When Cornell Library upgraded its computer systems last year, there were immediate benefits for the campus community -- and an unexpected boon for the greater Ithaca community. The library recently donated almost 200 computers, monitors and accessories to the Computer All Stars Program at the city of Ithaca's Youth Bureau.
It was the largest single donation of computing equipment the program has ever received, said Marty Schreiber, coordinator for the Computer All Stars. Members of the program will place the computers with local families who have not been able to afford them, Schreiber said.
Sharon Wargo, operations manager for Cornell Library administrative operations, arranged the transfer of the computers, which were stored in the basement of Uris Library for more than a year. Through an arrangement with Campus Life, a truck and driver were secured and library staff helped move the computers.
That's a lot of computers. But after its system upgrade, the library had more than 300 machines no longer in use, Wargo explained.
According to university procedure, the library first marketed them to the Cornell community. But a substantial number of computers remained, Wargo said, and after searching for appropriate recipients for such a large donation, the Youth Bureau program was selected.
The used computers, including IBMs and Macintosh models, may be sluggish compared with state-of-the-art machines, but they are powerful enough to support access to the Internet and will be very helpful to families who don't have access to that technology.
Wargo said Cornell Library has donated computers in the past to local schools, such as Beverly J. Martin Elementary and the Alternative Community School in Ithaca, and to groups as far away as India.
| Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |