Contact: Judi Ring, Lee County Library System

(941) 479-4622

NEW LIBRARY COMPUTERS/SOFTWARE AVAILABLE THROUGH GATES GRANT

FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 6, 2000) – A Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant is providing new computers and software at Lee County’s libraries that will allow patrons to do everything from Internet access to desktop publishing to children’s educational games.

The 65 computers currently are being installed in all regional libraries and branches. The $78,875 grant fully funded 25 of the computers. An additional 40 computers also were purchased with state funds at discounts that Microsoft Corporation allows for participating in its grant program.

A demonstration of the new equipment will be held Tuesday (April 11) at 2 p.m. at South County Regional Library in Estero, 21100 Three Oaks Parkway. Library Director Cynthia Cobb and members of the Lee County Library Advisory Board will be on hand to answer questions and receive training on the new computers.

The computers come with more than 20 Microsoft software applications, including word processing, spreadsheet, web design, encyclopedia, desktop publishing, Internet access and children’s learning games such as Barney, Arthur and Dr. Seuss educational series. In addition, Pine Island and Bonita Springs will have Spanish language software computers.

“Patrons will be able to do everything on the new computers from creating brochures and flyers, to keeping home finances to Internet research,” says Cobb.

The Foundation’s U.S. Library Program makes grants to public libraries for the purpose of purchasing computers and hardware to bring Internet access to their patrons. As part of the grant, libraries also receive free training and technical assistance, and other support, as well as donated software from Microsoft Corporation.

The five-year goal of the Library Program is to provide grants to the more than 11,000 libraries in the United States and Canada serving low-income communities; provide training to librarians; and to ensure information access for future generations.

The Pine Island Public Library, Fort Myers-Lee County Public Library, Dunbar Jupiter Hammon Public Library and Talking Books Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped all met the criteria for serving low-income communities and had their computers fully funded through the grant. South County Regional Library received full funding for its training lab and the other facilities received their computers through the discount program.

The grant is part of a statewide $5 million grant for equipment, to be used to establish Internet access for library patrons at more than 450 libraries and branches. Separately, Microsoft Corporation donated software with an estimated value of $3 million to libraries receiving Foundation grants in Florida.