Tennessee Secretary of State Riley C. Darnell unveils $4 million gift from Bill and Melinda Gates

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Secretary of State Riley C. Darnell announced today that Tennessee public libraries will receive approximately $4 million in grants and services in the form of computers, Internet access and technical training for libraries in low-income communities. The Gates Learning Foundation, one of two philanthropic foundations created by Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates, awarded the grants. Dr. Jack Faris, director of community strategies for the Foundation, presented the award to Secretary Darnell, and Dr. Edwin Gleaves, Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist, during a ceremony with the community at the Z. Alexander Looby Branch Library of the Public Library of Nashville and Davidson County.

"This is a most generous gift to the citizens of Tennessee," Secretary Darnell said. "Bill and Melinda Gates' dedication to helping American libraries is very much in keeping with our state's Volunteer tradition."

Grants from the Foundation are targeted particularly to libraries and library branches that serve communities where 10 percent or more of the population lives in poverty. Of the 274 libraries in Tennessee, 226 libraries will be eligible for cash grants to purchase computers, Internet access and technical training. Library systems in Nashville and Memphis had previously received grants from the Foundation, bringing the total number of libraries benefiting from cash grants to 237. Libraries serving populations with lower than 10 percent poverty will still receive donated software, technical training and be eligible to purchase computers at a discounted rate.

Separately, Microsoft Corporation will donate software with an estimated value of $3 million to libraries receiving Foundation grants. Upon completion of the grant applications, the state's libraries should start receiving equipment and training beginning in February, 2000.

"Not since the time of Andrew Carnegie has such a tremendous gift been given to Tennesseans in the form of assistance to library systems," State Librarian Dr. Edwin Gleaves said. "This is a grant of truly historic proportions. The 'digital divide' in Tennessee should be closed considerably."

According to the National Telecommunication and Information Agency's (NTIA) July 1999 report "Falling Through The Net III: New Data on the Digital Divide", the highest percentage of people using the Internet are those earning more than $75,000 annually in urban areas (58.9 percent); the lowest percentage of people using the Internet are those in rural areas earning between $5,000 and $10,000 annually (12.1 percent).