SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — The Digital Navigators of Hudson Valley, a program that offers technology help in local libraries, received a $500,000 grant from New York state in August to expand services. The program is active in Western Sullivan Public Libraries (WSPL).

The grant was given to the Westchester Library System to provide for nine counties. The grantor was the Empire State ConnectALL office, a $1 billion initiative aiming to provide broadband internet access and technology throughout New York state. 

What is a Digital Navigator?

Carolyn Glauda, program director of the Digital Navigators, said that a digital navigator is “someone that you can go to for any kind of tech question about your device, your home broadband access, just questions about how the internet works in general.”

Alexa Simonelli, library branch manager for the WSPL Tusten-Cochecton branch, said that as a digital navigator, she often sees questions related to cellphones. 

“It could be like they need help sending something on their phone, or printing something,” she said.

Glauda said her favorite thing to help people with is teaching them how to use FaceTime or other video chat services to connect with family. She added that the navigators also help people apply for jobs digitally, set up an email, use government portals to access SNAP benefits and more. Glauda and Simonelli emphasized that the program is designed to help clients learn how to solve their own technology problems in the future rather than just fixing it for them. 

“When people tell us that they’ve learned something and that they can do it on their own now, that’s really what we’re there for,” Simonelli said.

How does it work?

The program is free. The best way to connect with a Digital Navigator is by looking up a local library to see if there’s a navigator on staff, or by using the Digital Navigators of Hudson Valley webpage to find navigators in the area, according to Glauda. Anyone interested in the program can also go to their local library and make an appointment or ask for help in person. 

Simonelli said that WSPL’s multimedia specialist, Dale Blagrove, takes weekly 30-minute appointments that are typically booked. Simonelli said she handles smaller issues and walk-ins that don’t require 30 minutes. Heather Levine, a WSPL library clerk, is also a navigator.

The program only exists in libraries, because “a lot of the people who work in libraries are getting those kinds of questions” according to Glauda. Library staff can register for a cohort training, and receive a small incentive afterwards.

Glauda explained that the training is through the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, and navigators train with a cohort of other future navigators. The cohorts typically run every three months, and contain 12 to 25 trainees. 

Simonelli added that the cohorts are very important because even after the training, she can ask fellow navigators and trainers technology questions she receives that she may not have the answer to. 

“It’s really easy to follow tech trends in the library world.” she said. “It’s really good communication.”

Glauda said that since the program started, it has served over 3,000 people, and 125 people have been trained.

The program’s origins

Glauda explained that the program was started in 2022, after the use of technology increased during the pandemic. 

Glauda said that before the Digital Navigators program, a lot of librarians did not feel comfortable handling visitors’ personal devices. Those who needed help turned to the Apple Genius Bar or BestBuy’s Geek Squad, but the issue was that they often had to be a customer to get technology help.

“If you didn’t know how to get onto a Zoom call, or if you didn’t know how to use a doctor’s portal, or FaceTime with your family, you were kind of locked out of a significant part of society.” Glauda said. 

According to census data, from 2020 to 2024, around one in 10 people in Sullivan County did not have a broadband internet subscription, meaning that they did not have access to the internet. 

“Everything switched to having an app now instead of paper,” Simonelli said about the importance of the program.

Funding

The $500,000 will be used to keep the program free, and to continue paying the trainers and navigators, Glauda said.

The money will also be used for evaluators, and that will make sure the program is benefiting as many as possible, meeting the needs of the community and making an impact.

Besides using the funding to keep the program free, Glauda also wants to use the money to spread the word that the program exists so more people know about it and use it.

The future

The navigator training teaches navigators what low-cost broadband internet services exist. Glauda said she’d love to see that being taught more to clients in the future. 

“None of these digital skills are gonna be helpful if you can’t get online in the first place,” she said.

Simonelli hopes that more people will be trained with the program in the future. 

“We’re thinking about some long-term mobile-tech services that would be really nice,” she said, adding that providing mobile services during power outages would be a dream of hers. 

More information about the program can be found at hvconnected.org.