State grant is one for the books

By Alyson Pitarre

July 7, 2000 Web posted at: 11:36 AM EDT (1536 GMT)

VENTURA, California (The Ventura County Star) -- The E.P. Foster Library in downtown Ventura received a makeover last year, and now it's receiving a service tuneup as well.

The library, closed for six months last year while undergoing a $2 million renovation, will add new books and instructional materials, new furniture for the young adult book section and a new homework center that is tentatively scheduled to open in October.

The library received a state grant June 30 to help pay for the improvements, according to Donna Roff, west county regional manager for the Ventura County library system.

The $69,000 grant was included in the new state budget via legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara.

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The library, at 651 E. Main St., also received two grants, from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the State Library InfoPeople Project, in April.

The grants paid for 24 new computers, bringing the library's collection to 34.

The new computers came with Internet access and will soon have Microsoft Word 2000 software, which includes word processing, spreadsheet, publishing, as well as presentation programs.

Library users can surf the Internet for job and career information and print business card designs, among other things.

"We have lots of visitors who come in to use them, as well as Ventura residents who don't have computer access at home or anywhere else," Roff said.

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