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Gates Foundation Awards $5.8 Million for Libraries in 18 StatesThe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving $5.8 million in challenge grants to state library agencies in 18 states as part of a renewed effort to help public libraries provide free access to computers and the Internet. The Staying Connected grants are the first round of a $17-million commitment by the foundation to provide hardware and connectivity upgrades, and training and technical support for libraries across the country. Foundation cofounder Melinda Gates made the announcement January 14 from the Sissonville branch of the Kanawha County (W. Va.) Public Library, saying it was “illuminating to see what access to information” can do for people who do not otherwise have an Internet connection. She said she talked to a woman in Sissonville who used the library computers to communicate every other day with her son in Kuwait. The Staying Connected grants are “two-for-one grants,” meaning that each state has already raised twice its allotment in federal, state, and private dollars. This round of awards will go to state library agencies in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission, which received the largest amount, $907,520, will be able to replace computers in 116 of the state’s 540 public libraries, State Librarian Peggy Rudd said at a press conference accompanying the announcement. “The issue of sustainability is a critical issue in Texas,” she added. “The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been a beacon for us, and the Staying Connected grant really could not have come at a better time.” Since 1998, the foundation has donated $250 million through its U.S. Library Program to install more than 47,000 computers in nearly 11,000 libraries in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Posted January 15, 2004. |
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