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DIRECTOR HILDRETH: Now, we're moving on to
the program portion of our -- or the panel

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discussion of our program and I want to remind
everybody that this hearing is being livecast

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and viewers are encouraged to submit questions
via Twitter to @US_IMLS.

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We also have some cards or paper on your chairs.

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If you have questions that you want to submit,
we have a staff member perusing, will be picking

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up those questions.

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After each panel presentation, our Board members
have some questions they'll be posing to the

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speakers, but we'll also have a chance for
members of the audience and our virtual audience

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to pose some questions.

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So, here we go with our Panel Number One,
What's Working.

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We're really looking at the vision, "What
happens when we get it right?"

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We're going to explore innovative practices
and partnerships and why investments in broadband

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make a difference.

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Our first speaker will be Chris Jowaisas,
Senior Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda

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Gates Foundation.

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We were hoping to have Dionne Mack with us,
Director of El Paso Public Library.

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She's done amazing things in El Paso.

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Unfortunately, she had a family emergency
and wasn't able to be with us today.

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But we're excited also to have Clarence Anthony
who's the Executive Director of the National

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League of Cities.

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So we'll start out with Chris.

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Would you like to come to the mic?

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MR.

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JOWAISAS: Thank you, Director Hildreth and
the National Museum and Library Services Board

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for holding this hearing.

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I appreciate the opportunity to talk about
the experience that the Bill and Melinda Gates

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Foundation has had with ensuring access to
technology through public libraries and our

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vision of how libraries can utilize broadband
to drive personal and community development.

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Today, the Gates Foundation is composed of
many programs and initiatives from fighting

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diseases such as polio, malaria and tuberculosis
to helping farmers in Africa strengthen their

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crops to improving the educational system
in the United States.

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But it all started in 1997 with the Gates
Library Foundation.

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Back then, only about 25 percent of public
libraries offered public access to the internet

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and many inside the library community were
not sure if this was a service that libraries

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needed to offer.

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Bill, Melinda and Bill Gates Sr. believe very
strongly that access to information and technology

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was absolutely essential to allowing people
to live healthy, productive lives, and they

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felt that public libraries were uniquely situated
and the best places to provide such services.

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For a variety of reasons, they felt this but
primarily because public libraries are free

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and open to the public, they have support
within the community and most importantly,

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they have knowledgeable staff, staff who guide
people through learning and access to information.

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In 1997, the Foundation set an ambitious goal.

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If you can reach a public library, you can
reach the internet.

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By 2004, that goal was met.

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After investing $240 million dollars, the
U.S. Libraries program in conjunction with

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partners at the federal, state and local level
helped to connect 99 percent of all U.S. public

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libraries to the internet.

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I still search to this day to find out where
that one percent is.

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Our continued funding supporting public libraries
in the U.S. reflects the belief that investments

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in public libraries benefit the community
at large, as other speakers have mentioned,

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by ensuring that all people continue to have
the opportunity to lead productive lives.

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While the original vision of the Foundation
has been realized and all people now have

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access to technology through their libraries,
it's time to turn our attention to a new vision,

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ensuring that people have access to all the
opportunities that technology has to offer

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and that the opportunity divide does not increase.

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The Foundation believes that public libraries
are key components in meeting this new vision

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but face challenges in doing so.

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According to the 2011-2012 Public Library
Funding and Technology Access Study, public

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computer and wifi use increased in the previous
year at more 60 percent of public libraries.

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But it also found that more than 65 percent
of libraries report that they don't have enough

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public computers to meet the demand and that
41 percent report that their internet connection

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speeds are insufficient.

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Meanwhile, public libraries are dealing with
decreased or inadequate budgets.

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Twenty- three states reported cuts in state
funding for public libraries in 2012 and more

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than 40 percent of states reported decreased
public library support for three years in

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a row.

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Clearly, libraries have stepped in to address
this new divide and people are looking to

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libraries to do just that.

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However, libraries do not have adequate resources
to meet these expanding needs.

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Despite these continuing challenges related
to funding, libraries have continued to move

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forward in addressing community development
in many areas whether it's economic development,

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education or civic engagement or improving
health and wellness.

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They do this through a variety of services
such as helping people prepare resumes and

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apply for jobs, equipping them with digital
literacy skills, showing them how to take

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action through e-government services or helping
them find information that improves their

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health or the health of their loved ones.

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As libraries have stepped in to this role,
people's needs and expectations have continued

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to grow.

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The opportunities evolve and libraries continue
to strive to close that opportunity divide

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whether it's addressing the needs of immigrant
communities, expanding learning opportunities

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for adults in informal or formal ways or supporting
students through the provision of additional

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electronic resources.

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But to be in a position to accomplish this
vision, public libraries must have the bandwidth

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to provide such services in an efficient and
effective manner.

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Unfortunately, as we've heard, this is not
always the case and it continues to be a challenge

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in many communities even after substantial
and ongoing investments from local, state

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and federal programs to address getting robust
connectivity to every library.

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Before libraries can fully explore these new
services, they have to know that they're connectivity

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infrastructure is sufficient to handle experimentation
and exploration without negatively impacting

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the access that people depend on on a daily
basis.

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As online services evolve to include more
video or other interactive media to deliver

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content, public libraries have struggled to
provide the quality of service needed by their

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community when it comes to connectivity.

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Libraries often face this demand with consumer-
grade connectivity infrastructure that does

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not easily scale and offers little to no quality
of service guarantees.

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Essentially, libraries are often operating
with one arm tied behind their back when it

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comes to connectivity.

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Broadband connectivity is the underlying bedrock
for building a full suite of services for

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community and personal development.

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With a robust and reliable broadband connection,
libraries and communities can move into more

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areas of exploration and innovation, people
can move beyond being passive consumers of

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content to creating their own content which
is where great personal and economic opportunity

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lives.

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As the Foundation assists the public library
field through continued investments in meeting

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this vision, we hope to see more partners
realize the power of the public library to

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assist personal and community development.

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The Foundation hopes that the network of supporters
of this vision grows because we have seen

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and learned firsthand from investments in
public libraries that they're key organizations

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for growing opportunity at the personal and
community level.

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Thank you for this opportunity to share these
comments.

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DIRECTOR HILDRETH: Thank you, Chris.

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(Applause)
DIRECTOR HILDRETH: All right.

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Now we're ready for Clarence.

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We're so excited that he could spend this
time with us and managed to climb over these

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chairs today.

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Thank you, Clarence.

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MR.

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ANTHONY: Thank you.

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You know, everyone in this room today has
a story or a reason why you're here and you're

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committed to libraries and the impact on communities.

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You know, mine began when I was a migrant
kid in Florida.

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Our family traveled all over America working
in the fields but we were placed in Florida

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in the glades in Belle Glade, and we grew
up in a community that did not have a library,

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did not have a stationary library.

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And so as an 8-9- year-old kid, I had choices
to make.

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When that mobile library drove up to the park,
I could either stay on the playground or I

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could go into that mobile library for the
two hours that it was there.

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Most often, the playground won but I will
tell you that eventually, I found my way into

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that library.

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Fifteen years later, I ran for public office
in the city and the community in which I grew

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up and I had to deal with a number of issues:
crime, drugs, housing but I knew that when

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I came back to my community from grad school
that one of the things that I was going to

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advocate and fight for was to get a standing
library in our community.

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And so I spoke to the legislators, the county
commission for five years straight using the

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same speech.

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And in that fifth year, the chair of the state
legislative committee staffer - - was a great

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staffer -- pulled out the exact speech and
she read my speech out and said, "Will you

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guys please give this mayor a library."

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Well, we got it and three years after that,
I was very blessed and honored at a very tender

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age at that time, '98, that they named that
library the Clarence E. Anthony Library in

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South Bay, Florida.

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So why am I here?

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Because it is important.

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It made a difference in my life.

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I would not be here if it was not for that
institution, that building, even that mobile

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library that was there for me to read about
the places I could travel, the things that

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I could do as a migrant kid.

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Well, times have changed but libraries are
still important and they're still significant.

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And the one fact that has not changed is the
fact that the equalizer in America is education,

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the equalizer in America is education and
an ability right now to connect to the internet

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and have computers in homes as well as in
our libraries.

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The National League of Cities understands
that fact and our political leaders nationally

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have made a commitment to education and advocate
for legislation that will extend, expand the

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E-Rate Program funding, streamline the program
and make sure that every American will have

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the ability to live that American Dream and
have that access to internet as well as computers.

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We've also partnered with the Urban Libraries
Council to assist in making sure any reforms

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that are developed in the E-Rate Program really
provides the financial commitment that we

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did in 1996 in the Telecommunications Act.

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The $2 billion dollars that we committed,
it's not enough in 2014 to be able to deal

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with the issues that we have to deal with
to deliver digital connectivity to Americans,

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especially those that are similarly most often
left behind.

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The Chairman quoted Andrew Carnegie and I
will as well.

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He stated, "A library outranks any other one
thing a community can do to benefit its people.

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It's a never failing spring in the desert."

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So digital literacy is no longer a choice
in American cities.

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High speed internet is essential for Americans
to do everything, as we've heard, from finding

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work, gaining access to health coverage, and
most of all, we must recognize it's important

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that if we're going to bridge the real economic
and educational opportunities in America,

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people have to have access to the internet
and computers.

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And it's also important to know that in the
minority communities, that's where it is hurting

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most.

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For city leaders, we recognize that the minority
community and the access to education is important,

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the access to internet is important.

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And we as Americans, right now we're failing.

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So I don't make speeches just to make briefings
and comments.

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I'm calling and asking for action to deal
with these many issues.

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We know the importance of the program and
we like to say the cities are the places where

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action occurs.

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And I'm not going to criticize Washington
right now, but I can tell you mayor, city

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council members in towns and villages all
over America, we're making things happen and

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we want to partner with you to make sure that
things happen.

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So, as I close, I want to say that a call
to action is needed around this issue.

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NLC is committed to working with the FCC,
the ULC, Congress, the White House, ILMS.

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We're committed to working with everybody
to make sure that we address this issue.

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We know that talk is easy but action is more
important.

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We know that many families only see iPhones
and iPads and computers in libraries such

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as this.

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We recognize that this is the place that people
come and they travel around the world because

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they can read about places and read about
professions and opportunities.

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Let's take the time to get the E-Rate modernization
process right.

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Let's be creative and bold in our thinking
to make sure our libraries have the technology

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infrastructure that they need to support a
strong, local community that results in strong,

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national economy.

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My kids would be embarrassed as I say this
but as Drake, the R&B singer said, I started

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from the bottom.

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Now I'm here and it's because of libraries.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)
DIRECTOR HILDRETH: Thank you very much.

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That was terrific, both of you.

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So we have a couple of questions and if we
have anything coming in on Twitter, just pass

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them off to me up here.

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But first of all, I'm going to start off and
we don't have a lot of time so just some quick

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thoughts from both of you.

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What do you think community leaders, both
city leaders and libraries, can do to promote

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digital literacy and a shared vision of broadband
connectivity in their communities?

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So if Mr. Anthony was my mayor, I wouldn't
have a problem but I don't know that all our

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mayors, and there are great ones out there,
are at the place where Mr. Anthony is.

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So what do you think, gentlemen?

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What can your city leaders or your library
leaders do to drive this message home?

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MR.

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JOWAISAS: I think from the library perspective,
one of the first things that library leaders

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can do is make sure that the city leaders
get inside the library.

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I think oftentimes it's been a while since
some of the leaders have actually been in

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a library to see the changes that have happened
and also understand the demand.

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I think that's -- if you have connectivity
at home, it's hard to understand what a huge

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role that plays in your daily life until it's
taken away or until it's missing.

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And for people who don't have that at home,
understanding what that means for them is

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an important thing.

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So letting the leaders actually see it and
articulating what it is that the library's

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doing to meet those digital literacy needs
I think is very important.

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DIRECTOR HILDRETH: Thank you.

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MR.

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ANTHONY: Yeah.

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I agree with Chris.

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As a former mayor, you know, you really do
have a lot of issues you deal with and I would

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encourage, as you are doing, for the librarians
and the library community to become stronger

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advocates.

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You have to fight for that space to make sure
that public leaders know that we recognize

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that it's important, because if you don't
have an educated population and economic development,

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jobs, recruitment of companies -- libraries
are central part of all of that connectivity

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but you have to tell your story of why it's
important or it gets lost in the regular infrastructure

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of the cities including pipes, water and sewer.

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We can't see those things.

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Sometimes the library is invisible in communities.

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We have to make it more visible.

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DIRECTOR HILDRETH: That is a great comment
and as I always say, I think libraries are

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-- sadly, we are never in the front of anyone's
mind.

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When you bring us up as a service or an option
or a consideration, everybody's like, "Oh,

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yeah, why didn't I think of the library?"

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But we're never at the top of the mind and
that's -- we have to get there.

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So Carla, did you have a question for our
panel here?

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MEMBER HAYDEN: Well, I have a question for
both and especially hearing about cities.

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And to start with that, as a librarian in
a thriving city and growing city, Baltimore,

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and a former resident of Chicago, why should
cities really care about broadband and if

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you had to articulate that, because I'm going
to use what you say, and why is it important

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in cities in particular with so much going
on to provide the public access?

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And then as one of the first recipients of
the Gates Foundation's grants in a city, you're

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continuing commitment to broadband and technology
access and why is that still important to

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the Gates Foundation?

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MR.

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ANTHONY: I think -- I talked a little bit
about it earlier but the reason why it's important

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is right now, it is very competitive.

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Cities are competing against each other to
recruit companies, to recruit younger folks

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into the community.

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And if they don't have that infrastructure,
they're not going to be the great American

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city that they would like to be.

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And in a lot of ways, cities right now are
celebrating their ability to bring broadband

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and internet and all kinds of access, and
they show that as a valuable resource to recruit

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companies.

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They don't show the part where there is that
population left behind.

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So the reason why cities are getting in this
space and identifying it as important part

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of their community is because it's about tax
bases, it's about jobs, it's about improving

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the lives of people who live in those communities.

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And right now, I don't think that we, as Americans,
have reached into the depths of where we need

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to bring everyone up and to have that access.

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My dream is to have a 100 percent internet
wide broadband city.

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I mean that everybody would have access to
it whether you're sitting in a park or not.

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And I've challenged the broadband community
to try to find a pilot city that we can actually

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make that city --
MEMBER HAYDEN: Baltimore.

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MR.

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ANTHONY: I'll tell Mayor Rawlings- Blake that
you said that.

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DIRECTOR HILDRETH: Carla's volunteering Baltimore.

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All right, Carla.

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So, a quick question for you, Chris, not to
put you on the spot but here you go.

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What would it take to get more funders like
Gates to support libraries and digital literacy?

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Any ideas?

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MR.

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JOWAISAS: Well, you don't have to convince
us.

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DIRECTOR HILDRETH: Right.

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MR.

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JOWAISAS: We're continuing to make that and
I think if people could see -- I mean in 1997

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-- I actually installed computers here in
this library in 1998.

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The demand is still the same now as it was
then.

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The opportunities, the skills that people
need have changed and libraries continue to

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meet that.

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I think to convince more funders to come along,
I think again, it goes back to that point

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tying it to those funders' desires.

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If you want to understand economic development,
whether it's at a city level, whether it's

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a private foundation that's going to fund
that, tying it to educational goals, whatever

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their aims are.

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Libraries are already doing that work.

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That's the amazing thing about libraries.

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And they're not just doing it.

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They're doing it well.

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So I think from that point of view, again,
it goes back to just telling our story and

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telling our story very effectively and in
a compelling manner.

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I think, you know, again, as people talk about
that personal relationship that they often

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have with libraries, I think just growing
that network and building that network of

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supporters.

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DIRECTOR HILDRETH: That was a terrific answer
and what I heard was that libraries are doing

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so many different things all over the country,
locally, at the state and regional level and

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we need to package those services to meet
the priorities of some funders.

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A really good example is a great partnership
that IMLS with the McArthur Foundation to

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support digital media labs.

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We've funded 24 all over the country.

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And digital media literacy is great for our
teens.

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That's our target audience.

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And also, we're giving those young people
skills to get jobs once they -- you know,

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once they go beyond high school.

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So think about all the things we do and package
it to really meet the needs of the funder.

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So I want to have a round of applause for
our Panel One and ask Panel Two to join us.

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Thank you, gentlemen.

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(Applause)