Overview

In the United States and around the world, libraries provide access to information that millions of people rely on—to succeed in school or work, learn about government services, find a job, start a business, or communicate with family and friends. Public access to computers and the Internet is central to the mission of libraries because not everybody has equal access to those technologies. Many people—because of how much they earn, where they live, or what skills they lack—are on the wrong side of the digital divide. They are living during—but not in—the Information Age.

In 2005, our Global Libraries Program aimed to close this digital divide by providing free Internet access through public libraries in the United States and in other countries around the world. We've been working with U.S. libraries since 1997. Over six years, our team installed 47,000 computers with the cooperation and support of 11,000 public libraries. Now, according to a recent study, more than 99 percent of U.S. public libraries are online.

In 2005, with this initial project complete, we adjusted our strategy to help U.S. libraries sustain the progress they've made on providing public access computing services. For example, we helped develop a pilot project to train librarians to meet the public access computing needs of the rapidly growing Spanish-speaking population. We also supported research that helped raise awareness about the challenges libraries face in providing public access computing programs.

We also focused on expanding our International Library Initiatives. Building on successful collaborations with Canada, Chile, and the United Kingdom, we worked closely with Mexico on its effort to wire thousands of libraries, and the lessons we learned there will improve our partnerships with other countries in the future. In addition, we asked three countries interested in launching public access computing programs in their libraries to apply for grants. We're now working closely with those countries to develop sustainable local initiatives. We plan to announce those countries publicly in 2006, and in the coming years we hope to build partnerships with 12 to 15 additional countries.

Because our U.S. program and international initiatives pursue different strategies to meet the distinct needs of libraries in the United States and the developing world, the Global Libraries Program split into two separate entities in 2006. U.S. Libraries became part of our new U.S. Program, and International Initiatives became part of our new Global Development Program.