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Know Someone Who Needs Help Online? Dozens Of LA County Libraries Offer Free, Onsite Digital Support

Dora Waters often stops by the A C Bilbrew Library in unincorporated Willowbrook for a quiet space to write and stretch her legs.
She lives at a homeless shelter and relies on its free Wi-Fi for work. And even though she owns a laptop, she sometimes needs help using it.
“I have been frustrated for years coming to the library and really not knowing the technology and wishing someone was here to help me,” Waters said. “So it’s here.”
The county now offers free digital assistance at 43 libraries and other facilities through its Delete the Divide initiative. (See below for the list of libraries).
Interns work one-on-one with residents to provide basic tech support, from resetting a lost password to repairing a broken laptop.
The goal is to help people feel more comfortable online so they can access social services and participate in the digital economy. Interns also help people sign up for broadband discounts and other services.
“Technology is taking over so much of what we do every day, that if we don't help people to get connected … it's just going to make their households' experience more difficult,” said Selwyn Hollins, director of L.A. County’s Internal Services Department.

Hollins started Delete the Divide in 2021 to help connect people during the pandemic.
“It really affected the entire household," Hollins said. “Many of the county and municipal services are available online and people couldn't get access in this time of need.”
The free assistance program started last year and recently expanded to 43 libraries. It's targeted at areas where more than 20% of households lack broadband; by removing barriers to access, it's hoped the digital divide will be narrowed. That’s the gap between people who have easy access to modern technology and those who don’t.
Free support

Delete the Divide hired about 250 young people from underserved communities to give them training and help diversify the industry. Many of the interns are students or adults pursuing jobs in the technology field, according to Aravinda Edussuriya, a program administrator for Delete the Divide who oversees the internship program.
Interns also get mentorship and networking opportunities with people in the tech industry. Candidates must be 16 and older to apply, and must reside in a community that’s been impacted by the digital divide.

Being from the neighborhood allows the interns to better connect with residents, said intern Jaelyn Garrard, who grew up about 10 minutes from the A C Bilbrew Library. She’s studying computer science at Cal State Long Beach while learning on the job.
“I’m really able to just connect with people… they receive what I’m saying well and they feel like I’m trying to help them, which I am,” she said.
Anyone can walk in to the library for digital support, no appointment necessary. The service is also available at five senior centers across the county.
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- Digital literacy training for residents and small businesses
- Support to enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which can provide up to $30 off a monthly internet bill
- Free IT training and certificate programs to eligible residents who sign up for a Delete the Divide account
“Sometimes small tasks might seem easy to us but they really aren’t to other people,” said Merling Velasquez, an intern at the A C Bilbrew library. “We really just want to help.”

Velasquez, 23, said she grew up watching her father repair computers at home in Watts. She taught herself how to code and is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Southern California. But not everyone feels as comfortable with technology.
“A lot of times it’s about going on Google ourselves and learning with [residents],” Velasquez said. “We don’t just do things for people, we want to show them how to do it for themselves.”
Underutilized resource
Jeffrey Sichaleune, the library manager at A C Bilbrew, calls it an underutilized resource. He said it can be difficult to reach people beyond the walls of the library — especially those who are offline — without a large advertising budget.
“Not only is it important to serve the people who come into the library, it’s also important to get the word out for people who don’t use the library… who don’t come from a background where they understand what the library is for,” he said.
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- A C Bilbrew
150 E. El Segundo Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90061
310.538.3350 - Acton Agua Dulce
33792 Crown Valley Road
Acton, CA 93510
661.269.7101 - Anthony Quinn
3965 Cesar E Chavez Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90063
323.264.7715 - Baldwin Park
4181 Baldwin Park Blvd.
Baldwin Park, CA 91706
626.962.6947 - Bell Gardens
7110 S. Garfield Ave.
Bell Gardens, CA 90201
562.927.1309 - Chet Holifield
1060 S. Greenwood Ave.
Montebello, CA 90640
323.728.0421 - City Terrace
4025 E. City Terrace Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90063
323.261.0295 - Claremont Helen Renwick
208 N. Harvard Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711
909.621.4902 - Clifton M. Brakensiek
9945 E. Flower St.
Bellflower, CA 90706
562.261.5543 - Compton
240 W. Compton Blvd.
Compton, CA 90220
310.637.0202 - Culver City Julian Dixon
4975 Overland Ave.
Culver City, CA 90230
310.559.1676 - Duarte
1301 Buena Vista St.
Duarte, CA 91010
626.358.1865 - East Los Angeles
4837 E. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90022
323.264.0155 - East Rancho Dominguez
4420 E. Rose St.
East Rancho Dominguez, CA 90221
310.264.0155 - El Camino Real
4264 E. Whittier Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90023
323.269.8102 - El Monte
3224 Tyler Ave.
El Monte, CA 91731
626.444.9506 - Florence
7807 S. Compton Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90001
323.581.8028 - Graham
1900 E. Firestone Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90001
323.582.2903 - Hawaiian Gardens
11940 E. Carson St.
Hawaiian Gardens, CA 90716
562.496.1212 - Hawthorne
12700 Grevillea Ave.
Hawthorne, CA 90250
310.679.8193 - Huntington Park
6518 Miles Blvd.
Huntington Park, CA 90255
323.583.1461 - La Puente
15920 E Central Ave.
La Puente, CA 91744
626.968.4613 - Lake Los Angeles
16921 E. Avenue O., #A
Palmdale, CA 93591
661.264.0593 - Lancaster
601 W. Lancaster Blvd.
Lancaster, CA 93534
661.948.5029 - Lawndale
14615 Burin Ave.
Lawndale, CA 90260
310.676.0177 - Leland R. Weaver
4035 Tweedy Blvd.
South Gate, CA 90280
323.567.8853 - Lennox
4359 Lennox Blvd.
Lennox, CA 90304
310.674.0385 - Littlerock
35119 80th St.
East Littlerock, CA 93543
661.944.4138 - Lynwood
11320 Bullis Road
Lynwood, CA 90262
310.635.7121 - Norwalk
12350 Imperial Highway
Norwalk, CA 90650
562.868.0775 - Pico Rivera
9001 Mines Ave.
Pico Rivera, CA 90660
562.942.7394 - Rowland Heights
1850 Nogales St.
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
626.912.5348 - San Fernando
217 N. Maclay Ave.
San Fernando, CA 91340
818.365.0775 - Sorenson
6934 Broadway Ave.
Whittier, CA 90606
562.695.3979 - South El Monte
1430 N. Central Ave.
South El Monte, CA 91733
626.443.4158 - South Whittier
11543 Colima Road
Whittier, CA 90604
562.946.4415 - Stevenson Ranch
25950 The Old Road
Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381
661.255.2707 - Sunkist
840 N. Puente Ave.
La Puente, CA 91746
626.960.2707 - View Park Bebe Moore Campbell
3854 W. 54th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90043
323.293.5371 - West Hollywood
625 N. San Vicente Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310.652.5340 - Willowbrook
11737 Wilmington Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90059
323.564.5698 - Woodcrest
1340 W. 106th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90044
323.757.9373 - Carson
151 E. Carson St.
Carson, CA 90745
310.830.0901
- A C Bilbrew
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