Gates Foundation Renews Library Internet Effort
January 18, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
An effort by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to ensure free Internet access in American public libraries is being re-energized, beginning with a $11.5-million commitment, reports the Associated Press.
The program’s coordinator, Jill Nishi, told the news service that 40 percent of libraries have had a hard time paying for new equipment and fast connections since the foundation began its effort in the mid-1990s. The latest round of grants will reach libraries in 32 states, following up on an earlier phase that supported technology in 18 other states.
The Gates Foundation did not specify how much total it will give to the library effort. To qualify, libraries should be in areas where at least 10 percent of the population is poor, and institutions must match the foundation money with other funds they have raised, the news agency reports.
