Discussions in last month’s Town Halls confirmed the increasing number of patrons who are using library computers for job searching and other critical tasks during this economic crisis. As library staff, we must be well prepared with to guide patrons in the fundamentals of using computers and the Internet. This month, we’re featuring WebJunction resources and courses on Basic Computer Skills and Basic Computer Support that can help equip you and your colleagues with the skills you need to maintain your computers and effectively assist your patrons.

• Been meaning to brush up on skills to build a better spreadsheet or design an attractive program flyer? Introductory courses are available for many Office Applications.
• Need help getting rid of those “out of order” signs? See the course catalog for courses on Basic Computer Support to get you started.
• Do you know what computer skills you need? Technology Competencies for Public Access Computing (PDF file) defines the basic skills, knowledge, and behaviors needed to keep your public computing program humming.
• Do you have patrons with minimal computer or Internet skills? Rodney McElveen created a Basic Computer Literacy Guide, ready to print out and have on hand for those just getting started.
• Need some guidance on serving your “Silver Surfer” community? Be sure to check out the Pamm Clements article about how her library developed electronic literacy classes for seniors.
• And don’t forget to check out the Webinars coming this month. Presenters will cover the basics related to staying organized, understanding bandwidth, staff training, and technology planning.

As you explore, use the new WebJunction tools to rate, recommend or comment to help assess and build these shared resources. Rating helps surface content that you find valuable—or not so valuable. Use the comments field to highlight outdated information or links, to suggest additional related resources, or to provide feedback to the contributing member. Use the recommendation feature to spread the word about documents that have helped you in your work. Your engagement helps keep the resources on WebJunction relevant and timely. Thank you!