New Gates Grant for Iowa Public Libraries

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has developed a new hardware grant program for public libraries called the Opportunity Online Hardware Grant.  Gates has chosen the State Library to administer the grants which require a 25% match the first year and a 50% match the second year.  The grants are designed to:

• Improve public access to computers and the Internet by providing hardware upgrades to libraries 
• Increase the percentage of libraries regularly upgrading their computers
• Motivate local governments to commit local funding to library computer services

The Gates Foundation has notified the State Library that 172 Iowa libraries have met the Gates poverty guidelines.  These libraries must now demonstrate they have aging hardware by running TechAtlas, a computer inventory program, on their computer workstations (May 11 deadline).  Click here for more information, including a list of the libraries being considered for the grants.