County Announces Major AT&T Grant Used to continue Free Computer Access program at Lakeforest

ba/at&t.pr Contact: Barbara Harr,
301-217-3926

COUNTY ANNOUNCES MAJOR AT&T GRANT
USED TO CONTINUE FREE COMPUTER ACCESS
PROGRAM AT LAKEFOREST For Immediate Release:
November 3, 1997

Thanks to a major grant from AT&T's Foundation, announced today by
County and AT&T officials, a widely-used free computer access program at
Lakeforest Shopping Center will continue for another year.
The $50,000 AT&T Learning Network grant, awarded to the Friends of
the Library, Montgomery County, MD, Inc., will enable the popular Lakeforest
Library Connection (LLC) staff to continue to provide specialized computer
training to local residents.
In honor of the AT&T donation, the AT&T Community Learning Center,
located in the Lakeforest Library Connection, was dedicated by County, State
AT&T, and Lakeforest officials attending the news conference. The Center
will provide a place where community groups can hold meetings and receive
training on Internet use and information technology.
County Executive Douglas M. Duncan called the grant "another example
of the AT&T Foundation's long history of support for educational projects that
demonstrate effective and innovative uses of technology to benefit families,
schools and communities.
"We're extremely grateful to the Foundation for their generous support of
this very worthwhile project," Duncan said.
"One of the major goals of the AT&T Learning Network is to encourage
parental and
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community involvement in our children's education," said Joan E. Marshall,
vice president and general manager for AT&T in Maryland. "The LLC helps
foster that involvement by making information technology easily accessible and
usable."
Harriet Henderson, director of the Montgomery County Department of
Public Libraries, said, "The department deeply appreciates the ongoing and
generous support of all our LLC sponsors. But, we particularly acknowledge
AT&T today for enabling us to continue providing free and equal access to the
world of information resources in the Montgomery County community."
Opened in May 1996, the LLC, provides free public access to 20
computer work stations and educational resources to persons of all ages who
may not use a library or have access to computer technology. More than
50,000 persons, from throughout the region and as far away as Australia, have
used the facility since it opened.
Lakeforest Shopping Center donated the space -- totaling more than 2,000
square feet -- for the LLC, and the computers were supplied by Apple and
Hewlett Packard. Volunteers and a library specialist are present to assist users,
and the services of on-site manager Robert Dorsey are supplied by the
Maryland Information Technology Center.
Also participating in the grant announcement ceremony were County
Councilmember Gail H. Ewing; Susan Marks, director of the User Services
team, Office of Global Access Technology, Montgomery County Public
Schools; Joan Marshall, vice president and general manager for AT&T in
Maryland; State Superintendent of the Maryland Department of
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Education Nancy Grasmick, Lakeforest General Manager Barbara Kreuser; and
Rudy Watson, vice president of the Friends of the Library, which received the
grant.
Other supporters of the LLC are Montgomery County Public Schools,
the Maryland State Department of Education's Division of Library Development
& Services, Montgomery College, Montgomery Council of PTAs, and the
Maryland High Technology Council.
A portion of the AT&T grant will also support a new Computer Literacy
Program for
Seniors, coordinated, in part, by the Montgomery County Commission of the
Humanities
and Interages. Sessions, which will begin November 6, will be held at the
LLC from 10 a.m. to noon.
For more information on the seniors program, call 301-217-6530.
The Lakeforest Library Connection, located on the lower level next to
J.C. Penney, is open weekdays from noon to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6
p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
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