NNLM AoU Community Award: In This Together - Digital and Health Literacy

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted several deficits within the York County, VA community, specifically the lack of digital literacy among seniors ages 65+. As our communities shut down during the pandemic and began relying on virtual connections, many of our seniors were shut out from everyday resources due to the digital divide. Simple tasks, such as purchasing groceries and setting up appointments to receive healthcare, suddenly became overwhelming obstacles in the form of online grocery ordering and virtual doctor’s appointments. It became obvious that digital literacy and familiarity with devices was no longer a luxury, but rather a necessity. The York County Public Library (YCPL) aims to tackle these issues in two ways. The first, through digital literacy outreach targeting homebound seniors by providing mobile workshops at senior living facilities and community centers. The second, through in-house technology workshops for seniors with greater mobility. Our goal is to create a sustainable program through community partnerships, allowing library staff to launch technology workshops in January 2022. Basic and intermediate classes will be provided, covering a range of topics to include device basics, Zoom 101, and accessing reliable health resources online, such as scheduling Telehealth and vaccination appointments. Participants are encouraged to bring their own devices; however, the library will have devices available to “test drive” and use if participants do not have
access to their own. Following completion of our workshop, seniors will have improved digital literacy, increased comfort using their personal devices, and the knowledge to identify and utilize reliable online resources, ultimately leading to a healthier life.