GTECH gives new library group supplies

PROVIDENCE – GTECH Corp. has agreed to provide computers and other equipment for the administrative and technical staff of the Providence Community Library, the new nonprofit that recently took over management of the city’s nine library branches, officials announced yesterday.

In addition, GTECH has agreed to bring its After-School Advantage computer-learning labs into the neighborhood libraries, starting with the Mt. Pleasant, Fox Point and Wanskuck branches. The latter two facilities were slated to be closed by the Providence Public Library due to a budget deficit, before the PCL stepped in to take over all nine branches.

The computer labs are part of a nationwide program supported by GTECH. They are designed for children to use after school and for adults to use for job searches and skills training. There are 13 labs already installed in Providence, according to the company.

The total value of the grants was not disclosed.

“GTECH’s gift of the computers for administrative and technical staff is a great boon to us,” Ann Robinson, the newly hired director of the PCL, said in a statement. “It better enables us to concentrate our funds on providing books and services for the community.”

Robert Vincent, GTECH’s senior vice president of corporate affairs, said the company hoped to continue its partnership with the new library organization. “PCL’s libraries provide invaluable services to all the capital city's residents and provide outstanding locations for these new computer labs,” he said.

Mayor David Cicilline praised the partnership, saying: “I am gratified that the program we initiated with GTECH when it moved to Providence continues to expand, reaching three more neighborhood libraries. I am also grateful to GTECH for showing additional support of the Providence Community Library by aiding its administrative capacity with the donation of new computers.”

Additional information is available at ProvComLib.org.