Digital Navigators

Mansfield Librarians help navigate the web, technology

It’s hard to expound on the multitude of ways that libraries are incredible places. In a day and age where there are less and less places to go to just hang out, libraries are one of the last places where you’re allowed to just sit without the expectation that you have to pay to be there. Add to that the plethora of services that are offered in libraries and you have a winning combination. From cakes pans and music instruments, to DVDs and even seeds to start a garden, libraries can be a box of the unexpected. In Mansfield, they recently started up the Digital Navigators that will help residents with technology needs.

The service which is available to patrons of the Mansfield Library will help those with technology service needs in a variety of ways:

• Internet Service

We can help you find affordable, broadband internet service and apply for aid programs you may be eligible for to reduce the costs of those services

• Device Procurement

We can meet with you to demonstrate the use of many different devices to assist you in making purchasing decisions

• Digital Skills Training

We teach basic digital skills related to a wide variety of devices and applications through one-on-one or group sessions

• Technical Support

We can help solve technical issues you may be having with your devices or with the publicly available devices at the Mansfield Public Library Digital Navigator John Cropp said that “Systems Librarian Kaithlin Epling brought Paul Velazquez and I on board in January and we have met with quite a few community members over the past three months.”

If you were wondering if the program was successful, he went on to say that “Paul and I visit a local 62+ community every other week and the appointment lists for those visits are usually full. We also have several regulars that we work with at the library and we have seen an increase in the number of walk-in requests for assistance and of patrons scheduling appointments.”

Some people will always prefer the feel and experience of reading physical books, and it’s highly unlikely that libraries will be getting out of the book industry. But e-readers have shown that they are not just a passing fad, but a real market, and as we know smart phones and personal computers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. This service isn’t one you would have likely thought of as being hosted in your local library, but a welcome one indeed. Mansfield residents are sure to benefit – if they can just get their computers running well enough to email.