WebJunction awarded Gates grant to enhance site

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA,  20 October 2006 —WebJunction, an online community for library staff to meet to share ideas, solve problems and do online coursework, has been awarded a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to enhance usability of the Web site and help it keep pace with a growing audience and range of content.

The $2 million grant will fund critical development of WebJunction for one year, which will include a redesign to improve the Web site's organization and navigation so that resources can be more easily found by users, and the development of improved search functions.  Other site modifications, such as making the site more accessible to those with disabilities, will be made to accommodate increased traffic to the site and expand opportunities for new audiences.

The planned site changes are a direct response to user feedback and studies of the WebJunction.org site.  Introduced in 2003, the WebJunction community has grown rapidly and now includes more than 22,000 registered members, 10,000 unique monthly visitors and a growing number of partner organizations.

"We are pleased to support WebJunction's efforts to respond to the needs of its growing user base," said Jill Nishi, manager of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's U.S. Libraries initiative.  "These improvements will facilitate better access to WebJunction's rich content and resources for libraries across the country."

WebJunction features online learning, training tips and tools that will be more accessible and better organized as a result of the planned redesign and enhancements.

"We're grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for its generous support of WebJunction," said Marilyn Gell Mason, executive director of WebJunction.  "The grant will help us continue to build WebJunction as a place for library staff to gain the skills and ongoing support they need to meet and exceed the expectations of their patrons."

For more information on WebJunction, visit www.webjunction.org.

About WebJunction
WebJunction is a cooperative of library staff sharing and using online resources to identify and learn about appropriate technologies that can help ensure relevant, vibrant, sustainable libraries for every community.  In 2002, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded OCLC Online Computer Library Center a three-year grant to build WebJunction as a portal for public libraries and other organizations that provide open access to information. Today, WebJunction is supported in part by OCLC, grants from the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, partners in state library agencies and other library service organizations, and by the library community itself.

About OCLC
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit library membership and research organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, preservation and eContent services to 57,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories. OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world's richest online resource for finding library materials. For more information, visit www.oclc.org.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to reduce inequities and improve lives around the world. In developing countries, it focuses on improving health, reducing extreme poverty, and increasing access to technology in public libraries. In the United States, the foundation seeks to ensure that all people have access to a great education and to technology in public libraries. In its local region, it focuses on improving the lives of low-income families. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and Co-chairs William H. Gates Sr., Bill Gates, and Melinda French Gates.  More information is available at www.gatesfoundation.org.

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