BRIDGEPORT — Recently, 57-year-old Vincent Calderon decided to pursue an associate’s degree in general studies at Housatonic Community College downtown.
But then Calderon realized that before getting a higher education, he needed to be trained in everyday technology that many people, including professors and students, take for granted.
“I ended up leaving (Housatonic) because using the computer was hard for me. It’s not like the good old days. Everything goes through a computer,” Calderon said. “I often felt like a ‘fish out of water’.”
Thanks to a new initiative launched by the city’s public library network, Calderon is working to improve its technological skills. Launched in early October, the digital browser pilot program lends mobile devices – Chromebooks, laptops and mini wireless “hotspot” internet boxes – and also provides individual instructions on how to use them.
“Our goal is to distribute 500 mobile devices by December 31,” Librarian Elaine Braithwaite said in a statement. “We know the need is there, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Andre O’Connor, 33, a library assistant at the downtown branch, is a staff member who teaches program participants.
“I meet each person for the first time, sign them up for a device, give them my schedule, and they book one-hour sessions with me, as much as they want and for as long as they want,” did he declare. “We sit down and whatever their level of knowledge is, that’s where we start. I’ve had people who have never even turned on a computer before. Others have understood but don’t understand what is a web browser.”
O’Connor said the global coronavirus crisis, which after hitting Connecticut in early 2020 initially shut down many public and private facilities and restricted gatherings, revealed how dependent many Bridgeport residents are on access to computers in local library branches.
“We discovered that a lot of customers have nothing or access to nothing,” he said. “We saw a dire need here.”
And even after the gradual lifting of COVID health rules, things like online meetings and working from home remained prevalent.
“We’ve had a lot of clients who joined (the digital navigation program) because their doctors switched to telehealth (online consultations),” O’Connor explained.
Others try to look for better jobs or just want to be able to video chat with family members.
By Tuesday, 230 people had signed up for the pilot effort and the library had distributed 115 mobile devices. Participants are loaned the technology for three months and then can extend this period for another three months. Anyone interested in more information can, if they have access to a computer, visit bportlibrary.org or call the main library number, 203-576-7400 and say they want to join.
“All staff are aware of this program,” O’Connor noted.
Funding and equipment came from the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Connectivity Fund and business partners Verizon and T-Mobile.
Ideally, Braithwaite said, the initiative will prove successful enough that the city can find a way to sustain the effort “for the foreseeable future.”
Meanwhile, Calderon, who heard about the library system volunteer project, said after about a month “I learned a lot.”
“They help me tremendously,” he said.
And he plans to eventually re-enroll at Housatonic.
“Once I know enough, I can go back and trust and know what I’m doing,” Calderon said.
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