Gates Foundation supports library technology

The Urban Libraries Council has announced a $2.8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to spearhead an effort to develop guidelines for high-quality computer and Internet access at public libraries.

Libraries provide critically important free public access to computers and the Internet, but the quality and level of access varies significantly across the country. According to Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries (212 pages, PDF), a 2010 study conducted by the University of Washington Information School and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, a third of all Americans use public library computers and Internet access to find work, apply for college, secure government benefits, find important health information, and/or connect with their communities.

Led by ULC, a coalition of local library and government leaders will develop a set of benchmarks related to technology access in public libraries that will be piloted in California, Oklahoma, and Texas communities. The benchmarks will then be refined and launched for broad use by the library community in the spring of 2012. While the benchmarks are expected to dovetail with the broader framework for digitally inclusive communities established by IMLS, they will focus exclusively on meaningful, achievable public technology access in libraries.

"As the public institution that provides computer and Internet access to people from all walks of life, libraries must ensure that their technology services continuously advance to enable users to meet twenty-first century opportunities available through technology," said Urban Libraries Council president Susan Benton. "We believe that benchmarks will help local leaders understand the value of public access technology and ensure that those services meet the needs of all community members. Urban Libraries Council is proud to lead and facilitate the work of the benchmarks coalition, which includes outstanding leaders from the library and local government fields."

“National Coalition Will Establish Benchmarks to Support High-Quality Computer and Internet Access at Public Libraries.” Urban Libraries Council Press Release 4/01/11.