The Friends of the Santa Barbara Public Library received $65,000 from the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara to expand the number of Early Literacy touch-screen computer stations available in the library system 19 to two. The new educational computers for young children will be installed in the Goleta, Eastside, Montecito, Carpinteria and Central libraries this year. 

The Early Literacy computers from AWE (Advanced Workstations in Education) have child-friendly menus, about 30 English and 30 Spanish learning games, touch-screens and colorful keyboards. Eleven Early Literacy stations will be added, and six AfterSchool Edge netbooks will also be purchased. The Central Library has had two Early Literacy stations in the children’s area for more than a year, and they are very popular with children and their caregivers. The AfterSchool Edge netbooks have 50 educational titles that appeal to youth 6 to 14 years old.