South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 24/02/2015

As part of a national Be Online campaign we are encouraging residents into their local library to make the most of using the internet between now and March 8.

Thanks to a grant of £9,000 from the Tinder Foundation* we have trained more than 40 staff and volunteers to run IT sessions in libraries and other community centres across South Gloucestershire to encourage others to get online and improve their digital literacy and IT skills.

Throughout Be Online fortnight libraries are offering taster sessions on how to make the most out of library digital resources including e-books and e-magazines. For details on all the free drop-in sessions visit www.southglos.gov.uk/beonline

Librarian Debbie Wright said: “If you are interested in getting to grips with the internet and increasing your digital literacy skills then why not drop in to your local library during Be Online fortnight and try out one of our free taster sessions.”

The Be Online campaign was launched at Cadbury Heath Library on Monday 23 February with volunteer IT tutor Trevor Muir, from Kingswood and a number of library users including Patricia Waterman.

Patricia, from Cadbury Heath, said: “I found email quite a challenge, it seemed like a closed book to me. I could see that my colleagues and students were so adept at this skill that I felt I was out of the loop. So when I heard that our local library could help with computer skills, I immediately decided to take up the offer and after a short period of time with someone who was so patient, the secret code of email was unlocked. I am now sending emails with attachments and can keep in contact with friends and relatives around the world.”

Wendy Reed, also from Cadbury Heath, added: “Since joining the library and learning how to use a computer I have found it very helpful and very useful. I can now go online and apply for jobs and go on my emails. I would recommend that more people come to the library to learn how to use a computer and all the basic skills. All the staff at the library are very friendly. I now have a lot more confidence using the computer and get on much better than when I first joined the library as I did not have much confidence then and found it quite a challenge at that time but I am getting on really well with it now.”