Libraries get residents on the digital journey
More than 400 residents have started their first digital journey through one of Buckinghamshire’s libraries in the past year.
The County Council’s nine main libraries have been running Learn My Way courses for people with no internet experience, to teach them how to get online.
Gina Nicholls, Buckinghamshire County Council’s Information and Learning Services Manager, was delighted that between April 2015 and March 2016 library staff had helped 427people through digital inclusioncourses.
The sessions, she said, opened a wide range of training from learning how to apply for a job online, filling in Government forms, to reading e-books, and even keeping in touch with family overseas by Skype.
Yesterday afternoon (Thursday April 28) County Council Chairman Bill Chapple and Martin Phillips, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health, joined digital students for a celebratory tea at Aylesbury Library.
Thanks to a £1,250 Government grant through the Tinder Foundation, Aylesbury Library had been able to run extra training sessions until the end of March with capacity for 75 people. Owing to demand the extra sessions will continue into May.
Martin said: ‘This is really good ground floor training that will enable people to get on the first rung of the digital ladder, and help them to take advantage of the online services available today.’
Information about the courses is available in all libraries.