Monday, March 1, 2010

Congressman Owens Supports Local Libraries

Owens Announces Broadband
Funding for Upstate Libraries

WASHINGTON – Congressman Bill Owens today announced funding to expand broadband capacity in Upstate New York libraries. The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded the grant last week to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) in the amount of $9.5 million.

“I am pleased that our community libraries have received this funding,” Owens said. “Grants like this are an investment in both the education and the economic development of our area. Our libraries help our neighborhoods advance a great deal from finding a job to early childhood education.”

The project, Broadbandexpress@yourlibrary will provide more than 860 computers in 30 libraries and five mobile training centers across 41 counties in Upstate New York. The grant is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and provides matching grants to spur job creation and stimulate long-term economic growth.

“Our local libraries are not immune to the economic downturn and have suffered cuts that hurt their ability to serve our community. This grant will help them continue to provide educational opportunities to our area and avoid job cuts.” Owens added.

Libraries benefitting from this grant include:

·Plattsburgh Public Library
·Jefferson County Community College
·Carthage Free Library
·Potsdam Public Library
·Pulaski Public Library

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