WebJunction Receives $4.1 Million Grant From Gates Foundation To Support Five More Years of Operations

From OCLC:

OCLC has received a $4.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support five years of ongoing operations of WebJunction.
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Built with grant funding from the Gates Foundation and launched in 2003, OCLC’s WebJunction has helped more than 70,000 library staff build the job skills they need to meet the challenges of today’s environment.
The new grant will support OCLC’s continued development of the programs, content and systems of WebJunction.org, and provide long-term sustainability of services that will help libraries thrive in changing and challenging technological environments today and into the future.
“Since 2002, we have worked with OCLC to ensure that public libraries—especially small and rural public libraries—have had the resources they need to be portals to vital information,” said Deborah Jacobs, Director of the Global Libraries at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Together, our goal has been to equip these libraries with the technologies and skills needed to change lives and strengthen communities through access to information.”
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WebJunction’s training resources, programs and content have been used by staff in 69 percent of U.S. public libraries. From July 2011 through June 2012, staff enrolled in more than 19,000 courses via WebJunction and more than 17,000 staff members registered for 26 free webinar programs offered on hot topics in the library profession.

Learn More About the Grant in this News Release

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