Lifesteps

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The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Information Society Fund have provided funding for An Chomhairle Leabharlanna for two new projects, Lifesteps and Agora, for 2004-2005. These initiatives aim to promote better use of the Internet by late adopters of technology and by the less advantaged in society.

Lifesteps

The LifeSteps project enables users of public-access Internet PCs to use the Internet's many facilities for major life events, such as job-seeking, shopping, company establishment, accommodation finding etc. and supports research and encourage new users to get started. This will make a major contribution to addressing the digital divide, by adding significant value to the basic information technology infrastructure already available in the public libraries. It will also demonstrate the value and relevance of the wide range of online information and services to a large section of society who have, to date, seen the Internet primarily as an email carrier or not relevant to their lives.

The project will meet its aims by providing online and paper-based guides which provide simple, step-by-step instructions, with worked examples and real web sites, to the users. Each of the guides will have a sharp, narrow focus on a particular requirement or life event. Expert library staff will be selected to prepare these guides. Training of all library staff will be provided initially in order that they are familiar with the information presented in the guides, and so able to support their users.

For more information on this project please contact Annette Kelly