President Barack Obama last week unveiled a pair of White House initiatives aimed at increasing students’ access to public libraries and boosting the ability of low-income students to use the digital resources available in those facilities.
The plan, supported by commercial publishers, would provide more than $250 million worth of free e-book content to students from low-income families, along with a second effort meant to give all students in 30 communities, and eventually nationwide, a library card.
Both efforts are part of the ConnectED program, a White House plan launched in 2013 that has drawn financial support from numerous ed-tech providers and private organizations, with the goal of improving digital education and Web connectivity.
