With 300 to 400 people a week stopping in at the Shenango Valley Community Library, Sharon, to use two Internet-access computers, the lines can get pretty long as people wait their turn, said Director Karen Spak.

With a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant, the library will add new computers that Ms. Spak hopes will eliminate or, at least, cut down on the lines.

Three other Mercer County libraries also are getting new Gateway computers that will expand their Internet access and give patrons a variety of research, educational and word processing programs to use.

"We are going to be in the 20th century," Ms. Spak quipped.

Sharon bought four new computers, a printer and a content server. Greenville Area Public Library and Stey-Nevant Public Library, Farrell, bought four computers each and a printer, and Mercer Area Library bought two computers and a printer.

The foundation also will send people to install the computers and train library staff members how to use them.

Mercer and Farrell staffers started their two-day training session Monday at Stey-Nevant. The training continues today.

Shenango Valley library employees will be trained Thursday and Friday, and Greenville employees are set for training Monday and Tuesday.

The computers come loaded with Microsoft programs, including Office 2000, Streets and Trips 2001, three Encarta Encyclopedia programs, and four Scholastic’s "The Magic School Bus" programs.

"We’re a small library," said Sheila Kretser, director at Greenville. "We wouldn’t be able, using local money, to buy anything like this. It’s a great program."

Ms. Kretser said the library has one public-access computer.

"It is very slow," she said. "This will be great because it will allow more than one person to use the Internet at a time."

Librarian Margaret Orchard said Stey-Nevant has six publicaccess terminals for games, typing or Internet access. The new computers will allow it to retire some older models and restrict one for staff use.

Mercer has one Internet-access computer, said head librarian Connie Jewell. That unit will be reserved for staff use, while the two new ones will be open to the public.

Shenango Valley library used the $15,000 grant to spur a revamp of its technology offerings.

"We’ve taken the opportunity to upgrade all our computer services because the Gates grant came with some wonderful software for networking," said Ms. Spak, adding that the library used some of its own money for the project.

At the end of the project, the library will have eight Internet-access computers for public use.

Ms. Spak said the library might be able to offer more computer classes than it currently hosts.

Stey-Nevant will have the new computers available for public use Wednesday, and Mercer’s should be up and running by the first part of next week. Greenville hopes to have patrons using its new computers sometime next week.

Shenango Valley will unveil its new technology offerings at an open house at 3:30 p.m. April 17.

"This is a big deal for us," Ms. Spak said.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at

jpinchot@sharon-herald.com