powell’s City of Books in Portland: Madame Restell: the Life, Death
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: my notorious life by kate manning (madame restell, fictional version, nonfiction to follow)
I read this book last year, and have been recommending it nonstop, so it’s about time to commit it to wmtc. My Notorious Life was an obvious book for me to love — or to hate. Much historical fiction feels contrived to me. An author takes a period of history, writes
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: # 37
I have an update on R, the customer who was the subject of the previous two TIHATL posts: #35, a customer who refuses to be helped, and #36, a customer who needs so much more than a library can provide. As a friend said on Facebook, librarians, like teachers, are
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard (and smelled) at the library: an occasional series: # 36
The subject of this TIHATL is R, the same man I wrote about in the previous TIHATL post. Things have gone from bad to worse. He is pale, unshaven, and unsteady on his feet. And he is incontinent. When he stands up, the seat he’s been sitting on is soaked.
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #35
This TIHATL is a hybrid of two well-trod library tropes: The Customer Who Refuses To Be Helped and Left Behind By Technology. It makes for sad, frustrating interactions and irate customers. R needs to do something on the internet. He hates the library’s computers. He hates Windows 10. He is
Continue readingwmtc: hard times: we are ruled by banks, corporations, and the governments that enable them. it doesn’t have to be this way.
In Canada this year, food bank usage hit an all-time high. In March 2022, there were almost 1.5 million visits to food banks — 15% more than there were one year ago, and a whopping 35% more visits than in March 2019, pre-pandemic. Food prices have ballooned at the highest
Continue readingwmtc: so many left behind: the ever-widening digital divide
Last year, while attempting to get a parking pass during our vacation — without a phone, my phone having been fried by an update — I got caught in a circuitous and frustrating encounter with information and technology gaps. About a year later, navigating the brave new world of do-it-yourself airport screening,
Continue readingwmtc: labour day 2021: demand more. work less.
Lying Flat We’re told there is a labour shortage. Businesses can’t find workers. No one wants to work. Why the shortage exists and what should be done about it are the subjects of much debate, and no small amount of disinformation. Within this shortage, there are two different streams: one
Continue readingwmtc: friends and family reunion road trip: a story about the digital divide
I separated out this story, because I didn’t want to give the impression that it ruined our day — and because I wanted to properly explicate it. The events were of minor consequence to us personally, but of major importance in the world at large. We hit a technology snag,
Continue readingwmtc: family and friends reunion road trip: some things I’ve seen
Seen on many lawns and in many windows: I saw a few in my mother’s senior community, which made me happy. * * * * Seen on a front-yard fence near the Ashland Dog Park: Seen in the approach to every town and city so far: tent encampments. Whole
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: the cold millions by jess walter
There is an accepted wisdom that socialism and communism failed, and capitalism prevailed, because the former is bad, and the latter is good. That humankind rejected socialism and embraced capitalism, because socialism is unnatural and unsustainable, and capitalism reflects the natural human condition. This accepted wisdom, like so many others,
Continue readingwmtc: topsy-turvy land: u.s. states make protest illegal and driving into protestors legal
It seems that state lawmakers in several U.S. states need a refresher course on the First Amendment. It’s a very simple amendment, really. Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
Continue readingwmtc: roots and icebergs: decolonizing community spaces: a workshop
I recently attended a six-hour workshop called Decolonizing Community Spaces. The workshop was led by two facilitators, one a Native American speaking to us from her traditional territories in Montana, and the other a Filipina-Canadian. About 30 people attended; I believe all were health and service providers in the province
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #32
I emailed this to my colleagues and our administrators; I should share it with wmtc readers, too. Along with many library workers, I am worried that our most vulnerable neighbours are being left behind. * * * * I just heard a heartbreaking lament from one of our regular customers,
Continue readingwmtc: 10 things on my mind about covid-19
1. Wealthy urbanites are fleeing to their second homes — buying out grocery stores, expecting personal shoppers and home delivery, swelling vacation towns’ size to summer proportions. This is the epitome of the egocentric, classist arrogance that often pervades the United States. 2. In India, a planned lockdown of more
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #31
One of the most frustrating and sad things we encounter at the library are people we can’t help, who don’t understand why we can’t help them — and who blame us. These are generally people with minimal or no digital literacy (i.e. tech skills). Here’s a typical scenario. A customer
Continue readingwmtc: laundromats, underground libraries, and criminal charges: a library link round-up
I have so many cool stories about libraries and librarians, scattered through multiple email and social media accounts. Lucky for you, I wanted to gather them all in one place. Thanks to everyone who ever sent me one of these. * * * * * Librarians in laundromats! Community librarians
Continue readingwmtc: laundromats, underground libraries, and criminal charges: a library link round-up
I have so many cool stories about libraries and librarians, scattered through multiple email and social media accounts. Lucky for you, I wanted to gather them all in one place. Thanks to everyone who ever sent me one of these. * * * * * Librarians in laundromats! Community librarians
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