Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation program will help Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and libraries across the state improve and sustain Internet connectivity for communities
Boston, MA – Everyday, close to 30,000 Massachusetts residents use Internet computers in public libraries to find jobs, take online courses, or get important government forms, yet up to one-quarter of all Massachusetts public libraries do not offer fast enough Internet connections to meet the needs of its patrons, according to a recent survey of all public libraries in the state. To help ensure every library in Massachusetts can provide adequate Internet connections, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invited the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), to participate in its pilot Opportunity Online broadband grant program, which will help libraries in seven states connect to high-speed Internet access of 1.5 Mbps or higher wherever possible.
«For many residents, the local library is the only place they can connect to the digital world, and we’re pleased to be working with the Gates Foundation and other leaders to make sure that all public libraries have the necessary connections,» said MBLC Director Robert Maier. «The foundation’s program will allow us to bring leaders from multiple sectors together to tackle this problem.»
«Our goal is to bridge the digital divide in Massachusetts by bringing broadband Internet service to every community in the Commonwealth,» said Donna Baron, program director for the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, which will collaborate with MBLC on the project. «We look forward to exploring this new opportunity with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to deliver the benefits of broadband to more communities across the state.»
Eighty library systems in Massachusetts have one or more library branches with broadband connectivity that does not properly meet patron demand. In today’s digital world, speed is important, and is the difference between taking an interactive, online educational course with streaming video or audio and reading a basic Web site for instructive content; or downloading lengthy government applications in seconds versus struggling with freezing or intermittent connections to access a basic government Web site.
«Public libraries have played an important role in closing the digital divide. Unfortunately the speed of connectivity in libraries is often too slow to ensure that people can use computers effectively,» said Jill Nishi, deputy director of U.S. Libraries at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. «If libraries are to remain engines of opportunity, local governments, communities, and library supporters must all work together to help ensure that public libraries provide free, sustainable, high-speed Internet access.»
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners will receive support through the pilot Opportunity Online broadband grant program to host a summit of library leaders, community partners, and statewide stakeholders to examine the current state of connectivity in Massachusetts libraries and raise awareness about the need for increased connectivity. The grant program will also support the development of a state sustainability strategy for public libraries to help ensure that no community is denied adequate connectivity.
The Massachusetts Opportunity Online Summit is scheduled for April 30 and May 1 in the greater Boston area. Connected Nation, a national non-profit technology advocacy organization, will produce the summit with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. For more information about the Massachusetts Opportunity Online Summit, please contact masu
