SPRINGFIELD – Secretary of State and State Librarian
Jesse White today announced his office is awarding a total
of $1,376,981 to 770 Illinois public school districts
enabling them to purchase needed hardware, software, print
and video materials for their individual school libraries.
The figure means more than 1.8 million students in Pre-K
through 12th grade will benefit from this program. The award
is based on 75 cents per student. Regardless of enrollment,
no school receives less than $100.
This grant program is designed to improve, expand and
update current school library materials and technology, and
is offered in an effort to help ensure that Illinois school
libraries are able to stay current and meet the ever-
expanding technology and information needs of
schoolchildren.
"Students today will soon enter a job market no one
envisioned only a few years ago," said White. "High school
seniors began their school careers just as America was
leaving the Industrial Age and entering the Information Age.
I want them to be ready for the changes that have occurred
in the short span of their lives.
"In some school districts, this grant determines
whether or not students have access to the World Wide Web and the ability to go online,"
added White. "In other schools, it means additional hours of
operation for the school library so students can more easily
access information, enabling them to complete assignments
and class projects in a timely manner."
The program is funded from two sources. Two-thirds of
the money comes from the state's "Live & Learn" Program and
about one-third comes from the state's General Revenue Fund.
