South Hadley new library building site

This will be the view from the new South Hadley Public Library is voted favorably upon in the upcoming election. Pretty nice!

Berkshire Athenaeum offers Computer Classes in January & February

Berkshire Athenaeum
Pittsfield's Public Library
One Wendell Avenue
Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 499 9480

Schedule of Computer Classes

 January & February 2010

All classes held in the Computer Lab and last for one hour.

***PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED: SIGN UP AT THE REFERENCE DESK***

Our Computer Lab sessions are taught presuming attendees’ ability to type on a computer keyboard; use either a laptop touchpad or a mouse; and enter an address in the address bar of a browser. Those who do not have these skills are welcome to sign up for our sessions; however, they may find they are unable to fully participate.

Business Websites You Should Know About
Keeping informed and up-to-date is always important in business. Workshop will focus on best business websites and FREE online resources available to start-up, maintain, and grow your business and how they may provide a one-stop-shop for all aspects of your business. (Taught by Dick)
Tuesday, January 12, 6 – 7 pm

College Funding Re$ource$
A review of websites that can assist you in financing a College Education- for you or for your children. (Taught by Dick)
Saturday, January 30, 10 – 11 am

Email
Setting up a free web-based email account. (Taught by Mary Ann)
Saturday, January 16, 10 – 11 am

Excel Basics
Participants will review the interface, create a basic spreadsheet, insert formulas. (Taught by Madeline)
Wednesday, January 20, 6 – 7 pm

Google Docs
We will explore the basics of this free word processing software. (Taught by Madeline)
Wednesday, February 3, 6 – 7 pm

Homework SOS for Parents
You know the kids shouldn’t be “googling” or using Wikipedia for their homework – but maybe you’re not sure what they should be using? We will review some authoritative library databases geared toward students at different grade levels: all free and available 24/7. (Taught by Mary Ann)
Thursday, January 28, 6 – 7 pm

Job Search Resources in Learning Express
We will explore the Learning Express database Job Search module which includes resume writing; creating effective cover letters; and interview tips. (Taught by Mary Ann)
Thursday, February 11, 6 – 7 pm

Library Catalog: Beyond the Basics
Go behind the scenes with the Athenaeum's cataloger to discover what goes into making the library's catalog, and pick up a few searching tricks along the way. (Taught by Jeremy)
Wednesday, January 13, 6 – 7 pm

LibraryThing: An Introduction
For many booklovers, LibraryThing is the greatest site online.  In this workshop you will set up a free account, learn how you can interact with fellow bibliophiles, and see how you can contribute to the Athenaeum's catalog as a result. (Taught by Jeremy)
Thursday, February 18, 6 – 7 pm

Word 2007 Basics
An introduction to Word 2007 covering opening and saving a document; setting up margins; changing fonts; running a spell check; selecting templates; creating a letter and other documents. (Taught by Dick)
Tuesday, February 16, 6 – 7 pm

Word 2007 : Tables
We will use Word 2007 to create and format a table. (Taught by Madeline)
Wednesday, February 24, 6 – 7 pm

April and May Workshops at the Berkshire Athenaeum

Schedule of Computer Classes

April & May 2009

All classes are held in the Athenaeum Computer Lab and last for one hour.

***Preregistration Required: Sign up at the Reference Desk***

Berkshire Funding Resource Center
Introduction to the Foundation Center website and its resources; using the Foundation Center databases to locate foundation grant funding sources; orientation to Athenaeum resources to support grant research. (Taught by Madeline)Tuesday, April 7 (10 am); Wednesday, May 13 (6 pm)

Blogs and Blogging Series

Part 1: Introduction to Blogs and Blogging. What blogs can and cannot do. Personal and Business Blogs. Developing your blog plan. Setting up a blog email account with gmail. (Taught by Dick) Wednesday, April 15 (10 am)

Part 2: Create and manage your own blog. Using Google’s Blogger, you will create your own free Blogger account. Creating your first blog post. (Taught by Dick) Wednesday, April 22 (10 am)

Part 3: Managing your blog. Discussion of blog maintenance and growth. Resources available to support and grow your blog. (Taught by Dick) Wednesday, April 29 (10 am)

Business Websites You Should Know About
Keeping informed and up-to-date is always important in business. Workshop will focus on best business websites and how they may provide a one-stop-shop for all aspects of your business. (Taught by Dick) Saturday, April 11 (10 am); Saturday, May 23 (10 am)

Email Series

Part 1: Getting started in Email: Set up your own email account. The advantages of more than one email account. Will focus on creating gmail and yahoo mail accounts. (Taught by Dick) Thursday, April 9 (10 am); Thursday, May 7 (10 am)

Part 2: Managing  your Email account: Workshop will focus on what you can do with your email account. Setting up Folders and Labels. Address and Contact Lists. Using the Help areas. File storage and privacy issues. Will answer your email questions. (Taught by Dick) Thursday, April 16 (10 am); Thursday, May 14 (10 am)

Evaluating Medical Websites
List of reliable sites and how to use. What to look for when judging for yourself. (Taught by Mary Ann) Saturday, April 18 (10 am); Saturday, May 9 (10 am)

Free Business Resources on the Web
This workshop will cover FREE online resources to start-up, maintain and grow your business. Focus will be on operational tools you’ll be able to use right away. Develop online contacts and support. (Taught by Dick) Tuesday, April 28 (6 pm); Tuesday, May 12 (6 pm)

Internet Essentials
What’s an “icon”, anyway? What’s a “browser” and why should I care? Where’s the “address bar”? In this session we will cover the answers to the most frequently asked questions nuts and bolts questions about searching the Internet that the Athenaeum Reference Librarians receive. (Taught by Madeline) Thursday, April 30 (10 am); Wednesday, May 20 (6 pm)

An Introducation to LibraryThing
For many booklovers, LibraryThing is the greatest site online. In this workshop you will set up a free account, learn how you can interact with fellow bibliophiles, and see how you can contribute to the Athenaeum’s catalog as a result. (Taught by Jeremy) Thursday, April 23 (10 am)

Library Catalog Series

Part 1: Finding books and other items in the library catalog. Learn how to look for the item you want. Learn how to request the item you want. Will include an explanation of the three regions (Western, Central, Virtual) and the Union Catalog. (Taught by Mary Ann) Tuesday, April 28 (10 am)

Part 2: Learn how to manage your own library account in order to: Renew your checked- out items; Keep a record of what you’ve read or listened to; See the items you request. (Taught by Mary Ann) Tuesday, May 5 (10 am)

Part 3: Now that you understand how to utilize the library catalog, go behind the scenes with the Athenaeum’s cataloger to discover how the records are made and learn a bit about the philosophy of cataloging. (Taught by Jeremy) Tuesday, May 12 (10 am)

Web 2.0
In recent years the internet has changed profoundly, from being a mere information resource to being a community center (must like libraries themselves).  Come and discover what blogs, wikis, twitter, and various social networks have to offer, as well as why so many of them feature silly pictures of cats.   (Taught by Jeremy) Saturday, April 25, (10 am); Wednesday, May 13 (10 am)

Why Does the Library Owns a Wii?
Video games have become a dominant force in entertainment, and one of the only industries shown to be recession proof.  Come and learn what's hot in gaming, why it matters, and why the Athenaeum now runs bi-weekly video game nights. (Taught by Jeremy) May 21 (7 pm)

Word Basics

We will use Word 2007 to create a short document, using the options for simple document formatting (font, bullets, indentation, alignment, bold, italics, underlining). (Taught by Madeline) Tuesday, April 7 (6 pm); Tuesday, May 19 (6 pm)