Digital Divide

This seems to be a time of utter collapse on a macro and micro level. Many things that I have feared have come to fruition in the past year. I had to move from my lovely apartment, I lost my job, and now my computer is broken and I can't use my cell phone (my only phone). It is as if there is some larger force pushing me off of the grid at the very time I need to be on the grid to get work.

I found out that my cell phone had not properly tracked my cell phone usage. Now my bill for March will be three times the usual cost. Every minute is now charged at $0.45. The phone is off until next week when my minutes renew.

Last week, I took my computer to the repair shop to have the DVD drive replaced. It broke about 6 months ago, but I put off fixing it in the hopes of finding a friend who could do it. The more I investigated, the more I realized how complicated it was to get the right replacement part.

Then, I started getting threatening pop-ups telling me I needed updates that would require having my restore disk ready.

Of course, I didn't have a restore disk because my disk burner wasn't operating. I was worried that I would miss clicking "no" on this pop-up and end up having my computer erased, so I decided to bite the bullet and get the DVD drive fixed.

While the computer was in the shop, I tried the alternative computing place: the public library.

I love the public library system in New York. The librarians at every branch I've been to are exceptional. You can get just about any book from the library, and if the branch doesn't have the book, you can get PDFs of what you want sent to your computer. They also have a wide selection of DVDs or videos in several languages. Books, tapes, and DVDs can be ordered online and the library gives email notification when items are ready for pick up at the closest branch. All of these services are free.

Unfortunately, using a computer at the library was a very unpleasant experience. First, there was an hour wait to get 45 minutes of computer time. Second, the neighborhood homeless population was occupying the library. There are several tables for patrons by the computers. Every seat was filled and the stench of unwashed bodies was not pleasant. The scene could have been an illustration for a modern adaptation of a Charles Dickens or Victor Hugo novel.

I’m afraid I am giving the impression that I dislike homeless people because I don’t. It is my understanding that many of these people are living on the streets because they suffer from mental illness or drug or alcohol dependency. They are homeless because they are incapable of taking care of themselves.

Unlike many Libertarians and Republicans, I don’t mind paying taxes to sustain civil society. What enrages me is that about 40% of my paycheck goes to taxes yet people are living on the street instead of receiving proper services. They belong in treatment centers, not the public library.

The library is basically providing shelter for this population, which forces librarians into the roles of social workers. When the homeless lady sitting to the left of me was gently told she couldn’t have her three cups of coffee near the computer, she loudly protested and refused to move the coffee or herself. Later, still angry about the request to move her coffee, she shouted mean things at the patron sitting on her left.

At this point, I decided to leave although I still had 15 minutes of computer time remaining. I was seated inches between a hostile homeless woman on the left and an odiferous homeless man with a hacking cough on my right. His hands were covered with some kind of skin infection, which made me wonder whether I was exposing myself to a similar infection by using the mouse. The last thing I need is to contract some illness when I don’t have health insurance.

The library bathroom had clearly been abused. It reeked of urine. No water ran from the taps. There was no opportunity to wash my hands until I got home.

I am getting $270 a week in unemployment (it is $405 pre-tax). I should be conserving my resources, but it is better for me to spend hundreds to get my computer fixed or to buy a new computer than to use the library computer resources.

Much business is conducted on email rather than the phone. Potential employers demand that applications be completed online. It doesn't make sense to spend an hour waiting for a 45 minute session on a slow, outdated computer at the library where I risk getting sick or verbally abused.

Although I am feeling despair over losing my job and all of the set backs I am experiencing this week, I have to acknowledge how fortunate it is that I was able to save enough money while I was working to get myself out of this situation. This month I have spent thousands on healthcare, phone service, and computer repair with the understanding that I will recoup my expenses in a restored FSA account, a stimulus package COBRA refund, computer access, and eventual work.

Homeless people are legitimate library patrons. They have a right to library services like everyone.

However, libraries are not intended to be homeless shelters or mental services facilities, and I feel terrible for people who have to rely on libraries like this one for computer services. Services for the mentally ill and homeless should be provided so library patrons can have access to library resources in the environment in which a library was intended: a clean, welcoming environment where everyone may conduct research and read.