Gates Foundation Donates $5 Million
to Libraries in Chile
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—in its first effort to promote technology in libraries outside North America and Great Britain—will donate $5 million to put computers and Internet access in more than 300 libraries in Chile.
The program will also provide Internet training for librarians, the Associated Press reported November 22. Training is expected to start in July, with computer installation to follow. Gates’s Microsoft Corporation will add $1.2 million in software for the 1,200 donated computers.
“Not since the invention of printing has humanity been offered a revolution such as that represented by the Internet,” Chilean President Ricardo Lagos said, adding that the program would help his country anticipate global economic changes and educate its people.
The foundation, which has awarded $77 million to 5,300 libraries in the United States, said it picked Chile to take part in the program because Chile encourages open access to libraries. Spokesman Trevor Neilson said the foundation may expand to other countries after “we . . . see how Chile goes. It’s a big world.”
Note: An earlier version of this news item said that the Gates Foundation would place computers in Chilean communities where at least 10% of the people live in poverty. However, the criteria for distribution are still being formulated.
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