The Macon County Public Library and Southwestern Community College teamed up last month to help some of the area’s less tech-savvy citizens get more comfortable behind a computer screen.
Once a week on Tuesday afternoons, library patrons went to the computer lab to speak with Jonathan Wertheim, an adult basic education instructor for Southwestern Community College. Wertheim has previously worked with the Lyndon B. Johnson Job Corps and specializes in helping young adults obtain their GEDs, but he feels that his digital literacy class fills a similar need. When the pandemic shut down many in-person businesses and institutions last year, Macon County residents had to hop online first and ask questions later. Now that they can come to an in-person class again, it’ll be easier for many of them to refine their skills.
“We’re really trying to familiarize people with today’s technology,” Wertheim said. “Especially with families having to become homeschools and seniors trying to stay in touch with their families, this is all becoming more relevant.”
Students in the digital literacy class sat in front of a computer and asked Wertheim how to perform basic tasks, sometimes as small as how to turn the machine on. Once they had the essentials down, they took skills assessments to make sure they could put what they learned into practice. Students didn’t have to be at every class, but the ones who attended regularly noticed a big difference in how comfortable they were on the computer.
Everyone came to class with their own level of experience and motivation. Joel Evans, for example, is getting ready to start a new career that will require digital skills he’s never needed before. He saw the class as a good way to prepare himself for the next chapter in his life.
“I’m moving on after being in construction for 38 years,” Evans said. “My body’s telling me it’s time to slow down.”
Amy Burton, on the other hand, has a professional background with computers, but technology advances faster and faster these days, so she felt she could use a refresher course.
“Especially with Windows 10 becoming the standard, I have some trouble navigating that,” Burton said. “I’m just trying to keep up with the changes.”
Retirees adapting to a whole new digital world, parents trying to make sense of their children’s online learning resources and more have found their way to the library for the class in the last few weeks. Library staff is pleased with the attendance and the extra engagement the class has provided for patrons that have missed coming to the library during the pandemic. Some of them are actually getting more out of their visits because they’re learning how to use new library resources.
“Even outside what they’ve learned in class, there are things that they didn’t know that we had available that they’re using now,” adult services coordinator Laura Lansford said. “It’s making us more accessible.”
Whether you’re grappling with unfamiliar professional software, trying to get faster typing on a keyboard or just need help operating an advanced new phone, Wertheim says it’s always okay to ask for help and learn something new.
“Anyone who decides to be a non-traditional student should be honored for their willingness to learn,” Wertheim said.
For more information on services offered at the Macon County Public Library, call 828-524-3600 or go online to www.fontanalib.org/franklin.