December 1, 1999
(Education)

The following statement was issued today by Judy Foote, Minister of Education. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I rise to inform honourable members of a gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the public libraries in the province.

In April 1999, the Provincial Information and Library Resources Board (PILRB) was invited to apply to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under the Gates Library Initiative which launched the Canadian Library partnership program in October 1998.

The libraries board has been advised that 67 of Newfoundland and Labrador's public libraries will soon have more computers and increased Internet access because of a gift of $1,007,919 gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Separately, Microsoft Canada will donate software with a retail value of $239,000 to all libraries receiving foundation grants.

The grant, which will provide funding for 90 Internet workstations, is intended to increase technology access for people who would otherwise not have access to computers and the Internet. Each computer will be equipped with software donated by Microsoft.

The libraries board will receive three training labs to be deployed provincially for the training of library staff and patrons. In addition technical support will be available from the Gates Centre for Technical 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 goal of the Gates initiative is to partner with provincial, territorial and state public libraries to provide access to technology for everyone.

Our public libraries play an important role in educating people of all ages. This gift, combined with our ongoing initiative of providing public and student access to the Internet, will give more Newfoundlanders and Labradorians the tools they need to gain knowledge and find jobs in the growing information economy.

Since the inception of the Gates Library Initiative in 1997, the foundation has awarded grants of more than $35 million to 2,200 libraries in the United States and Canada.

1999 12 01                                 2:20 p.m.