Elgin library helps online newbies

Carol Bugiel is trying to decide what kind of e-reader she wants to buy, and after attending Saturday’s 2011 Tech Camp at Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, she had a much better idea about the options available on the market.

“It was very informative. I learned a lot,” said Bugiel, who lives in Elgin.

Tech Camp, the first event of its kind offered by the library, was designed to get people acquainted with social media such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as the myriad things people can do when they’re tech-savvy, like downloading books from the library, creating and listening to podcasts, using online tools to get organized, sharing photos and blogging, said library virtual services coordinator Billie Moffett.

“We’ve seen other libraries do it across the country, so we decided to offer this boot camp for information about how to get into the online life,” Moffett said. “There are tons of people in Elgin who are blogging and on Twitter; it’s a vibrant community. This is for people who need a little extra help to get started.”

Tech Camp offered six half-hour sessions on topics such as “Managing Your Online life” and “Social Networking for Business.” Each was attended by about 25 people, some of whom attended multiple sessions.

Jim Anderson, 77, of Elgin said he came to the event out of curiosity.

Anderson doesn’t have a computer at home but uses the library’s computer to check his e-mail, he said. He and his wife are deciding what kind of computer they want to buy, after having taken several computer classes at Gail Borden — sometimes twice.

“This is not something that people my age have grown up with,” he said. “My friends with grandchildren, especially, want to learn this, because the next generation, that’s the only way they communicate.”