Digital Gadget Help and Much More at Your Local Library

Adeline Panamaroff

You want to communicate with your friends, learn a new skill or hobby, or listen to an audiobook.

The problem is that you just can’t seem to get that app to open, or get access to the online tutorial you need. Don’t fret — there’s a library program for that! Public libraries across the province offer a range of technology sessions, hobby meetups, and much more to help you navigate your digital device, develop a specialized skill, or to simply get out and be social.

Grand Prairie Public Library (GPPL) offers three technology-based courses on an ongoing basis. Introduction to Computers is “a quick course going over how to understand basic computer terms, how to find your way around a computer, and learning basics about your smartphone,” says Charlotte Anderson, Emerging Technologies Librarian at GPPL. Whenever library patrons require one-on-one help with a computer-related issue, a knowledgeable staff member is always available to assist. For more in-depth, software-specific courses, you can register for Graphic Designing with Canva or the Illustrator Class to become an Adobe expert.

On the artistic and social side, GPPL hosts several engaging selections like the Grande Readers Book Club — which focuses on literary selections, Erica’s Book Club that is genre-driven, a Knitters Circle, a Ukulele Circle, an Essential Roller Balls class — where you can make your own essential oil roller bottle, and the English Conversation Club, among others.

Edmonton Public Library (EPL) offers a wide range of technology-focused courses for the public. The most popular is Tech Time, “an opportunity for people to get one-on-one support for a specific issue. It can be anything — if you can bring it into the library, we can take a look at it,” explains Ben Ehlers, Community Librarian at EPL. Run by library staff, this program is offered at several of the library’s branches. A basic introduction to computers course, Computer Skills: Introduction to Microsoft Windows, is offered as well. In this course, aspects of Microsoft programs like Word are explored, such as saving and sharing files. If needed, staff can help out with a tech issue at any time while the library is open, although the amount of time they can spend with each person may be limited due to other demands.

Looking for a creative outlet? There are specialized workshops like cross-stitching, sewing basics, Cricut, and cooking classes, to name a few. The new makerspace at the downtown EPL branch, and at smaller spaces at the other branches, offers access to a diverse set of equipment, allowing patrons to drop in or attend a structured workshop to learn something new or to provide a social opportunity. These skill-building workshops are often created and run by community experts in collaboration with EPL for subjects the experts want to share with others in the community.

Smaller rural libraries, like Carstairs Public Library (CPL), see the need for technology-related courses too. The Digital Literacy course is “focused on whatever device the people attending have. It ranges a lot, for example accessing the internet through a tablet or a phone. … It’s based on what people want and need at that moment,” says Megan Ginther, Library Manager at CPL.

Other programming offered by CPL includes a book club, a social Crafternoon, and Spotting and Identifying Birds — run by community experts, and other one-time workshops as interest arises.

For seniors or anyone else requiring accessible options, CPL provides a book drop-off at the local seniors lodge, and door-to-door drop-offs for those still in their homes. A coffee chat program is currently in the works and will be delivered at the seniors lodge, where a topic will be raised for discussion among attendees as a means to socialize.

While much of the technology and creative programming offered by public libraries across the province is not specifically marketed for seniors, it is popularly attended by that demographic. However, there can be a mix of age ranges from teenagers, to job searchers, to older adults. Check out what your local library offers, and you may have the opportunity to learn something new while rubbing elbows with a newcomer to Canada or someone who looks like your grandchild.

Adeline Panamaroff, an Edmonton writer, has been using her local public libraries for over forty years and encourages everyone to explore what they have to offer. When not in a library, Adeline can be found reading her next favourite novel in the company of feline friends.