Navigating Systems: Digital Equity at The Seattle Public Library

At The Seattle Public Library, Digital Equity is promoted in a variety of ways, including access to Wi-Fi and digital devices, provision of online resources, and high quality programming where patrons can increase their digital literacy skills for use in all sorts of arenas.

Often, many of these elements are combined, as they were in the Library’s recent partnership with Villa Comunitaria, when digital literacy classes in Spanish were provided at the Delridge Branch. Students attending classes were loaned wi-fi hot spots and laptops, and at the end of the series, students were able to take home a laptop of their own.

Participants reported that after taking the class they were able to use their laptops and increased digital literacy skills to successfully sign up for further workforce skills development and to help their children complete homework and check online grades. Another Spanish language series was offered in the summer of 2025, and more series are planned for 2026.

An upcoming Library initiative focused on increasing Digital Literacy in Seattle includes:

“Discover Careers in AWS Cloud” day of discovery at the Central Library on December 4^th from 10:30am – 4:00pm. Through our partnership with AWS Skills Center Seattle, participants can meet with an Amazon Web Services (AWS) trainer to learn about the cloud model, learn about careers in the cloud, and the process to become AWS Certified. Sessions will include “Introduction to the AWS Cloud”, “Job Roles in the Cloud”, “Building a Cloud Career”, and “Why Get AWS Certified”.