Library in Veria, Greece, Wins Gates Foundation's Access to Learning Award
Aug 12, 2010The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today presented its 2010 Access to Learning Award, worth $1 million, to the Veria Central Public Library in northern Greece. It is the first library in the country to provide its users free access to computers and the Internet, the first to have its own website, and a leader in using technology to serve more than 180,000 people.
The award was announced at the annual conference of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), held in Gothenburg, Sweden. Microsoft will provide the Veria Library with donations of software and a technology training curriculum.
Public service
"Our library is about making people's lives easier and better, not just about housing books and information," said Ioannis Trohopoulos, director of the library, in a news release. "We are a small library that is committed to offering modern tools and services to help as many people as possible find new economic, academic, and social opportunities."
Serving 50,000 people in the city and 130,000 more in the surrounding area, the library offers mobile library service and also plays a role as a community center. Its new children's area, Magic Boxes, provides computers, music stations, indoor and outdoor play areas, and many programs.
Digital pioneer
The library has served as a leader among its peers, helping more than 60 Greek public libraries develop their own websites. Library users can take an array of courses on computer and Internet issues.
Deborah Jacobs, director of the foundation's Global Libraries initiative, commented, "It's a testament to Veria's ingenuity that such a small library in the mountainous region of Northern Greece is paving the way for its users and for others who can and have learned from its innovative use of technology and exciting programs."
The award aims to honor libraries and similar organizations outside the United States that provide free and innovative access to computers and the Internet. The Veria library will use its award to expand its network of libraries, upgrade its IT infrastructure, replicate the Magic Boxes concept throughout the main building of the library and at all new branches, and extend its impact through websites and social networking.
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