UK libraries get £3m online boost

UK libraries are to receive £3m to spend on IT equipment from the government and the Wolfson Foundation.

The deal was announced by arts minister Alan Howarth, who said the scheme was designed to remove the boundary between those who have access to technology and those who do not. He added that the scheme aims to turn libraries into "virtual universities".

The government and the Wolfson Foundation will donate £2m and £1m respectively into the DCMS/Wolfson Public Libraries Challenge Fund. Libraries will be given the opportunity to apply to the fund for grants to get the equipment to go online, although they must raise at least 50 per cent of the cost through other means.

This is the third year the scheme has been running, encouraging public/private partnerships to boost the use of IT to offer learning programmes.

According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, successful applications are likely to cost between £100,000 and £1m, and must be capable of completion by 29 February 2000.