LITT: Adult Services

9 attendees chatted about the following:

Digital Skills
Most asked digital skills questions?
– Password management leads to loop of death to access because users don’t understand how things are interconnected. An info graphic of how it works would be useful.
– How cell phones are used to increase security, like when users receive a code to retrieve their password
– Social media most asked about is Youtube, email, and facebook
– How to find, access, and fill out forms online for job applications, medical records, and legal issues
– Using a smartphone after a flip phone and translating from one to the other, just like from phone to tablet
– Terminology can be very confusing, like “save it to the desktop”, “open a new tab”, hamburger and waffle menus. These are not necessarily phrases users understand.
– People come in with little to no digital skills, so staff need to remember that when assisting them
– Users might forget how to do these tasks from one time to the next, so someone to help each time is needed
– Low literacy/ reading comprehension in general, not just digital means users get frustrated and move through websites quickly and this leads to frustration and can be a security risk

How address some of these needs?
– Got a low-vision keyboard with big bright keys, color groupings
– One library used Grow With Google basic digital skills classes, but has found one-on-one is best
– Digital skills workshops in a box could include curriculum, handouts, slides, and a script. Leading classes can be scary for staff, so making as easy to deliver as possible. A curriculum or teaching plan that could be adopted across the state would also mean other libraries could act as support.
– State-wide 1-800 tech help number
– All of these must come with a good marketing campaign! Bookmarks with clear and simple language
– One library has a handout with all their digital resources. When they pass it out at the service desk, they highlight the resource they talked about with the user and include steps of how to get there
– News/ information literacy training can help with possible online safety issues. Show users how to “follow to the facts”

What barriers exist for you?
– Time to develop classes
– Staff to run classes
– Low attendance at teaching type classes has helped them see users actually prefer one-on-one
– Comfort of staff transferring skills and knowledge to others might be because staff are presented as the “expert.” What if reframe as a tech buddy and remove expectation that staff are “experts”

General
– “Technology Classes” might be intimidating so consider using different language? “I’m not a tech person, so I don’t need that.”
– One library has Tech tutors that do one-on-one sessions. Tutor’s areas they can help with are listed on the website and at each session they fill out a tech tutor sheet that says what they worked on and the homework the user was going to do. The library keeps a copy to reference they next time the user comes in, and the user keeps a copy to remind them of the skill they were going to work on.
– Most popular adult programs – Murder Mystery dinner party and craft nights in Mountain Home, Craft nights > socializing in Ada, xeriscape gardening and book your best vacation are after hours programming for adults in Oneida, Plant/ seed exchange and seed planting paper, after hours summer reading kick off w/ mocktails and a band
– How get more people to show up? One idea was to have programs be more community led. This would mean less work for staff in developing the program, and the community member would have a vested interest in inviting their friends. Could also try regular scheduling on same day and time of each month.
– Homeschooling summit in the fall where they offer a half-day workshop on LiLI resources and more