Broader than Broadband: Brooklyn Public Library's Digital Equity Strategy

Public libraries have historically played a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide, but with the closure of most indoor library spaces, Brooklyn Public Library faced the challenge of creatively continuing to prioritize digital equity. Access to free public broadband became one of the Library's top priorities, expressed in tactical responses like outfitting wifi expanders on library rooftops, outfitting BookMobiles to be mobile hotspots, and establishing laptop loan services outside of branches.

In the December 3rd webinar "Broader than Broadband: Brooklyn Public Library's Digital Equity Strategy," Nick Higgins, Maya Wagoner, Selvon Smith and David Giles of Brooklyn Public Library will discuss these practical interventions and how they fit into a broader digital equity strategy that positions libraries on the front lines of universal access to knowledge and information.

This program is part of the Digital Equity Webinar Series.

Black Women's Activism in Troy, New York before the American Civil War (webinar)

Histories written about the Underground Railroad and the activism of Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth often serve as a source of pride and recognition of the courage and ingenuity of black women in American history. But at the same time, that astonishing "secret" system and those brave women are only a part of a much larger story about black women's activism in New York state. In this talk, Dr. Jennifer Thompson Burns will discuss the rich activist tradition of black women in Troy, NY, who mobilized to uplift the free black community and abolish slavery in America, preceding the American Civil War.

Dr. Jennifer Thompson Burns earned her Ph.D. in American History at the University at Albany, SUNY, with a concentration in African American history, Abolition, and Nineteenth-century Global History. Her dissertation, "Black Trojans: The Grassroots Abolition Campaign of the Free Black Community in Troy, NY before 1861," was awarded the SUNY Albany 2019 Distinguished Dissertation Award. Dr. Burns is a Lecturer in the Department of Africana Studies at SUNY Albany and a frequent panelist on NPR's The Roundtable.

British Colonial Period in NYS: Resources Available at the NYSL (webinar)

The New York State Library has a wide variety of primary documents and published material on the history of Colonial New York. The collection includes muster rolls of colonial troops, land purchase agreements, orderly books, maps, colonial laws, accounts of relations with Native Americans, personal papers, and microfilm collections of original documents from the British Records Office such as "Colonial Office: New York Records, 1664-1781". Many of these resources can also be useful for researching family history. Associate Librarian Cara Janowsky will present an overview to these resources, as well as, highlight specific titles.

Join us for the webinar "Addressing the K–12 Digital Divide in the Age of Distance Learning," the final session in the Digital Equity Webinar Series. Tali Horowitz and Amina Fazlullah from Common Sense will discuss the latest research on the current digital divide, and what steps educators and policymakers can take to ensure students have both the access and the digital literacy skills needed to leverage technology for learning and life. They will also provide information about Common Sense's K-12 Digital Citizenship Program and the launch of Wide Open School.

This program is part of the Digital Equity Webinar Series.