Keeping you up-to-date on what we are doing at the library. We invite you to join in the conversation!
MARCH 3, 2010
2009 Annual Report
It is that time of year again when I start thinking about spring. Besides the welcome thaw in the weather, spring means library statistics! It is the time of year when librarians need to get annual reports on library activity to the state and their governing boards. So while I enjoy the first hints of warm weather and the excited chatter of birds, it also a time spent gathering numbers and sweating over the calculator. Librarians even have workshops on doing annual reports. Misery loves company they say.
The numbers are in for 2009 and they do tell a story. I don’t want to bury you in a blizzard of numbers so I will limit myself to a few key statistics.
- 172,424 visitors to the library in 2009 which is over 500 visitors per-day.
- 368,015 items were circulated to customers which is an 8.5% icrease over 2008.
- 20,271 Internet sessions were logged by customers on our computers.
- 4,397 children attended story times. This was an increase of 860 over 2008.
- 4,353 children learned about the importance of reading through our programs for the schools and daycare centers.
- 1,473 children participated in the summer reading program.
- 1,600 people attended 19 events during our community wide read of Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. The programs were made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Looking back on 2009 it was a busy year for the library. The Board of Trustees approved a small renovation including new carpeting throughout. The lobby floor was restored and the Children and Teen areas received new furnishings. Despite being closed for nearly three weeks our business was up.
The library also began winter Sunday hours in from 1 – 5 p.m. in 2009. They started off slow but are now a busy day just like any other.
What’s in store for the library in 2010? The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are providing us with funds to purchase new computers for public Internet. The landscaping along Wolske Bay Rd. will be restored. The public restrooms will be refurbished. The Youth Department is increasing their outreach to daycares and the Menomonie Middle School. “Reading in the Dog House” where reluctant readers can read to a trained therapy dog is launched. The library is also on the list to receive expanded Internet bandwidth through funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the state of Wisconsin. I am excited about 2010 because I see the library continuing to offer a diverse selection of materials and programs. Please stop by often this year.
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
February News of Note
The library’s
Menomonie Reads event, which kicked off January 15, has been rolling along. This community read of bestselling author
Sherman Alexie’s National Book Award winning coming of age novel,
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian offers an opportunity for the community to discuss important social issues raised by the book and to remember the Native American heritage of our region. We have given away 600 copies of the book since the kickoff event that featured TRAILS Native American Youth Dance Troupe from Hertel. Peter Phippen, renowned flutist from Eau Claire, regaled us with his skills on Native American flutes last week. This week, we are showing the film
Smoke Signals for which Sherman Alexie wrote the screenplay. Professor Jean-Marie Dauplaise will lead our discussion. The film showing begins at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 7 at the library. The event is free and open to the public.
The library will be initiating a new e-book program in the near future. We will begin checking out Amazon Kindle e-book readers soon. E-book readers have become the rage since Amazon introduced their Kindle reader a couple of years ago. Kindle readers are perennially at the top of most wanted gift lists. This new generation of electronic book readers features so called e-ink technology which rivals the resolution of ink on paper. The library plans to begin its Kindle program by allowing our customers to choose the e-book they want us to put on the Kindle. In no time we will have a collection of local favorites on the Kindles that will reflect the reading choices of our community. Look for this program to commence in the coming months. If you have further questions about this program, contact the library at 715-232-2164 ext. 10.
The library’s youth department has started a new program called Reading in the Dog House Kids Reading to Dogs! Dogs Listening to Kids! This is a story time where kids will be able to read to Harley, a small Shi-Tsu companion dog. Open to children currently in 1st-5th grade. Reading in the Dog House will be held on Tuesdays from 4:15-5pm starting February 2, 2010. Contact Youth Services with any questions. The program is FREE and NO registration is necessary.
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JANUARY 4, 2010
2010 Library Trends
The past two years one of the most popular holiday gifts to give and receive has been an e-book reader. Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader, and now Barnes and Noble’s Nook have perennially topped the list of most popular gifts. All the e-book readers are based on the recent development of so called e-ink technology. For the first time, the resolution of text on screen rivals that of ink on paper. Frequent travelers and commuters find e-book readers particularly useful because they can carry hundreds of titles on a compact device. Avid readers are also falling in love with e-book readers and the instant gratification of downloading their next must read. Amazon announced that on Christmas Day, for the first time ever, they sold more electronic books than physical books. All those lucky people that were gifted a Kindle trying it out, no doubt.
Not to be left off the gift list, the library will be purchasing e-book readers in 2010. We plan to start checking them out on a trial basis to see if it is a sustainable service and one that is popular with customers. We hope that patrons who don’t already have an e-book reader will the find the library’s reader a good way to try one out before purchasing. The e-book readers will also be a way for us to get more copies of current bestsellers available to our customers quickly.
Another tech development that is sure to keep growing in 2010 is the trend towards downloadable and streaming movies over broadband Internet. Amazon, Blockbuster, and Netflix are all getting into this service in a big way. Users can now download and stream hi-def movie releases over their broadband Internet connections to their digital video recording (DVR) devices. No more waiting for the newest release or even leaving the comfort of your couch. A few clicks of the remote and voila. I’ve noticed that several models of new hi-def televisions are coming with a DVR built-in and gaming consoles are adding this capability. Amazon, Blockbuster and Netflix have made 1,000’s of movies available for download. I think this a big trend as more people get broadband Internet to their homes. Public libraries will be able to take advantage of this trend by offering collections of free digital video recordings.
Don’t miss our programs beginning this month:
Menomonie Reads Sherman Alexie’s award-winning coming of age novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Kickoff is January 15 @ 6:30 p.m. at the Dunn County Historical Society’s Rassbach Museum.
Crime Club adult mystery book discussion begins January 17 at 2:00 p.m. in the library. Discussion led by Jessica Moyer. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell will kick off this exciting new book group.
Thanks to all who remembered the library this year with a gift to our Foundation or Friends group. All gifts are tax deductible and go a long way in helping the library provide materials and programming that benefit all.
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DECEMBER 1, 2009
Plans for 2010
Library staff is currently planning new programming which will begin in January. We are forming a Crime Book Club which will meet the third Sunday of the month beginning January 17th at 2:00 p.m. in the library's meeting room. Menomonie and the library are fortunate to have Jessica Moyer leading this book discussion. She is an experienced book club leader and the author of several publications for librarians including Research Based Readers’ Advisory and Readers’ Advisory Handbook. She frequently presents at conferences on the topics of libraries and reading and is considered an authority on the art of readers’ advisory.
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell will kick off this exciting new book group.
Faceless Killers is set in the province of Skane, Sweden. When an elderly farmer is murdered in his farmhouse, inspector Kurt Wallander is assigned to the case. His first and only clue is the dying word spoken by the farmer’s wife, “Foreigner.”
Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill will be discussed at the February 21 gathering. To see more titles under consideration for discussion see the library’s web site at
www.menomonielibrary.org or contact the library at 232-2164 ext. 10. The library is also considering starting a science fiction/fantasy book club if there is interest. Let us know if this is of interest to you.
Plans are also underway for Menomonie Reads, a community-wide reading event which will begin in January. Our community-wide read last year of The Call of the Wild was successful and I am excited about the community partnerships we are forming for 2010’s read and the title we have chosen. We already have a great lineup of programs and presentations to tie-in with the book so watch for announcements of the kickoff.
Santa and Mrs. Claus are coming for their annual visit on December 7 from 4-6 p.m. Even though I’m too big for his lap I always look forward to the visit. Parents, don’t forget your cameras!
Winter story times begin January 5 every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday through March. Learning Together is for children ages 1-3 years who attend with a parent or caregiver and runs from 10:10 – 10:30. On My Own is for 3-5 year olds and is FOR KIDS ONLY. It runs 10:40 – 11:10. No registration is required for either of these sessions.
Have you noticed the book price war going on between the big retailers Wal-Mart, Amazon, and Target? They are selling selected titles below cost. While this is good for consumers, some publishers and writers are concerned about the downward pressure this puts on the price of all books. They fear that it will make it more difficult for authors to be published as publishers look to print only those books that have the chance to be blockblusters. An interesting debate should follow.
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OCTOBER 29, 2009
Net Neutrality Debate
The net neutrality debate has heated up with the recent proposals from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to govern the flow of information on the Internet. What is net neutrality? It is not easy to find a simple definition. The best one I have come across is from the organization Save the Internet (www.savetheinternet.com): “Net Neutrality simply means no discrimination. Net Neutrality prevents Internet providers from blocking, speeding up or slowing down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination.”
This debate is interesting because it calls into question the very nature of the Internet and there are so many powerful players on both sides of the issue. On one side you’ve got the big content providers like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Ebay, and Amazon. On the other side you have the big telecommunication providers like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and Time-Warner. With the recent vote by the FCC to implement rules that would “protect” the Internet and keep it neutral, politicians of all persuasions have joined the debate.
Libraries also have a dog in this hunt. Libraries have come to rely on the Internet to provide information resources for our patrons. Many information sources are only available on the Internet. The Internet has become such an important component of our work that the American Library Association (ALA) has come out with a position on net neutrality. For the ALA, net neutrality is critical to intellectual freedom, quoting from their position paper: “Network Neutrality (or "net" neutrality) is the concept of online non-discrimination. It is the principle that consumers/citizens should be free to get access to - or to provide - the Internet content and services they wish, and that consumer access should not be regulated based on the nature or source of that content or service. Information providers - which may be websites, online services, etc., and who may be affiliated with traditional commercial enterprises but who also may be individual citizens, libraries, schools, or nonprofit entities - should have essentially the same quality of access to distribute their offerings. "Pipe" owners (carriers) should not be allowed to charge some information providers more money for the same pipes, or establish exclusive deals that relegate everyone else (including small noncommercial or startup entities) to an Internet "slow lane." This principle should hold true even when a broadband provider is providing Internet carriage to a competitor.”
If you use the Internet, this is a debate of consequence and there are good arguments on both sides. If you want to learn more just type “net neutrality” into your search engine of choice and you will get mountains of information.
For now, I’m going to watch the debate over the FCC’s new ruling on net neutrality more closely. Of course as my teenage daughter likes to point out I have a boring life.
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OCTOBER 9, 2009
Public library funding a challenge
Excerpted from a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation study on public library funding in the United States
"Public library use in the United States is growing. Circulation and visits to U.S.libraries are increasing and a wide range of services, such as literacy classes, teen programs and public access computing, are also experiencing strong demand. But the public funding required to sustain the variety, use and appetite for library services is not keeping pace with demand. For many public libraries, particularly those in smaller rural communities, funding is a growing concern."
"Federal and state funding for public libraries has flattened or declined, and the ability to raise funds from local sources, which represent 81% of all library funding, has also become more difficult."
"Library levies and referenda are being placed on election ballots less frequently in recent years and passage rates of the library levies that make it to the ballot have steadily declined over the past decade."
Sources of public library funding:
- Local government funding (81.4%)
- Federal government (0.5%)
- Nontax sources including fees, donations, fines, etc. (8.4%)
- State government (9.6%)
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2007
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SEPTEMBER 28, 2009
Libraries are experiencing increased demands for service
The current economic climate has made libraries an even more vital part of their communities; they’re busier than ever. It’s a national phenomenon.
Key quote*: "Whenever you have tough economic times, public libraries are a place people go because they have no other alternatives or because they know they are going to get the kind of powerful information that will make a difference in their lives."
--Kristin McDonough, Director of the Science/Industry/Business Library of the New York Public Library.
- “Frugal readers drive up library circulation 30%.&dquo; Chicago Sun-Times, 6/28/2009.
- “Downturn Puts New Stresses on Libraries”. The New York Times, 4/1/2009.
- “Libraries Stressed, Yet Needed More Than Ever.” The Denver Post, 3/22/2009.
- *“Hard Economic Times a Boon for Libraries. CNN.com, 2/28/2009.
- “In Slumping Economy, Library Use Shoots Up”. Greater Milwaukee Today, 2/10/2009.
- "Libraries many benefits rediscovered in hard economic times". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/22/2009.
- "Folks Are Flocking to the Library, a Cozy Place to Look for a Job". Wall Street Journal, 1/15/2009.
- "Library use up with economy drop." Racine Journal Times, 1/4/2009.
- “Check it out: As the economy sags, library use is booming.” The Boston Globe, 1/4/2009.
- "As economy goes down, traffic at the library goes up." Wisconsin State Journal, 1/1/2009.
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2009
Computer Workshops for Beginners
The library will be offering beginner computer workshops in October. All workshops will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the library's meeting room.
- Monday, October 12 - Computer Basics
- Tuesday, October 13 - Internet 101
- Monday, October 19 - Email Basics
- Tuesday, October 20 - Microsoft Word Basics
No registration is required. All classes are free. For more information contact the library at 232-2164 ext. 10
Funded by a Library Services and Technology Act Grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services
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SEPTEMBER 8, 2009
Sunday Hours Begin September 13
Winter Sunday hours begin September 13. The library will be open from 1-5 p.m. through May 23.
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SEPTEMBER 4, 2009
Menomonie Public Library part of state grant for broadband
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) includes $7.2 billion in competitive grants to help build the nation’s broadband infrastructure and improve broadband access to consumers and community anchor institutions, like K-12 schools and public libraries. On August 19 the State of Wisconsin, Department of Administration (DOA) submitted a $28.7 million grant application to bring fiber connectivity to the schools and public libraries that are on the BadgerNet network but still do not have fiber. The application includes: 74 school districts, 385 public libraries, and 8 higher education institutions. A decision on whether the application is funded will likely be made in November. If the grant is awarded, all public libraries in the state will receive 20Mbps broadband capacity at $100/month. Currently, over 90% oour libraries have less than 3Mbps. See the grant application’s Executive Summary (http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/btopgrantsum.pdf) for more information.
One of the important issues in providing consumers with broadband Internet access is that most states lack good information on where broadband is available and where it is not. The broadband funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) includes $300 million for states to develop comprehensive broadband maps. In Wisconsin the Public Service Commission (PSC) is the applicant agency for this mapping grant. The PSC will work with LinkAMERICA (http://www.linkamericaalliance.com) to produce accurate data and maps of broadband availability which will identify unserved and underserved areas in the state down to the specific census block level. No date has been given on when this mapping will be completed.
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SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Teens Have a Rockin' Library Summer
Colleen Zertler, our teen librarian, just handed me her report on summer teen activities:
Rocking to Guitar Hero, getting “yucky” and making candy are just a few ways teens Expressed themselves at the library this summer. This year’s teen summer reading program, “Express Yourself @ Your Library” kicked off with teens rocking to Guitar Hero.
Over the course of the summer over 100 teens enjoyed this summer’s programs which included events such as Yuk Night where teens fed each other pudding with turkey basters and doughnuts covered in chocolate syrup from a string. There was also an obstacle course where teens had to fish plastic insects out of bowls of sauerkraut with their toes. The Wacked -Out Water Games event featured a water-balloon catapult, water rockets and a rousing game of duck-duck-splash! Candy Making attracted many teen chocolatiers who prepared fudge, peanut butter cups, tiger butter candy and other delicious delicacies. Other events included, Hemp Beading, Game Night, Decorating Gourd Bird Houses and Sherry Pitzer leading us in an evening of Yoga on the Lawn.
The Teen Book club enjoyed the books: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson and The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.
All teen programs are open to students’ grade 6-12 and are planned by TAB, the Teen Advisory Board of the Menomonie Public Library. Besides the planning of programs TAB members also help in the selection of materials for the library.
Upcoming events include our TAB fall meeting and open house, and a READ BEYOND REALITY party to celebrate National Teen Read Week. During this event and throughout the week of October 17th to October 24th teens are invited to vote for the Teens’ Top Ten books of Menomonie. No registration is required for either of these events.
For more information about upcoming events, TAB, or the list of nominated titles for the Teens’ Top Ten visit
www.menomonielibrary.org and look under the Teen tab.
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SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
New Western Wisconsin Job Site
http://jobs.iflsweb.org
A new job search website, specific to western Wisconsin, has been launched. It was created as a part of a grant received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The site was developed by the staff of the Indianhead Federated Library System in Eau Claire.
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AUGUST 24, 2009
Long Range Plan 2009-2012
The Menomonie Public Library Board began a planning process in early 2009 with the assistance of John Thompson, Director, Indianhead Federated Library System.
In addition to the data already available to them, the Library Board sought to gain information from the community. A series of five focus groups were facilitated by John Thompson and Ted Stark, Director of the Menomonie Public Library. The groups consisted of Library Board members, Library Staff, seniors, parents, community leaders, and teens. The comments from the participants provided the framework for this plan.
Library Board
Judy Ganzemiller
Richard Morrison
William O’Neill
Mary Orfield
Bernice Sutliff
Lee Smalley
Jerry Traxler
Carmen Trimble
Barb Welch
Library Director
Ted Stark
Goals and Objectives for 2009-2012
Goal 1: Provide all library patrons regardless of age access to collections, programs and services to meet their work, school, cultural, civic and personal needs.
- Objective: Collaborate with community organizations to expand library programs
- Partner with the Mabel Tainter Theater, Dunn County Historical Society, and Menomonie Area School District to sponsor community programs.
- Objective: Enhance programs designed for youth
- Increase hours for children’s staff.
- Increase the number of storytimes provided.
- Expand number of outreach visits to daycare and schools.
- Objective: Develop and enhance programs designed for teens
- Increase hours for teen coordinator
- Increase number of teen programs offered.
- Expand membership on Teen Advisory Board.
- Develop after school program with Menomonie Middle School
- Objective: Enrich programs offered for adults.
- Increase hours for adult programming staff
- Offer a broader variety of adult programs, including musical and cultural events.
- Enlist outside sponsors for events.
- Conduct annual community wide read program.
- Create book discussion club for adults.
Goal 2: Increase community awareness of the library and its services.
- Objective: Create a comprehensive awareness/PR plan for the library.
- Annually, conduct two events specifically designed to increase awareness of the library.
- Work with library staff and IFLS consultants to create a PR plan.
- Work with local media to place stories about libraries and library service.
- Create outside banners to advertise programs.
- Improve signage on building.
Goal 3: Seek sufficient funding for library programs and services that meet the needs of the community
- Objective: Seek government support to ensure a strong financial foundation for the library.
- Work with city and county officials to educate them on the value of public library service to their constituency.
- Provide decision-makers with timely information on local library service and use.
- Create strong advocates for library service.
- Objective: Partner with the Friends and the Foundation to seek support for special projects and collections.
- Seek out new strategies and techniques to increase annual giving.
- Educate boards on library issues and needs.
- Encourage involvement of boards in library activities.
- Board member and librarian attends at least one workshop annually on fundraising, planned giving, or non-profit governance.
- Objective: Seek grant funds for special projects and collections.
- Participate in grants being offered by IFLS and the State Library.
Goal 4: Enhance the library as a community space where patrons can learn and grow
- Objective: Gather information for continued development of library programs, services and facility needs.
- Tour area libraries to help determine the vision of the new library space
Goal 5: Continue to provide library patrons with excellent service.
- Objective: Provide an adequate number of well-trained staff and volunteers.
- Create new Library Programming Specialist full time position.
- Encourage each full time staff member to attend at least two training/CE activities per year.
- Host one training event per year for all library staff.
- Encourage all part-time staff to attend at least one training/CE activity per year.
- Objective: Implement new technologies that enhance customer service.
- Keep abreast of new developments in the use of technologies in libraries.
- Seek public support and funding for increased use of work saving technologies.
- Maintain network and computer infrastructure. Establish hardware replacement schedule.
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AUGUST 19, 2009
Summer Reading Program Report
Report from Children's Services Manager Jodi Bird
Summer Reading:
What a great summer we had! Signups for Summer Reading were up slightly this summer, from 274-283, but what was up was attendance at the weekly events. In 2008 we averaged about 156 people at our programs each week. This year we averaged 194. Up significantly from last year. We held 7 different events this year with the most popular being Mad Science, Bill the Juggler, the Zoomobile and the Spoonman. Dairy Queen was nice enough to donate soft serve ice cream and Kwik Trip donated bananas so the kids we treated with banana splits at the last event. The library gave away 80 free books this summer. This is the final prize children can receive for the summer reading program. Participants must have read 21 hours to receive a free book. Last year 27 kids got free books.
Summer Story Times:
Our story times numbers were also significantly up this summer. We offered one story time per day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for 8 weeks (24 different sessions). We saw a total of 808 people for an average of 34 people per session (children attend with a parent or caregiver). This was up from the 556 people we saw last summer.
Outreach:
This was our 4th summer of reading to the students who attend summer school at Oaklawn Elementary. Each week Colleen went to Oaklawn and read to over 200 students.
This was our second summer of participating in River Heights Elementary School’s grant for a summer reading program at their school. Two times a week Debbie went to River Heights and shared stories with a group of approximately 14 students for 30 minutes.
Also this summer Colleen and I continued to go to two different day cares, Hand in Hand Daycare and Bouncin Babies and Kool Kids, to share stories, songs and fingerplays. Once a month all year long we go to these daycares and share stories and other information about the library. This fall we will be going to three different daycares, Bouncin Babies, Monkey Business and Sunshine Learning Center.
Young Adult:
Colleen hosted many events for teens this summer. All events were held on Thursdays and were well attended. The most popular events were Yuck Night, Candy Making, Guitar Hero, and Water Games Night (even though this event was held on a cold summer evening). As of the writing of this report no final numbers have been acquired.
We look forward to planning our next summer reading event which will be titled
Make a Splash: READ.
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AUGUST 18, 2009
Library receives grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Opportunity Online Grants Will Help Public Libraries Improve Quality of Free Computer Access Used by Millions of Americans
Program to Help Generate $3.7 Million in Local Funding for Public Technology Access in 11 States
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today $6.5 million in grants to help public libraries in 11 states increase and sustain free, quality public access to computers for their patrons. These Opportunity Online hardware grants will help libraries upgrade and add public computer workstations for patrons in communities with high concentrations of poverty and where a library’s public computers are at risk of becoming outdated with limited capacity for users.
Menomonie Public Library will be receiving 10 computers over a two year period beginning in 2010 from this grant. This is the second grant the library has received from the foundation. This is a great benefit for us as our budget would not support the purchase of this many computers and many of our public access computers are now getting very outdated and need to be replaced. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have given hundreds of millions of dollars to public libraries in the United States. Many small libraries would not have public access computers for Internet access if it were not for the efforts of the foundation.
“In today’s economy, more than ever, public access to technology in libraries is a critical resource for people who are working to improve their lives and regain financial stability,” said Jill Nishi, deputy director of U.S. Libraries at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “But this valuable public benefit that opens the door to opportunity for millions of people is at risk. Communities must commit the funds libraries need to ensure they can keep pace with local demand for high-quality computer and broadband access.”
“A rising unemployment rate in our county has stimulated even more demand for the technology resources at our library,” said Nick Slone, a librarian at Garnet A. Wilson Public Library in Waverly, OH, which is eligible for the grants. “Many people in our community without Internet access elsewhere now come to the library regularly—even daily—to take courses and search for jobs online. If it weren’t for the library, these people would simply not be able to use the Internet as a tool to find new opportunities in this tough economy.”
Since 80 percent of library funding comes from local sources, libraries eligible for the Opportunity Online hardware grant program are required to match the Gates Foundation funds with local dollars to show they can sustain investments in technology access in the future. The Gates Foundation expects that its investment will leverage $3.7 million in local funding to support technology access in libraries.
"Public libraries have been leaders in helping bridge the 'digital divide' in our state, and throughout the country," said Jesse White, Illinois secretary of state and state librarian. "Libraries enable millions of people to find important information online, search and apply for jobs, and benefit from technology tools they would never be able to access elsewhere. The Opportunity Online grants will help Illinois libraries build the support and momentum to sustain high-quality technology services for all our community members for years to come."
To date, the foundation has invested $350 million in grants and support to install and sustain computers in libraries and train thousands of library staff in all 50 states and U.S. territories. This will be the last round of grants given by the foundation to fund computer upgrades for U.S. libraries with vulnerable technology, but the foundation continues to support libraries through investments in programs, research, advocacy training, and public awareness efforts that will help libraries sustain high-quality online access for patrons in partnership with their communities.
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Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
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AUGUST 18, 2009
The Time Traveler's Wife in theaters now. Read the book.
Time travel novels
With The Time Traveler’s Wife hitting the big screen on August 14, many readers will be turning to the novel that inspired it. Author Audrey Niffenegger crafted the wildly inventive tale of Henry and Clare, a seemingly normal Chicago couple actually at the mercy of Henry’s far-from-normal condition: a genetic predisposition to travel forward and backward in time within his own lifespan. If readers crave more true love transcending the bounds of time, don’t miss the popular Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon: Outlander (scheduled to be made into a film in 2011), Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes.
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