CLOQUET SHAW MEMORIAL PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION INC

Adequate funding of library services is more important now than it ever has been. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently published results of a study from the University of Washington on public libraries in the United States. It found that 44 percent of people living below the federal poverty line used computers and the Internet at public libraries. “Millions of people see libraries as an essential tool to connect them to information, knowledge, and opportunities," said Marsha Semmel of the University of Washington Institute for Museum and Library Services, which conducted the study. "Policy makers must fully recognize and support the role libraries are playing in workforce development, education, health and wellness, and the delivery of government services."