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Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationGlobal Libraries InitiativeApril 2007

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Guided by the belief that every life has equal value Our goals:

» Improving health

» Strengthening education

» Reducing poverty

BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION

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PROGRAM AREAS

Global Development» Agricultural Development

» Financial Services for the Poor

» Global Libraries

Global Health» Priority Diseases & Conditions

» Breakthrough Science

» Other Initiatives

United States» Education

» Pacific Northwest

» U.S. Libraries

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GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT Agricultural Development

» Reducing world poverty by helping smallholder farmers increase their yields and find markets for their products

Financial Services for the Poor» Improving family economics by

increasing access in developing countries to financial services – loans, insurance, and savings accounts

Global Libraries» Increasing equity in access to

information technology with no-cost access to computers and the Internet in public libraries

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GLOBAL LIBRARIES SITUATION

Computers and Internet can improve lives by connecting people with:» e-Government services

» Information on economic development, health, and education

» Basic communications

87 percent of the world’s population lacks access to the Internet

Access to technology is just one step in improving lives

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Access to information is at the core of their mission Trusted institutions that are used by people in the

community Appropriate venue for promoting information access

and use through technology» trained staff

» community involvement

» sources of ongoing financial support, including public funding

Librarians and staff can play a critical role in helping individuals develop skills and confidence

WHY PUBLIC LIBRARIES?

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Public Libraries and the Internet

Libraries are a Gateway to Information» Economic and community

development

» Internet access

» Literacy programs

» Workforce training

» E-Government services

» Technology training

» Emergency response» Early childhood education

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IMPACT

More than computers and connectivity: we work to bring positive social benefits

Success is not determined by the number of computers and libraries alone

Strong focus on impact assessment and planning: how to engage the community

Desired outcomes help grantees build a country-appropriate system for planning and assessing impact

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HOW WE WORK Building capacity beyond access is key to improving lives:

Community engagement

Appropriate infrastructure

Technology trainingLocally

produced and relevant

content

Advocacy

Impact planning and assessment

Computers and Internet access in

public libraries

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Total PCs Granted: 47,200 Libraries Receiving a Grant: 11,000 Training Opportunities: 62,000

Initial Results

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INITIATIVE BUILDS ON SUCCESS

Outgrowth of the U.S. Libraries initiative» "If you can get to the public library, you can get to the Internet"

Investments expanded: Canada, United Kingdom, Chile, Mexico, and Access to Learning Award

Lessons learned: » Advocacy and promotion early in process

» On-the-ground capacity

» Investment in underlying systems (training, impact assessment, and technical support)

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GLOBAL REGION APPROACH

India

Southeast Asia

Eastern Europe: Latvia*Lithuania*

Africa: Botswana*

* Indicates current pilot grants

Americas:Previous grantees:Mexico (2002-2006)Chile (2001-2005)

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BUILDING ON SUCCESS: CHILE

CHILE (2001 – 2005)

-Increased access to information and technology is promoting economic development, especially in agriculture and small businesses

-Outreach has increased access in target populations, including soldiers, laborers, and indigenous people

-More than 3,000 websites have been enhanced with locally-developed content

National and local partnerships to provide access to computers, Internet, and training in all 368 public libraries BibleoRedes: Abre tu Mundo

INVESTMENT OUTCOMES

100% of public libraries have computers, up from 10% in 2001 2.5 million hours of training to 212,444 peopleNew Chilean administration committed to sustaining investment and upgrading hardware

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BUILDING ON SUCCESS: MEXICO-In 64% of rural areas, access at public libraries represents area’s only Internet access

-Sixty percent of users are youth, women, or students with incomes of USD $250 – 500 per month

-Students use computers primarily for homework and school projects

INVESTMENT OUTCOMES

Partnerships with national and municipal governments

34% of public libraries will have Internet access by June 2007 15,000 computers installed in 2,728 libraries Staff and volunteers have received 300,000 hours of computer training Library users have received 450,000 hours of computer training

MEXICO (2002 – 2006)

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BUILDING ON SUCCESS:ACCESS TO LEARNING AWARD

Annual award to recognize the innovative efforts of libraries or similar organizations outside the U.S. in providing no-cost public access to information technology and training

Past winners:

» Rural Education and Development (READ) Nepal, 2006

» Bangladesh's Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha, 2005

» Denmark’s Aarhus Public Libraries, 2004

» China Evergreen Rural Library Service Center, 2004

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CHALLENGES Maximizing impact

» Country selection: Use need and readiness criteria to identify strong country partners

» Evidence of impact: Engage in advocacy that integrates lessons learned from impact assessment

» Capacity: Build capacity through training and support of library staff and users

Ensuring Sustainability

» Local relevance: Build local support, content, and use of technology

» Accurate cost analysis: Identify short, medium, and long-term cost projections (including cost of connectivity) and require country match

» Advocacy: Engage in advocacy and build on-the-ground advocacy capacity

» Government: Recognize and address challenges of working with governments (sustaining support through government transitions)

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Increasing opportunities through access to information and learning in partnership

with public libraries