Sydenham, Sharbot Lake Library branches to begin Tech Tutors programs

Craig Bakay | Oct 17, 2018

The Kingston Frontenac Public Library system has a new Tech Tutors program beginning this month at its Sydenham and Sharbot Lake Branches.

Kimberly Sutherland Mills, manager of programs and outreach said this is a pilot project that will run to the end of March, when they’ll see if it can continue.

“Although we regularly get requests for similar things, this program came out of meetings with Richard Allen (Frontenac County economic development manager) and Anne Prichard (executive director of Frontenac Community Services Development Corporation),” Sutherland Mills said. “A lot of businesses want to get started on social media but don’t know how to go about it.”

She said many of the tips they’ll be sharing can be accessed by anyone but some, such as Lynda.com tutorials, require an account but by coming in to a tech tutors session, patrons can use the Library’s accounts.

“The Library has accounts to 100s of hours of tutorials for things like Microsoft Excel and coding languages,” she said.

But it’s not just for business, she said.

“The other aspect is for those seniors who feel isolated and haven’t been able to figure out social media,” she said. “Some have told me that their children have given them devices that they don’t know how to use and they’d like to be able to see the pictures the kids have sent them.

“For others, it’s curiosity as in ‘my daughter told me I should be on Facebook.’”

All they have to do is bring in their device for some instruction on it.

The program has two aspects.

The first, available at both the Sydenham and Sharbot Lake Branches, is One-on-One Appointments which run on alternate Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Sharbot Lake and on Thursdays in Sydenham.

Appointments are required for these services and may be booked by calling 613-549-8888.

Secondly, The Tech Tutor will offer monthly technology drop-ins in Sydenham beginning Thursday Oct. 18 from 6-8 p.m. and monthly technology workshops beginning Thursday Nov.1 from 6-8 p.m. with eLearning with KFPL: Lynda.com and Mango Languages.