Dell Technologies has donated 1,000 Chromebooks to the Enoch Pratt Free Library through a partnership with the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition, the library announced Wednesday.
The laptops will be given to preK-12th grade students who are part of Pratt Library programs.
The library system will develop a digital training program to teach children and families how to use the device and access free library services. At the end of the training, students will be given their own Chromebooks.
Through the partnership with Dell, the Pratt aims to help bridge the digital divide in Baltimore, which disproportionately impacts low-income communities of color.
In Baltimore City, 68.2 percent of low-income households do not have high-speed internet, according to a 2021 report by the Abell Foundation, and 31.9 percent of all households in Baltimore lack a desktop or laptop computer.
“We recognize that the challenges facing each community are different and appreciate the value of creating an ecosystem across the community committed to enable digital inclusion,” said Jamila Cowan, Dell Technologies’ director of global community engagement, in a statement.
“We are excited to collaborate with the Pratt Library and the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition to drive technological inclusion and bridge the digital divide in Baltimore,” she said.
The first distribution of laptops will take place on March 26 at the Orleans St. branch, where selected families from partner schools will take a digital training course and receive Chromebooks.
