Bill & Melinda Gates foundation grants USD 26.9 mln to modernize Romania's public libraries

The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation has donated USD 26.9 million to modernize 800 libraries in Romania, which already received 3,800 computers connected to the Internet. This was part of a program called Biblionet, which also included training for over 190 librarians. This program was the biggest donation to a public institution made by the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. The Biblionet program will unfold over five years and aims at introducing modern technologies in Romania's public libraries. The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation sponsors similar programs in Poland, Latvia and Vietnam. Poland gets USD 28 million for its program, while Vietnam, some USD 2.5 million. Romania's Biblionet is a nationwide effort to install computers and provide Internet access in over 1,500 libraries and to train more than 2,500 librarians. Biblionet will also encourage the Romanian government to increase its commitment to libraries. The grant follows a year-long pilot program. editor@romania-insider.com