Report: Oklahoma Launches Statewide Effort to Use Libraries to Close the Digital Divide

From Route 50:

The Oklahoma Broadband Office is partnering with libraries to complete last-mile projects designed to increase residents’ access to digital services in the nation’s first statewide effort of its sort, one official says.

OBO is investing $14.5 million in a community access portal initiative to install pods in municipal libraries where residents can privately use tablets and monitors for their personal use, state officials announced last month. The initiative is funded through the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund, which recipients must expend by December 2026.

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Libraries across the U.S. have recognized their increasing role in helping the general public adapt to a digital world. San Jose, California, launched an AI center earlier this year at a local library where people can access AI education and training tools. Osceola County, Florida, opened a “library without books” late last year for visitors to access digital resources like coding and AI learning labs.

n 2024, the Illinois courts system launched an initiative with local libraries through which residents could use Chromebooks and other devices to navigate the legal system, such as remotely attending court appearances or accessing legal documents. The same year, one library in Hartford, Kentucky, began running a program for youths and teens to learn about mental health management.

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See Also: Oklahoma Broadband Office Celebrates State’s First Deployed Community Access Portals (OKBO)

Filed under: Libraries, Management and Leadership, News