Professional Development Committee

Digital Equity in the 21st Century Public Library: Preparing Youth for Careers in Technology

By Neil Grimes
Education & Curriculum Materials Librarian, William Paterson University
Email: grimesn@wpunj.edu

Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services. Libraries, especially public libraries, are at the forefront of addressing digital equity in America’s communities.

“More than 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that do not yet exist” (World Economic Forum, 2016, p. 3). “Today’s pre-K-12 students need to develop the college and career readiness skills that will enable them to be successful in the technologically driven jobs of the future” (Grimes, 2025, p. 1). Historically, libraries have been at the vanguard of providing access and training on new technologies.

Public libraries play a critical role in providing opportunities for people of all ages, but especially youth, to access the latest technologies including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and the metaverse.  The metaverse is a virtual version of the real world that leverages artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, and “Web3” to create immersive, 3-D, real-time, and interactive social environments (Driscoll, 2022). It is the next learning frontier and lives in a network of interconnected computers. It includes a range of free, accessible, and decentralized games, communities, and venues for interaction. These immersive technologies offer the promise and potential of more engaged learning experiences, the enhancement of technology skills, and students better prepared to take on the jobs of the future (Grimes, 2025).

“With 500,000 current job openings in the field of computer science, all 115,000 of the nation’s school and public libraries are crucial community partners to guarantee youth have skills essential to future employment and civic participation” (Braun & Visser, 2017). To discover how libraries instruct young people in computer science, coding, and computational thinking skills, the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy initiated a year-long “Libraries Ready to Code” research project (Braun & Visser, 2017).

Because future jobs will center on technology, public libraries should provide basic training on computational thinking, computer programming, and the latest existing technologies (VR, AR, AI, the metaverse) and ongoing access to these technologies. ALA’s “Libraries Ready to Code” initiative, sponsored by Google, was conducted in collaboration with staff from 30 U.S. libraries. The only participating New Jersey librarian or staff member was Danielle Arnold, from Belmar Elementary School, Belmar, NJ) (Braun & Visser, 2017). The library staff curated resources, developed content, and piloted strategies from fall 2017 through summer 2018 in order to support others in becoming Ready to Code.

The 30 libraries that participated in “Libraries Ready to Code” were given four areas of focus:

1. Libraries Ready to Code: This focus area included building your library’s capacity to help youth gain problem-solving and critical thinking skills through computational thinking. Start with basic strategies that are aligned with library core values or build on skills and resources you already have.
2. CS [Computer Science] First: This focus area included free, easy-to-use curriculum which introduces students ages 9-14 to computer science using block-based programming. Themed projects attract students with varied interests. Instructional videos guide students through each activity, so no coding experience is needed.
3. Applied Digital Skills: This focus area included teaching practical digital skills using a free, video-and project-based curriculum where middle school, high school, and adult learners can use Google’s suite of apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.) to research a topic, create budgets, collaborate on documents, and more.
4. Be Internet Awesome: To make the most of the internet, kids need to be prepared to make smart decisions. Be Internet Awesome teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they can explore the online world with confidence.

“Overall, when libraries across the United States champion the computational thinking learning needs of youth, communities will see young people who are ready to take on their futures, who have robust career options, and who guarantee the economic and social vitality of the cities, towns, and reservations in which they live” (Braun & Visser, 2017, p. 4).

New Jersey public libraries need to implement computational thinking and become “ready to code” to better prepare students for careers in computer science, technology, and STEM fields. The author suggests that public libraries consider starting a Girls Who Code club.  Statistics show that “in 1995, 37% of computer scientists were women. Today, it’s only 24%. The biggest drop-off of girls in computer science is between the ages of 13 and 17” (Girls Who Code, 2023). Consider inviting local women who are programmers to become mentors in a Girls Who Code club at your library. Our libraries need to offer access and opportunities to learn and experience cutting-edge technologies such as VR, AR, AI, the metaverse, and learn essential technology skills including coding. Becoming better digital citizens will help library patrons prepare for current and future high-paying, technology-driven jobs. 

Libraries can help by budgeting to buy equipment to support existing and future technologies, and by training librarians and professional staff members in the use of those technologies. The websites linked above, featured in the ALA’s “Libraries Ready to Code” pilot, can form the basis of library staff training.

For insights into the existing educational technology in the pre-K-12 environment and its possible implications on your library’s services and programming, the author recommends reading his recently published open-access book chapter, Educational Technology in the Pre-K-12 Environment: Implications for Education Leaders, Teachers, and Students. 

REFERENCES

Braun, L., & Visser, M. (2017, January). Ready to code: Connecting youth to CS opportunity through libraries. American Library Association, Office for Information Technology Policy.  https://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/pp/Ready_To_Code_Report_FINAL.pdf

Driscoll, T. (2022, September 19). Making sense of the metaverse in education. EdTechTeacher. https://edtechteacher.org/making-sense-of-the-metaverse-in-education/ 

Girls Who Code: About Us. Girls Who Code. Retrieved May 13, 2023, from https://girlswhocode.com/about-us

Grimes, N. (2025). Educational Technology and the Pre-K-12 Environment: Implications for Education Leaders, Teachers, and Students. In M. Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Sixth Edition (pp. 1-21). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7366-5.ch015

World Economic Forum. (2016, January). Chapter 1: The Future of Jobs and Skills. Future of Jobs. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs.pdf

Published May 2023.