Foundation Launches New Investments to Help Public Libraries Provide Free, High-Quality Computer and Internet Services

SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Libraries initiative today announced a new five-year commitment to help U.S. public libraries serving low-income communities continue to provide free, high-quality computer and Internet services and training to their communities. Nearly all public libraries offer free Internet access and computers, but many struggle to maintain the services because of advancing technology, huge demand, and limited public resources.

The foundation has worked in partnership with U.S. libraries since 1997 with one goal—ensuring that every person who could reach a public library could reach the Internet. Now, nearly every library nationwide offers computer and Internet services, and 14 million people rely on these computers to further their education and to find employment, health, and government information.

“It is virtually impossible to succeed today without access to computers and the Internet. For the millions of people who don’t have those tools at home, the public library helps level the playing field,” said Allan Golston, president of the foundation’s United States Program. “Unfortunately, some libraries are struggling to keep up with innovations in technology. We want to make sure every library can remain a viable choice for high-quality computer and Internet services for its community."

With almost 40 percent of Americans still lacking Internet access at home, libraries are a critical link to technology for many who cannot afford the service on their own.

Rhonda Wright, a pharmacy assistant in Chicago, used the computers in Chicago’s Near North Branch to find a job. “When I was unemployed I would come to the library to do research on the Internet because I did not have access at home. I really appreciate the fact that it was there. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t be employed or, if employed, not in my chosen field.”

The foundation grants will focus on the following objectives:

• Increase the percentage of libraries that regularly upgrade their computers. Research indicates that 40 percent of all public libraries struggle to upgrade computers due to cost, space, and maintenance challenges. The foundation will provide matching grants for upgrades to libraries that can secure dedicated local funding sources.
  
  
• Increase the percentage of libraries with continued high-speed Internet connectivity. Thirty-seven percent of public libraries need to upgrade their Internet connectivity to meet the demands of patrons, especially as higher bandwidth becomes increasingly necessary to support complex applications. Foundation grants will help libraries plan for upgraded connectivity.
  
  
• Help library staff get the technical support and training they need to support technology systems. Foundation grants will invest in efforts to provide nationwide training resources and technical support.
  
  
• Support libraries in their efforts to secure adequate and stable funding for library computers and Internet connectivity. Foundation grants will support advocacy training for library staff and research demonstrating the positive benefits of technology to library users. 

The foundation will direct its hardware upgrade grants to public libraries that serve communities where 10 percent or more of the population lives in poverty and which are vulnerable to having their computer and Internet services become obsolete. The upgrade grants will be offered to libraries in states that did not benefit from the foundation’s 2006 Public Access Computing Hardware Upgrade Grant program.

“There are significant challenges to sustaining technology in public libraries, and we want to help permanently overcome those barriers so that people in all communities will have ongoing access to the modern technology tools they need to succeed and thrive,” said Jill Nishi, program manager of the U.S. Libraries initiative.

As part of this initiative, the foundation awarded the following grants in 2006:

• $525,000 to the American Library Association’s Office of Information Technology Policy to fund a pilot training program designed to increase the number of libraries that secure federal E-rate funds, and to research barriers to high-speed connectivity.
  
  
• $911,000 to the Institute for Museum and Library Services to conduct quantitative research on the impact of free technology access in public libraries.
  
  
• $1.2 million to Online Computer Library Center to research advocacy vehicles and messages that would encourage support for public library funding.
  
  
• $2.4 million over three years to Compumentor to identify best practices in technical support and to train libraries to use those methods.
  
  
• $2.6 million to the American Library Association’s Office of Research and Statistics and Florida State University to conduct annual surveys that track trends in connectivity and public funding for public libraries.
  
  
• $3.9 million to WebJunction to improve this Web portal and virtual community designed to help public libraries plan for technology, manage hardware and software, train staff and patrons, and share best practices. The commitment includes the purchase and development of TechAtlas, an online tool that automates hardware inventory processes and provides technology planning assistance for public libraries.

Total investments by the foundation to date to support access to computers and the Internet in public libraries are $325 million, including grants and other support.