Success Stories from Halifax North

It has been a pretty eventful summer at Halifax North. My main project was to develop a Facebook learning module that could be used to teach patrons of the library how to use the social networking site. As a preliminary stage, I wrote up a tutorial explaining how to use the various parts of Facebook. I realized how much there is to the site, and what a complex idea it could be to explain. After I finished the tutorial, I met with the branch manager to talk about it. Then I created flyers to circulate within the branch so that patrons would become aware of the opportunity to have Facebook classes.

Soon after I started circulating the flyers, people started calling the library to make appointments for classes. I decided it would be best to do one-on-one classes, both because it’s easier to schedule two people than it is to schedule groups, and because many of the patrons expressing interest were not especially “computer literate”. I also received a lot of interest in general computer lessons – including things like email, Google searching, etc.

Most of my lessons were success stories within themselves. I had a few patrons who, after one lesson, were confident with their ability to “figure out the rest of it”. In most cases, especially with the “general computer lessons”, the patron was very interested in having more lessons. Often, the people I worked with had low literacy levels, learning disabilities, or mental disabilities. Our lessons were positive experiences – I think from both sides. The biggest success of working with these patrons was being able to instill confidence in them. Most of the patrons said they were happy about how the lessons went and felt more confident about using computers in the future. One gentleman that I worked with was extremely pleased that he had mastered the steps to open up the internet browser and do a Google search for his favourite newspaper. He was very excited when I told him that he could come into the library and read the newspaper online for free whenever he wished.

During my time at Halifax North, I have met a lot of interesting people, and have really enjoyed working with them. I guess the main service that I provided was “bridging the digital divide”, and helping to provide people (usually individuals with mental disabilities, or low literacy levels) with the opportunity to use a computer – an opportunity they probably would not have had otherwise. By providing guidance, attention, and time, I was able to show these people that they CAN use a computer. I also encouraged them to come back to the library/C@P site and make use of its services in the future. Most of the patrons I worked with were “regulars” at the library, and quite well-known to the staff. Hopefully now they will start to make more use of the computers available to them at the library – it does open up a whole new world of possibilities!