Lee Crawford Manitoba Government Phone: (204) 945-6778
Carol Rava Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Phone: 206.709.3100 Email: [email protected]
MANITOBA, Canada -- Manitobans will soon have greater access to Internet services in 46 of Manitoba's public libraries thanks to a $1,082,789 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Diane McGifford, announced today.
Separately, Microsoft Canada will donate software with a retail value of $312,228 to all libraries receiving foundation grants.
"On behalf of the people of Manitoba, I thank Bill and Melinda Gates for their donation," McGifford said. "The Manitoba government is committed to increasing educational opportunities for families and to ensuring that neighbourhoods have safe places for children to play and learn. This grant will allow libraries to provide increased Internet service to Manitobans who may not have any other point of access."
According to a July 1999 Statistics Canada study, individuals in the highest-income households are nearly five times more likely to regularly access the Internet than those in the lowest-income households. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hopes to reduce this gap between those who have access and those who do not by partnering with provincial, territorial and state public libraries to increase Internet access for libraries that serve low-income communities.
The grant will aid 46 Manitoba libraries by providing 128 Internet pre-loaded workstations, Internet installation, a regional training computer lab and a portable computer lab for training in rural areas. Manitoba libraries eligible for Foundation grants were those that serve communities where 17.6 percent or more of the population live in poverty. Figures were determined by the Poverty Profile 1996 report issued by Canada's National Council of Welfare.
"As the primary Internet access point in many communities, public libraries play a critical role in educating Manitobans of all ages and income levels," Minister McGifford said. "This gift, combined with the province's ongoing support to libraries, will give more Manitobans the tools they need to gain knowledge and employment in the growing information economy."