Text Box: First, I want to thank Monte for her hard work and dedication, and let her know that she will be missed by all of us. Her assistance has been invaluable to me, and I consider it a personal favor that she agreed to stay on so much longer than she anticipated when she took this job.

As NLA Government Relations Chair and an LV-CCLD administrator, for the 1997 State Legislature she developed a formula that is used to distribute the State collection development funds. This creative tool provides assistance on a sliding scale to provide additional support for Nevada's smaller libraries.

In the 17 months that Monte served as Administrator of State Library and Archives and Nevada’s State Librarian, she brought about several key accomplishments.

Her strong support for the concept of a library institute resulted in the Public Library Responses to Growing Ethnic Populations in Nevada: African American, Asian American, Indian and Hispanic institute held in August 2000 The 2001 library institute is currently in the planning stages. Monte's support for education is further reflected in the distribution of LSTA scholarship funds, recommended through the Nevada Libraries Continuing Education Advisory Committee. She also continued support for the statewide database through LSTA grant funding.

Monte worked hard in support of an NSLA facility in southern Nevada that would include meeting rooms, a records center, offices for the micrographics and imaging programs, and the blind and physically handicapped programs.

Throughout her tenure, Monte raised the general awareness of the existence and function of the State Library. Monte was a real asset to our Department and we will all benefit from her achievements here in Carson City.

We will now move quickly into the interview stage and fill the position as soon as possible. Though I am interested in finding a successor to Monte, my primary concern is identifying a strong, qualified candidate who will become a valuable member of our team. In the interim, I will serve as Acting Division Administrator.

Nevada will participate in the fourth round of grant applicants of the Bill and Melinda Gates Library Initiative. The purpose of the $200 million-grant program is to increase public access to computers and the Internet. Nevada was invited to participate in this round, with 15 other states.

These states were selected as the final candidates for grants due to their poverty levels, as determined by the 1990 U. S. Census. Each state will be evaluated for technological readiness, commitment to sustainability over time and commitment to establishing programs for reaching people who do not otherwise have access to computers and the Internet. Implementation is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2002.

Through State Partnership Grants, the Foundation provides grants to all eligible public library buildings serving communities with a poverty level of 10% or higher, using methods determined by the Gates Foundation. Grant funds will purchase computers, networking equipment and telecommunications services for Internet access. The grants also provide training and technical support to selected library staff in network administration, computer and Internet applications, computer systems management, and train-the-trainer models for applications in on-going staff and patron training classes.

The Foundation requires that states participating in the Partnership program develop a coalition of library staff, trustees, and community people to serve as advocates, support the effort, serve as advisors to libraries and prepare for sustainability of the program after the three years of Gates funding. The focus of this Coalition will be to assist the State Library during the two to three year program.

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In the 17 months that Monte served as Administrator of State Library and Archives and Nevada’s State Librarian, she brought about several key accomplishments.

Nevada Public Libraries to Benefit from Gates Foundation