Transcript Ask Whatever and SeniorSurf, Finnish ways to spread media literacy /

Ask Whatever and SeniorSurf,
Finnish ways to spread media
literacy /
Ms. Tuula Haavisto, Senior Library
Adviser, Helsinki , Finland
[email protected]
 Mass training in mediacy by
libraries?!
 Two ideas tested and used in Finland
to reach larger groups in one time,
though the individual service is the
strong point of libraries
SeniorSurf,
Find your way on Internet
 In 2000-2002, yearly SeniorSurf campaigns were
organised, to encourage elder citizens to use Internet
and SMS (Short Message Sending via mobile phone).
For 2003 and 2005, the campaign was refocused: it
promoted ways to find the requested content from
Internet.
 Ideological discussions among professionals about the
focus of mediacy training in libraries and provisions of
sponsorship
’Ask whatever’ in radio
 From Autumn 2003, a radio program Ask
whatever is run in co-operation between
Helsinki City Library and YLE, the Finnish
public service broadcasting company.
Library staff answers all kinds of questions,
sent to radio by the listeners.
 The radio program was based on a certain
preceding development.
SeniorSurf 2000-2002
 SeniorSurf was oganised by the Finnish Library
Association, the idea was imported from Sweden,
financing from the Ministry of Education
 It concentrated on basic skills in using new media for
an age group which at that time had less guidance in
accessing new IT skills
 The concrete target was to encourage citizens of the
age 55+:
- to get the first touch with Internet,
- in the two first years, to learn to use the SMS (Short
Message Sending) function of their mobile phones.
The working forms of the
SeniorSurf
 Lectures, personal guidance on how to use the web,
Internet sources and the SMS, discussions,
presentations of Internet-based services by e.g.
banks and municipal officials etc.
 A list of web resources for the libraries:
web sites offering Internet study packages or other
good starting points for new-beginners
 A special material to learn to use the mouse
 A special material presented the SMS use
 An extremely popular basic guide Pleasure and
learning with your computer
SeniorSurf in numbers
 170 to 250 participating libraries / year
- there are ca. 900 public library units in
Finland
 5.000-10.000 participating people per year
 Individual guidance resulted less audience than
programs based on lectures
 No connection between e.g. the size of the
community and the participant amount; but a
clear connection between the motivation in the
participating library = amount of work done in
the library to advertise the event
Ideological discussions questioned
SeniorSurf
 Two sponsors: teleoperator Sonera & mobile phone
producer Nokia
 Paid the expensive press advertisements, test mobile
phones & connection time to the participating libraries
hot ideological discussion among librarians:
acceptable forms of sponsorship: ‘named mobile
phones and operators should not be advertised in any
form inside libraries, or the participating libraries
should get a clear payment in cash on it.’
Ideological discussions questioned
SeniorSurf 2
 SMS training in libraries: ‘SMS is not at all a
business of libraries, we should concentrate on
deeper information and knowledge. If there is
need to teach SMS, it is up to other institutions.’
 For our partners, National Research and
Development Centre for Welfare and Health, and
organisations of senior citizens, SMS is first of all
a potential safety equipment for elderly people
- public institutions responsible to train seniors
to use it
- public libraries due to their easy access
excellent venues to learn SMS skills
- non-commercial context in public libraries;
compare to a short training by a young salesman
in a shop
Where did we end up? Sponsorship
 Opinions of the participating libraries were
collected in 2000.
- 62% (133) of the participants returned the
form
- Majority saw that the press campaign and
availability of test phones on the campaign day
was a balanced price for allowing visibility to
commercial enterprises in libraries for one day.
- Only one of the answerers gave negative
feedback, and in her own name, not on behalf
of the library
 The arguing also led the Min.of
Education to produce a short guide
for sponsorship in public libraries. The
English version is available on
Internet
http://www.minedu.fi/minedu/culture
/library/english/information.html
Where did we end up? SMS
 The result of the discussion remained partly open.
- The participating libraries: ‘we took part in a mediacy
enlargement project.’
The critics still remained: ‘no library resources should be
used for such purposes. Literacy and reading campaings
should be prioritized in public libraries.’
 However, out of e.g. the 5-7 yearly campaigns of the
Finnish Library Association, 3-4 concentrate on literacy
and reading, one in mediacy (like SeniorSurf) and the
rest on varying topics.
Find your way on Internet,
2003 and 2005
 In 2003, the campaign day oriented towards a larger
target audience: not-so-experienced-Internet-user
adults
 A narrower scope: concentrated on presenting
guidance to existing Internet resources
 Why the change: the SeniorSurf idea had fulfilled its
purpose.
 Many other actors offered possibilities to this group.
Seniors and Internet had even become a very
fashionable topic in journals, adult education
institutions and TV programs
Working forms in 2003
 Link libraries, search engines, other search
possibilities and basic portals of public
services were presented via lectures and
individual guidance
 A tabloid of 16 pages was disseminated,
including articles, interviews and short infos
on web resources
 10 training days for 420 library staff
members around the country: trends of the
Internet development and web searching
Half-success…
 Library programs from lectures for
schoolchildrens' parents to e-book and local
congregation web page presentations.
 There were ca. 3.500 participants in 150 public
libraries.
 The feedback showed, that this time the target
audience was too undefined
 Feedback also suggested to create an Internet
policy for Finnish public libraries. The idea is
still under work.
 In 2004 no Internet day in libraries
 In 2005, Find your way on Internet again,
strongly concentrating on public web
information and training of librarians
Ask whatever, the radio program
 Ask about nature - since the 70s a very
popular radio programme in Finland
 a simple structure: listeners send questions,
biologists and other specialists answer
 According to this model, an idea was
developed: librarians can answer questions not
only in libraries and virtually, but also via the
radio
Background elements in libraries
 The mobile service unit of Helsinki City
Library: iGS, information Gas Station: the
unit with its staff can be located to serve
people on railway stations, shopping malls,
fairs etc.
 a banner on the roof: Ask whatever
 questions can be asked and answered onsite, via phone, SMS, or e-mail
 all the questions and answers are saved in
an open databank, which can be used via
the web
 From the point of view of the radio
program, the iGS team is the important
element.
- ca. 10 professionals from different
branches of the Helsinki City Library.
- iGS is part of their job, not full-time
- half are librarians (university education),
- half library assistants (vocational or
polytechnics level)
- USED TO MEET PEOPLE IN NON-LIBRARY
ENVIRONMENT