Lawrence library helps patrons get connected.
By: Lea Kahn
While most folks think of the library as a place to check
out books or read magazines, the Lawrence Branch of the Mercer County
Library System is also a place to keep up with technology.
The library, located on Darrah Lane, has been offering the
free monthly computer classes for two years, said Jennifer Worringer, a
reference librarian who teaches the courses with some help from
volunteers.
Ms. Worringer said some of the classes are as rudimentary
as "Mouse Basics" and "Introduction to PCs," which are geared toward
beginners. But there are courses for students who are more proficient and
who want to learn new skills, such as the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and
Publisher software programs, she added.
Word and Excel are "critical" for persons who are seeking
work, Ms. Worringer said, adding that basic and advanced versions of the two
programs are taught at the library.
PowerPoint is being used more and more by teachers,
students and salespeople as a way to present information in a colorful,
interesting way, she said. Elementary school students use PowerPoint to make
presentations.
Publisher is useful for people who want to make posters or
brochures, she said. Realtors have used it to make posters for their clients
and groups and organizations have used it to create newsletters.
There are even classes that teach people how to navigate
the Internet and how to use the electronic version of the library’s catalog.
They also can learn how to use e-mail.
The ideal class is eight students one for each
computer, she said. But a class of 14 or 15 students is manageable, as some
students work on the computer while their classmates watch. All students
have time to practice, she said.
It is becoming increasingly necessary to be familiar with
computers, Ms. Worringer said. For example, the traditional card catalog,
which lists every book in the library, has been discarded for the electronic
version.
Recently, the Lawrence Branch of the Mercer County Library
System replaced its original electronic version one with only a
conventional keyboard with the PC-based version of the card catalog.
This requires patrons to be able to use a mouse to point and click, she
said.
But there are even more compelling reasons to become
computer literate, Ms. Worringer said.
"The library has lots to offer, in terms of different
types of information," she said. "Now, some of the best information is only
available on the Internet or on the library’s own Web site, www.mcl.org, or
on CD-ROMs that you can check out of the library."
Thus far, the majority of students are adults, Ms.
Worringer said. They include retirees whose jobs never required them to use
computers, to people re-entering the work force who need to brush up on
their computer skills or learn new skills.
"A lot of people who are looking for work tell me that the
advertisements require them to know all of the basic Microsoft programs,"
she said. "It’s exciting. It means the library is helping people catch up
and become valuable to the workplace."
People who are new to computers tend to be nervous, Ms.
Worringer said. It’s easy to understand why they are nervous, she said. A
computer is a fancy machine. While she said she never tells new students
that it’s easy to learn to use a computer, she does tell them that if they
persevere, "they will be OK."
"People who have not used a computer to this point, you
almost have to convince them," she said. "We try to get people excited about
what you can do with a computer. We teach them how to use the Internet. We
take them to sites that have clean jokes. The idea is that Internet can be a
lot of fun, in addition to holding tons and tons of information."
The library also focuses on what the students want to
learn, she said. That’s really the key to holding their interest and
encouraging them to come back for more lessons and to use the library
‘s resources, she said.
"The nature of the library is changing in response to the
explosion of information," she said. "We spend $40,000 a year subscribing to
databases. A database is a large collection of focused information. For
example, there is EBSCOhost, which is a collection of articles in more than
2,000 magazines. There is Time and Newsweek, and Architectural Digest and
The New England Journal of Medicine."
Library patrons can call up EBSCOhost at home, using the
library’s Web site, Ms. Worringer said. They can sit at home and do their
research. But if they get stumped, they can always call the reference
librarians, she added.
In certain respects, the Mercer County Library System’s
decision to offer computer classes follows the model set by industrialist
Andrew Carnegie, Ms. Worringer said. Mr. Carnegie, who made most of his
fortune in the steel industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries, paid for
thousands of "free" libraries in the United States and abroad.
A Scottish immigrant, Mr. Carnegie felt that each American
had the right to be able to learn and to have a place the library
where he or she could learn, Ms. Worringer said. He wanted to educate
Americans so they could be better citizens, which would lead to a better
society, she said.
"I think Mr. Carnegie was right," she said. "Offering
computer classes is an expansion of what libraries have always done. You
come to the library to learn that is part of the (Carnegie)
philosophy. Librarians are teachers, and we have started to teach people how
to use computers."
Persons who want to register for the computer classes can call the Mercer
County Library System, which has its headquarters at the Lawrence Branch, at
989-6923. The schedule of classes also is available on-line at www.mcl.org.