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Notice to the Press
THE FIRST INTERNET INFORMATION ASSISTANCE CENTER TO OPEN THIS WEEK IN FERIZAJ, KOSOVO
The U.S. Department of State Office of International Information Programs, the International Organization for Migration and USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives have formed an innovative public/private partnership to establish seven Internet information centers in Kosovo. The first of the seven centers is scheduled to open this week in Ferizaj and will serve as a technology and media training facility, providing Kosovars with free Internet access.
The initial phase of the project will focus on the construction of the centers, hiring and training of local staff, and establishment of local and wide area networks to provide internet connectivity. The Kosovo Information Assistance Initiative will be headquartered in the Pristina National and University Library in downtown Pristina. There will be six regional centers established in the cities of Ferizaj, Gjakova, Prizren, Peje, Gjilan, and Mitrovica. All of the centers are centrally located and open to the general public.
The Pristina National and University Library will be transformed into a state-of-the-art technology and information center. The center will include a "virtual" on-line library, US$1 million in book donations, a special children's learning center, a cyber-cafe and several other community information projects. The goal of this effort in Kosovo is to establish Pristina, with its National and University Library, as the "Information Center" in Kosovo - a lively environment where all Kosovars can come to learn about their history, prepare for their future, surf the net and develop the necessary skills to rebuild civil society.
The Director of the Pristina National and University Library, Mr. Mehmet Gerguri, will be visiting the United States at the end of November as part of the U.S. Department of State International Visitors Program. While in the U.S., Mr. Gerguri will learn about community programming as he visits some of the country's most renowned public libraries in Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York. He will receive instruction from technologists and specialists in the field of Library Sciences and observe the latest in preservation techniques.
As the project progresses, each regional center will be able to develop and implement its own unique programs tailored to meet the specific needs of each community. Through the State Department's Global Technology Corps, the Office of International Information Programs will continue to support the centers by providing government and private-sector speakers who will conduct seminars and interactive training in areas such as: computer-based languages and applications, journalism, media and e-commerce.
The organizations taking the lead in this partnership include Adobe Systems, Inc., Apple Computer, Inc., Autometric, Inc., The Brother's Brother Foundation, Canon Computer Systems, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., The David Sarnoff Corporation, The Document Company Xerox, Gateway and the Waitt Family Foundation, Hewlett-Packard Company, IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., The Internet Society, 3M, The Markle Foundation, MVS/USA, Northwest Airlines, REAL Software, Riso, Inc., RPO Vienna (STATE), The Sabre Foundation, Inc., Scholastic Inc., Silicon Graphics, Inc., State Department Educational and Cultural Affairs and Surf Watch Software. This partnership will deliver hardware, software, connectivity, technical assistance, training and financial support. The contributions from the private sector highlight the important role that U.S. companies can play in the reconstruction of Kosovo.
"Bringing modern technology to Kosovo through the Kosovo Information Assistance Initiative is one of the great ways that the information technology community can help the relief effort. This public/private partnership is an important step forward in our effort to help the Kosovars," said Gateway Chairman and CEO Ted Waitt.
Journalists interested in further information on the Kosovo Information Assistance Initiative should contact one of the following individuals:
-- Mary Thomas, Office of Press Outreach, thomasm@panet.us-state.gov (202) 647-3455
-- Nancy Ozeas, Office of International Information Programs, nozeas@usia.gov (202) 619-6340