When Did I Become Tech Support? : Shepherd in the Rural Digital Wilderness

In 2010, the Internal Revenue Service stopped providing mailed tax booklets to taxpayers, forcing millions of unprepared Americans into the Digital Wilderness. Employers require both employees and job seekers to do tasks online only , ready or not. Rural librarians are often the only shepherds offering help to late adopters who still do not use technology on a regular basis. Going beyond just teaching computer classes, librarians now frequently give full-scale Internet and technology assistance to library users. Ranging from helping users burn CDs and use tech equipment like iPods, iPads, and smart phones, to helping set up an e-mail account and applying online for a job, librarians sometime even serve as front-line technical support, being asked how to format a hard drive or upgrade computer memory. This session will go over specific scenarios of library users needing advanced technology assistance, and how a librarian can respond to those needs. We will talk about how we can help the public with technology, and, just as important, what to do when asked to go above and beyond into the realm of technical support. ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Jim Boyd is Reference/Technology Librarian at the Bondurant (IA) Community Library