Hello digital library friends! Anna, Sandra, and I got back on Saturday from the first annual DPLAfest in Boston, and I am bursting with news that affects our regional digital libraries.

The one that I will blog about today is the announcement of a new $1,000,000 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant to train public librarians in digital technologies. Under the grant, service hubs — like the Mountain West Digital Library — will collaborate with DPLA to build new curriculum and hands-on resources for public libraries to expand their digital capacities.

Announcement of $1,000,000 grant at the DPLAfest reception

What does this money mean for us in the Mountain West? It may be too early to say, but I see it as a chance for MWDL to train public librarians in digitizing their physical materials, creating online exhibits, and using DPLA/MWDL as a research resource. Public libraries have far better access to the general public than academic libraries and can facilitate access to our online historic treasures to audiences that don’t realize they exist.

A big thank you to Bill and Melinda Gates for all the good you do!