I agree there are greater disparities with information access. That said, I recall when all one had were books and television, much less videos, internet access etcetera.

A good library fills the void for the poor. It should make information available to all equally and not discriminate between rich/poor. I know some folks who practically lived in the library--absorbing knowledge and reading at the tables or in some corner by a window.

The big libraries could have the space and resources to have many more reference materials than the smaller libraries but when kids are taught how to use the resources at their disposal, they could often arrange to have a librarian copy a needed passage or pages from a rare/costly reference and fax/e-mail it over if they can't afford to travel to a larger library.

I'm in no way unsympathetic to the problem. I think you may need to further exploit commercial resources/partnership for extra funds. Target a large employer in the region and sell them on giving back to the community by donating computers or partial funding for disadvantaged youth.

You may want to also involve the media. You'd be surprised at how the local NBC/ABC/CBS/FOX affiliates like to have "filler" local fluff pieces to cover. Involving them in bringing attention to the libraries needs and co-sponsering a regional fundraiser with local businesses is the sort of thing that fills those dead minutes between the weather and sports coverage.

One has nothing to lose in trying.

I'm certainly glad you're out there in the corner, fighting for those with needs. They could do a lot worse.