Cook County Library Digital Navigator Network: Mini-Pilot Resources

Program Background

Cook County Library Digital Navigator Network

In Cook County’s Digital Equity Plan, libraries are championed as a key factor for residents in building the confidence they need to use technology successfully in their daily lives. The Cook County Library Digital Navigator Network will help ensure Cook County residents have equitable access to internet connections, technology equipment, and skill-building through supporting libraries’ capacity to deliver these services.

Because public libraries are primarily funded by property taxes, funding levels among the 90+ agencies in suburban Cook County vary widely. Even a small investment can make a difference in a library’s ability to serve its community. The Mini-Pilot's initial infusion of funding is intended to build capacity where it’s needed most.

This initiative is spearheaded by Cook County Digital Equity through the Cook County Office of the President, implemented in partnership with Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS), and supported by the Cook County Equity Fund. This new partnership seeks to create stronger connections among public libraries and County government, improve library services, empower communities, and reduce the digital divide.

Community of Practice

A Guiding Team of 15 individuals representing libraries across Cook County is advising in the co-design and shared vision of the Cook County Library Digital Navigator Network.  Libraries receiving Mini-Pilot funding will become a part of this collective learning and co-building.

Resources

These resources may be helpful in describing specific community needs, assessing current organizational capacity, and identifying project opportunities.

There are also a lot of resources on the RAILS Broadband and Digital Equity Pulse Page, and you can reach out to us if you need help finding anything else.

Plans and Standards

• Cook County Digital Equity Action Plan
• Illinois State Digital Equity Plan
• Digital Navigator Model
• Digital Inclusion 101
• Illinois Public Library Standards
• Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit for technology infrastructure assessment

Data Sources

• Cook County Digital Equity Map
• Cook County Digital Equity Scores by Municipality
• U.S. Census Bureau My Community Explorer
• Your library’s Illinois Public Library Annual Report (IPLAR) data
• Local data available through municipalities, library surveys or strategic plan engagement processes, etc.

Peer Mentoring

The Guiding Team has created a document with detailed project examples and a list of individuals to contact for additional information and support with ideas and practical considerations. This is a living document that may be updated periodically.

Definitions

Definitions are provided courtesy of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA).

Libraries support digital equity with a range of digital inclusion and digital literacy services. These activities align closely with the American Library Association’s Core Values of Librarianship:

Digital Equity

"Digital Equity is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital Equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services. Also referred to as digital opportunity."

Digital Inclusion

"Digital Inclusion refers to the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This includes 5 elements:

• affordable, robust broadband internet service
• internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user
• access to digital literacy training
• quality technical support
• applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration

Digital Inclusion must evolve as technology advances. Digital Inclusion requires intentional strategies and investments to reduce and eliminate historical, institutional and structural barriers to access and use technology."

Digital Literacy

As with basic print literacy, digital literacy is an essential prerequisite to many other forms of literacy.

"Digital Literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.

A person with digital literacy skills:

• Possesses the variety of skills – technical and cognitive – required to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information in a wide variety of formats;
• Is able to use diverse technologies appropriately and effectively to retrieve information, interpret results, and judge the quality of that information;
• Understands the relationship between technology, life-long learning, personal privacy, and stewardship of information;
• Uses these skills and the appropriate technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, colleagues, family, and on occasion, the general public; and
• Uses these skills to actively participate in civic society and contribute to a vibrant, informed, and engaged community."

Digital Navigation 

"Digital navigators are trusted guides who assist community members with ongoing, individualized support for accessing affordable and appropriate connectivity, devices, and digital skills.” (NDIA)

NDIA’s Digital Navigator Model is a valuable resource, but digital navigation at public libraries is not necessarily defined by a specific model or job description. People trust libraries to offer many core services that provide access to devices and broadband connections, resources for improving digital skills, and skilled assistance to build confidence with everyday tasks that require technology.

Suburban Cook County’s library community is unique in its volume of 90+ tremendously diverse public libraries. This project will explore the adaptability of the current model and evolve it to function effectively across a wider range of organizations.

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by the Cook County Equity Fund.