As the Chief Executive Officer of the Ramapo Catskill Library System, Grace Riario’s primary goal is to support and enhance the services provided by forty-seven public libraries to their communities in four counties in the State of New York. Over the past twenty years, technology and access to the internet have grown to become among the primary services libraries offer to their communities. The service evolves as technology improves, but barriers to access remain.
What motivated you to enroll in the program? What challenges were you trying to solve?
Digital Inclusion in the form of digital literacy is a service that public libraries have been providing for many years, but the evolution of technology and how it has changed the ability for people to be included and be an active part of society is a new challenge for public libraries. Thus, it seemed prudent for me to reach out to the experts in the field of digital inclusion to enhance my knowledge, evolve with their advice and guidance, and put practices into action that will help libraries assist their community members.
When I saw the Digital Inclusion Leadership Certificate being offered, I was eager to participate because the Marconi Society’s support brought together all the experts I needed.
How has the course equipped you with skills you need to address the challenges of digital inclusion in your community or organization? What capabilities and skills have you learned through the course?
I am now confident in speaking about broadband issues, thanks to the technology fundamentals that I learned in the program. For example, an individual’s ability to have access to an internet subscription and their ability to afford it are two different issues entirely. Understanding the various technologies used to expand and build out a network is important for my work since it is one of my focus areas..
As a CEO, it is essential that I understand the legal components of expanding a network. The most important skill I need to hone is the ability to engage community members in meaningful conversations about what the individual needs are within each community.
Can you share a specific example or two of how the course content has been directly applicable to your work in digital equity or related areas?
The information shared by the experts during the different classes provided me with the skills and ability to hire a technology company with the expertise our organization required. They performed an audit of our network and investigated the possibility of expanding our private fiber network access to provide internet access to the community members who live within the public library service area.
The dream is for an individual to have internet access by logging into the library network via their library card from their home. Now, thanks to this program, I know it can be done because of what I learned from John Windhausen from Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB), and Rolando Alvarez from Digital C.
What aspects of the course content did you find most valuable and why?
The most valuable component has been the expert presentations. Vint Cerf, Google, and Marconi Society’s words regarding the importance of technology assistance for people who experience a disability were impactful to me. My organization is evaluating the accessibility of our website, continuing education opportunities, services, and programs.
How has the course influenced your approach to creating plans and managing infrastructure for digital equity, especially in light of federal and state initiatives?
We are applying for any opportunity available to non-profit organizations via Federal or State digital equity grants. The grants will help us fund the technology audit initiative that will give us the necessary information to develop a plan to expand our network and help communities access the internet.
Click here for more information about the Digital Inclusion Leadership Certificate and its self-paced counterpart, Digital Inclusion Training.
