Digital poverty in the COVID-19 crisis: Report of the response of a UK further education college library

Organisational and library context

RNN Group is a UK provider of further education (FE) (this is also referred to as tertiary education). The organisation consists of a group of colleges and training organisations which deliver teaching and learning for 16 to 19-year-olds and adult learners. These include functional skills, vocational course, degrees and apprenticeships. Subjects include healthcare, engineering, construction, visual and performing arts, animal care and computing. The group serves areas of high urban deprivation in the UK in South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire. At the start of 2020, the organisation was working on major changes to its curriculum, particularly through introducing a blended learning delivery using Google Classroom.

In March 2020, the Library Service included five libraries across four campuses. These included 4 FE libraries for students up to Level 3, and a University Centre library for higher education (HE) learners (those at Level 4 and above). Collectively, the Library Service had over 60,000 monographs in stock, 4000 online journals and a collective bank of 250 ‘drop-in’ computers for learners to use.

The Library was in a period of significant change in 2020. One Library was due to close permanently in Summer 2020, due to a planned campus closure. The service had a new Head of Service and was endeavouring to introduce some major digital changes. The Library was seeking investment for a new library management system and for introducing the Shibboleth single sign-on system. The service was re-evaluating its strategy and vision, particularly given the organisation's shift to blended learning.

When the first lockdown was announced, the campuses and libraries closed, and all Library staff worked at home. In Summer 2020, the Library Service completed COVID-19 risk assessments and decided to highly restrict access to libraries for the 2020/21 academic year. Learners and staff could only enter the libraries to collect pre-ordered books. Study skills and induction sessions were offered online via Google Meet. No physical ‘drop-in’ visits to the library were permitted.

Digital poverty

The crisis highlighted the existence of digital poverty. This is defined as ‘the inability to interact with the online world fully, when where and how an individual needs to’ (Digital Poverty Alliance, 2023). The digital divide has been a longstanding issue discussed in the library and information profession. Organisations like the Good Things Foundation have campaigned and acted on the issue. However, the COVID-19 crisis brought it more prominently to national and international attention (The Guardian, 2020).

At RNN Group, there were learners who did not have the equipment to access online learning, and who did not have the means to purchase equipment. Some relied upon smartphones to access resources, which meant they could not fully engage with all functionality. It was difficult to accurately quantify the scale of this problem, as it was not a phenomenon which had been measured before at an individual learner level.

Learners needed to access sessions on Google Meet and resources on Google Classroom. The group’s blended learning strategy had been developed to equip learners with the digital skills they would need in an employment context. Some learners were also undertaking General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSE) courses in English and maths. These are numeracy and literacy qualifications often required by employers in the UK.

In the absence of appropriate equipment, they would not be able to access their learning. A learner in this situation may risk dropping out of their course and potentially becoming a young person not in employment, education or training (NEET). There was a genuine risk of social and economic isolation.

Response

In the initial lockdown in March 2020, IT staff distributed around 56 laptops to learners to support their learning. At this time the college group decided to invest in purchasing a stock of 600 laptops, specifically to lend to deprived learners. The supply of laptops was delayed due to wider supply chain issues.

The campuses re-opened in September 2020, with restrictions like reduced numbers in classrooms, one-way systems, and face coverings in place. Teaching timetables were reconfigured to include a greater percentage component of online learning. Tutors started to create a log of learners needing equipment on a Google Sheet, in anticipation of the laptops due to arrive. Each entry included an indication of relative priority. For example, learners without any equipment or internet were a top priority, followed by those who had a smartphone device which gave them limited access to learning.

In October, the laptops arrived. Senior managers tasked the Library and IT with organising the distributions of the planned consignment of 600 laptops to learners (along with dongles for those without internet access). The Library took a central role because the service had a physical space with the capacity to support social distancing. Given that the libraries were closed to standard ‘drop-in’ use, there was an opportunity to utilise the space.

Library staff had experience of past laptop distributions, albeit on a much smaller scale. Some libraries had previously issued laptops to learners with additional learning needs. The Library was perceived positively as a service which combined excellent customer service and knowledge of IT. It was seen as logical for the Library to lead on the project.

Library response

The Library needed to distribute the laptops to students by asking them to collect on campus. This is so that they could log on and set up their Google account before going home. The laptops needed to be distributed across three main campuses, and in smaller satellite campuses.

The laptop deployment started slowly. Staff began by phoning students who were on a ‘1st release’ list on the Google Sheet to arrange appointments. This was based on each learner’s priority level and the date the request had been placed. This had mixed success. Some students did not answer, some had laptops already and some could not attend the slots offered.

The Library began the laptop handover sessions in November. The Library adapted its COVID-19 risk assessments to incorporate measures for the laptop appointments. Staff set up numbered desks and measured the space between these to meet social distancing guidance. Library staff admitted students to the Library at their allocated time, and asked them to sit at a particular desk.

During the handover session, Library staff helped each student to log on to their laptop. They were asked to sync their Google login on the Chrome browser, and to complete a loan agreement form (their formal agreement to return the equipment at the end of their course). Library staff checked that learners understood how to connect to their home Wi-Fi. Library staff kept a record of the laptop type, asset number and laptop number, which was shared with IT staff.

Barriers and adaptations

The process was not moving quickly enough and there was pressure from senior leaders to deliver at a quicker pace. In the first week, around five students per day were collecting laptops, and there were several ‘no shows’.

In week 3, the Library tried a new method to increase the rate of collections. Staff created appointments on the LibCal system, using ‘Seats’ within a ‘Space’ to restrict how many learners could book on to each collection slot. Staff arranged to send out SMS messages to learners, which contained a shortened URL to the LibCal booking page. Staff used Bitly to create the short links. This meant learners could self-book and select a time from a list of available slots. This immediately increased collections, with over 80 collections in the first week of trying this. SMS text messages proved much more effective than phone calls.

There were flaws with this system too. Some learners were concerned the texts were phishing attempts as they included a URL different to its destination. The SMS texts did not reach all learners. Some had incorrect phone numbers listed or their number had changed. Library staff found that many learners either did not reply or did not collect as they had obtained a laptop in the time which elapsed from their original request. Staff also learnt that some students with additional learning needs required extra assistance when completing the logging on steps.

The project was affected by COVID-19 legal restrictions and the complex ‘Tier’ system in place for UK regions. Sometimes learners had to self-isolate or had to ‘shield’ if they had certain medical conditions. In some cases, staff adapted the process and completed the laptop handover remotely. This involved sending a laptop by courier, adding the learner into an ‘active directory’ group and completing a handover by phone. Distributions were also restricted by IT capacity to build laptops, as each laptop had to be configured and connected to the network. One unforeseen difficulty was in transporting laptops across campuses, as often these had only been prepared the day before.

Despite these challenges, the Library distributed 330 laptops by the end of December 2020. The Library provided daily updates to senior leaders on progress with laptop distributions. In order to remove the negative stigma associated with the word ‘poverty’, the scheme was renamed ‘digital access’. The collections process was simplified to better support special needs learners and those with English as a second language. Library staff developed visual step-by-step guidance, which allowed more confident learners to follow this during the handover session.

Escalation of the crisis

The COVID-19 situation in the UK worsened and in January 2021 the government enforced another ‘stay at home’ lockdown mandate. The news that students would be off campus for at least six more weeks created pressure to increase the pace. The crisis led more learners to state they needed a laptop and so the list of requests increased. This was a pressured and emotional situation. Key Library staff involved in the project received hundreds of emails in a single day from staff across the group. To address this single point of failure, Library staff created an email circulation list so that other staff could respond to queries.

The Library and IT agreed on a different method of distribution, which was presented to curriculum managers. The proposal was to spend targeted time at each site, while asking curriculum staff to book learners on from a set list of times. Curriculum staff and tutors knew how to communicate with learners and persuade them to collect. The targeted approach was like the ‘defeat in detail’ military strategy, in which limited resources are targeted heavily at one area.

The shift in approach proved effective. The support of tutors resulted in more collections. As the college campuses were closed, the Library was able to utilise larger areas like canteens which increased available capacity. By the end of January 2021, all remaining laptops had been distributed. This was despite adverse weather conditions, which disrupted one of the collection days. The acceleration of the crisis forced the Library to reassess the process and take radical steps to improve it.

Demand for laptops had exceeded the available stock and there were still students needing equipment. At this point, the college group applied for some laptops available through a scheme run by the Department for Education. When these arrived in February, these were distributed to remaining learners. In total, the Library coordinated the distribution of 730 laptops over the course of 2020/21.

Data management

The Library took the decision to restrict editing on the Google Sheet, which proved an important step. The data was not consistently entered, there were duplicate entries and there were no accurate timestamps of when requests had been entered. Tutors could place requests via a Google Form, which controlled the values being entered. The net result was that data reported to senior managers were accurate and that less time was spent on administration and error checking.

The original method for collecting information on digital poverty was not suitable. Over the summer of 2021, Library staff worked with the Business Intelligence team to create bespoke data tables on the student record system to hold the information. This involved defining field types, options in each field and creating reports.

Each request was linked to a student’s actual record, which meant the college would obtain accurate data. For example, the Library would be able to see if they changed course or had withdrawn from college. Each request could now be linked with specific attributes for each learner. For example, their additional learning needs, their age and level. It associated each learner’s request with a specific academic year, which made it more meaningful to report on in an academic context. The data enabled Business Intelligence to create automated reports for IT (so their asset register could be updated accordingly) and Finance (so that outstanding equipment could be chased).

Transferring the data to a database meant that the Library could create better reporting to senior managers. Previously this had been a pivot table, which was not a robust data reporting mechanism. Taking requirements from Library staff, the Business Intelligence team built a Power BI dashboard to show the progress with collections. This could be filtered by campus, curriculum area, age group, level and other attributes and would show a progress gage. This made the data more visual and was updated live as collections took place.

Business as usual

The academic year finished in June 2021. One of the key priorities was to recover equipment from learners in time for the new academic year. The more tightly managed data on requests was vital in achieving this. Linking the loan data with student’s course information proved extremely valuable. Library staff were able to identify if they were due to enrol next year, or were due to complete their studies. This enabled Library staff to arrange for communications via SMS and email to remind learners to return equipment. Library staff worked with Finance colleagues to generate formal invoices for non-returned equipment.

In Autumn 2021, the libraries and campuses re-opened as normal. However, it was still vital that learners were lent equipment to assist with the blended learning strategy. This time, requests from tutors were processed much sooner. Each week, Library staff asked tutors to drive the process by booking learners on via a Google Sheet. The Google Sheet was used purely for booking appointments and was kept as simple as possible. This enabled the Library to distribute laptops on a greater scale and in a way which suited curriculum areas.

There was a clearer set of principles around prioritisation and who would receive each batch. The Library had to carefully sequence and ensure that sufficient laptops were at each site for simultaneous distributions. The task of distributing equipment was effectively delegated to each Library, based on a list of students each week. Cumulatively, this led to much shorter wait times for learners. At this stage, the COVID-19 crisis was starting to fade, and the response to digital poverty was becoming embedded as part of day-to-day operations.

Impact

It was sometimes difficult to articulate the impact of the project. The figures and data on the number of laptops were impressive. However, they did not showcase impact in a deep and meaningful way.

The stories of learners receiving laptops give a powerful insight into the project’s impact. This supports the view that narrative is a powerful way to communicate impact (Brophy, 2008).

I was really struggling; it was so difficult trying to look at PowerPoint and be on video call as part of the class. Using a laptop is really beneficial to me because I’m Dyslexic and I learn visually, through imagery and through colour. (University Centre Rotherham, 2021).

Reflections

This example of a library’s response to the COVID-19 crisis - and digital poverty in general - is not unique. Many colleges and universities have responded in a similar way, such as San José State University Library and MacEwan University (OCLC, 2023; King and Whitson, 2023). It is important for libraries to continue to document and share the experiences of this crisis, as OCLC’s REALM project has done.

Collective understanding of digital poverty has continued to develop. Current research is focused on identifying and explaining the complex structural determinants and effects of digital poverty (Holmes and Burgess, 2022; Digital Poverty Alliance, 2022).

The rapid escalation of the crisis meant that at times there was a messiness to the project. There was considerable ambiguity in navigating a genuinely unprecedented situation. The live pressure of the project made it difficult to find time and space to fully scope out and test solutions (e.g., the best communication methods).

The crisis demonstrated how libraries are at the interface of different teams. The Library was equipped to work seamlessly with teams in IT, curriculum, Student Services and Business Intelligence. The Library acted as a connecting force between different teams.

The crisis forced innovation, and exploration of new ways of working. There was no precedent for the Library to distribute this volume of IT equipment, and staff tried various innovations to manage this. The crisis showed how libraries are highly adaptable and willing to make constant improvements. Staff acknowledged the process was not perfect and made continual efforts to improve it, particularly by making adaptations for specific groups.

The project showcased the value of libraries. The project demonstrated that libraries actively support equity and literacy. As a result of the project, the Library had a high profile internally and staff perceived it as a critical service. Without the laptops, learners would have struggled to complete their studies, which would have affected their future employment and educational prospects.

The COVID-19 crisis initially caused a complete closure of the Library’s physical space. It was a major existential threat. The Library responded by extending its services to a new sphere where it had broader societal impact than ever before. The initial threat was transformed into an opportunity.