Sarasota County libraries look to the Internet to boost digital literacy
As a digital services librarian for Sarasota County, Heather Gorman was used to seeing 30 people at a time who wanted to learn about using their iPhone, iPad or other Apple devices.
Public libraries, she said, have always been an “institutional mainstay” where people could go for answers – whether for research, entertainment or simply learning a new skill.
But all of that changed in March, when libraries closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The closures challenged the county library system to rethink the way it continued to offer public services.
Sarasota County youth service librarian Jose Cruz films a segment of “Facebook Live Storytime” with television specialist Samantha Chiodo at Shannon Staub Public Library. The county library system has pivoted to virtual-only programming in recent months amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and its programs include live and on-demand digital literacy programs for all ages.
“Since the closure, we’ve really had to pivot the way we’re reaching our patrons through programming,” she said. “We aren’t able to physically meet them at the library due to social distancing, but we wanted to meet them online.”
Most of the county’s branch libraries reopened with modified hours on June 15. Patrons are being encouraged to use curbside services, and in-person events are still on hold indefinitely.
While computers remain available for public use, they are fewer and farther between than before – literally – to comply with social distancing guidelines. That’s why the county library system has spent months working to push more of its resources to an online format. The next challenge, Gorman said, is to get the word out and help people take advantage of it.