County library gets new computers


Thursday, January 18, 2007
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County library gets new computers

By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer

Photo by Sue Watson

School work
Priscilla Dolce studies digital art at the Marshall County Library.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently donated 11 new Dell computers to the Marshall County Library System.

The new computers have XP Professional operating system, a faster system than the ones they are replacing, according to Diane Schule, librarian in Holly Springs.

The library was the recipient of computers in 1999 from the Foundation, she said.

The new Dells are strictly for patrons’ use.

“This is a followup on the 1999 original grant when they got us started with the Internet for patrons,” Schule said. “The intent of the grant was to sort of level the playing field for rural states.”

Several months ago Dell donated a new server for the library, and with this new group of computers the total value from the Foundation runs close to $15,000, she said.

The old computers are to be shifted to the children’s area and to the Marshall County Room, and those that are really too old for Internet use will be available to patrons for use in word processing.

“Lots of kids come in to type up their homework and they won’t be tying up the Internet just to get their homework done,” Schule said.

The Marshall County libraries remain the only source of computers for many people in the community, she said.

Patrons must sign a computer-use agreement once and individuals under 18 must have their parents sign the agreement.

The Friends of the Library will be replacing some computers at the staff workstations.

Other than local patrons, tourists also visit the library on their way through town to check their e-mail or do genealogy research, Schule said.

There is no charge to use the library’s computers.

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