Melinda Gates, cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, greeted ALA Annual Conference attendees via video during the Opening General Session today in New Orleans. She emphasized the importance of libraries and the tireless work they do to improve lives in their communities by providing necessary resources to people during tough times.
“When Bill and I decided to focus on philanthropy over a decade ago,” she said. “We started with libraries because for us libraries have always been a beacon of opportunity. So on behalf of our foundation, I want to thank you for all your tireless commitment to libraries and your communities.”
Gates commented on the important role libraries have played in disaster recovery. “The work you do has never been more urgent,” she said. “The economic crisis and our nation’s slow recovery has made life tough for so many families, and the local library is one place everyone can go to get the resources they need to improve their lives. Libraries are helping people get back on their feet. That’s a story that has special resonance right here in the Gulf Coast region. It’s been almost six years since Hurricane Katrina, and public libraries were life-savers in the immediate aftermath after the storm, and they have also been community anchors during the long rebuilding process. Today I’m thrilled to be able to celebrate with you the reestablishment of permanent library services in Mississippi and Louisiana. Through the hard work of many library leaders and community members, libraries have returned and they’re even stronger than they were before.
“At the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation we recognize how important library leaders are to communities. As testament to that belief, we are happy to support the ALA’s work to continue building the library field through its Spectrum Scholarship Program. This program will help ensure future library leaders represent the true diversity and richness of the communities libraries serve. We hope it will signal to even more Americans that the library is a place for them, a place for all of us.”
Gates closed by saying, “Thank you again for your commitment and energy, for being true leaders and providing hope and opportunity to communities across the country.”
At the Opening General Session, ALA President Roberta Stevens announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation made a $300,000 contribution to the Spectrum Scholarship Program, and past ALA president Betty Turock, who initiated the Spectrum scholarships, spoke eloquently at the Opening General Session about the goals of Spectrum. “The foundation’s generosity and leadership will help us fulfill our mission of access to all,” Turock said, and our efforts will affect “countless lives in every area of the country.” She encouraged donations from the general membership to nurture “a new generation of librarians for the challenges our profession will offer them in the 21st century.”
