Category Archives: digital divide

July 17, 2012 · 2:19 pm

Please Give to the Robbins Public Library

Many of you may have heard about the air conditioner being stolen from the William Leonard Public Library in Robbins, IL (note this library doesn’t even have a website but a wordpress created when they were to close a few years ago). This library proudly serves in one of the most under-resourced communities in Chicagoland. This community, who just three years ago would have closed if not for a generous donation from an NBA player, plays a vital role in the community. This week we are experiencing another round of 90+ and even 100 degree days. This library and its community need an A/C unit. Please make a donation here. Every penny counts!!!

Chicago Information Deserts

You may have read my post over at Libraries and Transliteracy where I introduce the concept of information deserts. Well I have been conducting some research on information deserts in Chicago, and I thought I would share some of my initial findings:

Of the 843 census tracts considered, 237 are considered information deserts. The deserts are home to 776,729 residents. In other words, about 27% of Chicago’s population lives within an information desert. The southern part of Chicago has the vast majority of information deserts.

Some racial and ethnic groups are far more likely to live in an information desert. African-Americans are the most likely to live in an information desert compared to whites or Latinos. 467,373 African-Americans live in an information desert compared to the 72,515 whites.

I still have some more research to do, but the study revealed some interesting findings. I did not think that so many people lived in such information poverty right here in Chicago.

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Filed under digital divide, information activist, information deserts

June 18, 2011 · 1:21 am

Information Deserts

The other day I posted a brief snippet of an article that I penned on Information Deserts over at Libraries and Transliteracy. Well, I ran across this TedXWindycity video on food deserts. See how it relates: