This is the second part of a two-part interview conducted with Gina Millsap, retired Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library (TSCPL) CEO and a longtime advocate of broadband access for work and learning. An article drawn from the interview is available on the ShapingEDU blog.
In your article “We All Need Broadband” [April 7, 2020], you mentioned that “some parts of our community don’t have quality, affordable broadband, especially in the rural areas of Shawnee County.” I’ve always been impressed by how you and your colleagues responded to community needs by setting up an entire online branch of the library to serve those who, living in rural parts of your service area, couldn’t easily visit a physical library building. Can you tell a story that shows how you and your colleagues overcame some of the challenges of Internet access to provide those online services?
Tags: activism • Advocacy • arizona state university • broadband access • Change the World • Collaboration • community • connecting for work • Digital Divide • digital equity action team • digital inequity • Digital Literacy • gina millsap • hotspots • innovation • internet access • internet service providers • maurice coleman • paul signorelli • schools health and libraries broadband coalition • shapingedu • shlb • t is for training • Technology • topeka and shawnee county public library • ulc • urban libraries council