Gates Foundation Announces 2010 Access to Learning Award Winner

Gates Foundation Announces 2010 Access to Learning Award Winner

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced that the Veria Central Public Library in Greece has received this year's $1 million Access to Learning Award.
The award is presented by the foundation's Global Libraries initiative to libraries and similar organizations outside the United States that provide free access to computers and the Internet. Microsoft, which partners with the foundation to help public libraries connect people to the Internet, will provide the Veria Library with software and technology training curricula.
The library serves the 50,000 residents of Veria and 130,000 people in the surrounding area, serving residents of distant rural villages through mobile libraries equipped with books and laptop computers. The library was an early adopter of many technologies and in 1996 became the first library in Greece to offer free computer and Internet access. It offers resources targeted at children, teenagers, and seniors; computer courses that teach real-world skills such as how to use software, create a resume, share videos online, and participate in social networking; and assistance to help immigrants adjust to their new home. The Veria Library also has formed partnerships with many other libraries, programs, and institutions within Greece and around the world to enable the exchange of experiences and knowledge.
"Our library is about making people's lives easier and better, not just about housing books and information," said Veria Central Public Library director Ioannis Trohopoulos. "We are a small library that is committed to offering modern tools and services to help as many people as possible find new economic, academic, and social opportunities."
“Greek Library Receives $1 Million International Award for Embracing Technology and Creating Vibrant Community Asset.” Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Press Release 8/12/10.

IFLA 2010 - Papers from South Asia

• Bandyopadhyay, Ratna; Majumder, K.P.; Bose, B.; Sengupta, P. "Come to your Library": BLA project for promotion of reading in West Bengal, India. Session 133, IFLA 2010.
• Das, Anup Kumar. Library Advocacy in India in the Light of Education for Sustainable Development - Perspectives of an Emerging Economy. Session 87, IFLA 2010.
• Dhiman, Anil Kumar. Evolving roles of library & information centres in e-learning environment. Session 107, IFLA 2010.
• Hatta, Haji. The role of the library in access to knowledge for democracy. Session 141, IFLA 2010.
• Singh, Jagtar; Begum, Dilara. Student awareness of health information initiatives of the Governments of India and Bangladesh: a study of Punjabi University, Patiala and East West University, Dhaka. Session 100, IFLA 2010.
• Suraweera, S.A.D.H. Namali, et. al. Value of social networking in libraries and information organizations in Asia and Oceania. Session 145, IFLA 2010.

Centre plans to set up 7,000 libraries

Centre plans to set up 7,000 libraries

Sunday, November 01, 2009

New Delhi: With an aim to encourage reading habit among people, the Centre is planning to set up about 7,000 libraries having computers with internet facility across the country, a large chunk of which may go to rural areas.

These libraries will be opened as part of the National Mission on Libraries (NML), the Centre's initiative to revitalise the public library movement in the country.

Sources said the Culture Ministry has sent a set of recommendations in this regard to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who holds charge of the ministry. The new libraries, if the proposals are accepted, will be equipped with modern gadgets and broadband connectivity besides being networked with other leading libraries, educational and cultural institutions.

The recommendations were made as it was felt that these facilities are necessary in this age of technology and that is the only way to bring back people to libraries.

The ministry has also recommended that a major chunk of the about 7,000 proposed new libraries should go to the rural areas to benefit the students there, who are deprived of such facilities, the sources said.

They said it has been recommended that the new libraries may be set up in rural areas, especially near schools which do not have such facility.

"The Ministry will also be working in tandem with the HRD Ministry in this sector and we have asked them to identify schools in rural areas which do not have library facilities," the sources said.

They pointed out that establishing libraries near public schools will encourage students to develop reading habits. Besides, the library staff will also be trained to handle the technical devices.

The sources also said the recommendations include providing special services to differently-abled people in the libraries.

The ministry is also planning to give a complete make-over to public libraries across the country as part of the NML. "Public libraries across the country will benefit from the Mission which will bring in modern technical equipment to the libraries. These libraries in the country have not seen such things," the sources said.

The proposals include broadband connectivity to public libraries and networking them with other libraries and the ones in reputed institutions.

Source: http://www.zeenews.com/news575137.html