Subject: Gates Library Foundation

Thanks for the wonderful comments. I am not sure how to share this because I
am just a part of a conference here in Seattle but,Microsoft founder Bill
Gates and his wife, Melinda French Gates,  today announced the formation of
the Gates Library Foundation-a  nonprofit organization dedicated to
partnering with U.S. and  Canadian public libraries to bring computers and
digital information  to the communities they serve.  $200 million from the
gates and $220 million from Microsoft.  To me this is a starting point. This
is a way to encourage other funders to help and perhaps we can create an
awareness of the need.

The Foundation will provide public libraries in low-income  communities with
the computer hardware and software required for  community access to the
Internet, as well as provide support and  training for public library
personnel throughout the U.S. and  Canada.   

"Our public libraries represent free and open access to important information
and knowledge," said Melinda Gates.  "Bill and I are  excited to be helping
libraries ensure that children and adults from  all walks of life will have
access to the wealth of information and  understanding that computers and
digital information make possible." 

The Gates Library Foundation will expand upon the work of  Microsoft's
community affairs initiative, Libraries Online.  The  program was launched in
December 1995 with the support of the  American Library Association to bring
information technology and  training to public libraries in urban and rural
locations.   

"Since I was a kid, libraries have played an important role in my life.  In
the past couple of years I have had the opportunity to  visit many libraries
and see first hand how people are using personal computers and the Internet
to do anything from look for a job to  research a term paper.  Witnessing the
empowerment this technology  has given people underscores my belief that
computers can really make a difference in the lives of others," said Bill
Gates.   

"A new form of literacy is being required of our young people,"   said United
Negro College Fund President and CEO William Gray III, a  Foundation board
member.  "The technology and training being provided by the Gates Library
Foundation will ensure that all our young people will have equal opportunity
to succeed."   

In 18 short months, the Libraries Online pilot program has  reached more than
200 libraries in over 40 North American systems  with $17 million in cash and
software donations.  The Gates'  commitment to libraries will expand upon
that gift with a cash  contribution of $200 million.  In addition, Microsoft
has pledged to  match the Gates' cash grant with software of equal value,
bringing  the total commitment to $400 million.   

"This is an enormous gift to our nation's libraries," said  Elizabeth
Martinez, executive director of the American Library  Association.  "It means
that potentially every child and adult will  have access to global
information online at public libraries across  America."   

The Foundation process for awarding grants is currently being  defined,
although work is under way this summer and fall with library systems already
identified through the Libraries Online initiative.   

PLUGGED IN
 About Plugged In, since I only visit the community once a month, I probably
don't see the concerns you have. I am just glad that there is a TIIAP grant
there, which though funded from outside the community, it exists because of
community networking. I have never been in a community project that someone
did not find something wrong with . This Plugged In is in "whiskey gulch" a
very low income neighborhood. I mentored a school in that area and so I came
to know what was possible from the project. You say "unless a community
organization is cooperatively owned and managed, it tends to serve only
a relatively advantaged sector of that community, who are protective of
their priviledge even more than what can be found among the middle class."
Lack of understanding of the mission of the project and the digital divide in
the community is also a factor. Often stakeholder education is neglected.
 
                Global Information Infrastructure Funding
As a list serv member shared. <2b1.org> is a Seymour Papert and Nicolas
Negropointe project to help bring ideas together to transform the parts of
the world that are NOT connected. But they want to do this by involving and
learning from the people in the countries and by learning in the support..
Edutopia
George Lucas is using some Starwars money to share his ideas actually, ideas
from educators, businesses, and others in education. Look
at<http://glef.org/welcome.html >

This is the George Lucas Educational Foundation and the new book and video
are entitlted " Live and Learn". I have some pages in the 
chapter on teachers.  You will love the webpage design. Bonnie