1 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Libraries Initiative April 2007
Dec 26, 2015
22
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value Our goals:
» Improving health
» Strengthening education
» Reducing poverty
BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION
33
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
44
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
55
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
66
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?
77
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
88
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
99
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
1010
Total PCs Granted: 47,200 Libraries Receiving a Grant: 11,000 Training Opportunities: 62,000
Initial Results
1111
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)
1212
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)
1313
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
1414
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)
1515
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
1616
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)