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This report describes Biblored, the library network in Bogotá, Colombia, that received the 2002 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Access to Learning Award.
Biblored is a network of 19 libraries that attract about 200,000 users per month and serve some of the poorest neighborhoods in Bogotá. The network’s success in making information and information technology accessible to city residents, and in developing services and programs geared toward users’ special needs and interests, earned it the award, which includes a one-million dollar grant to expand services.
Drawing on extensive interviews of the network’s users and planners, journalist María Cristina Caballero tells the story of how the library network was born, the challenges it has faced, and the impact it has had on the lives of Bogotá residents.