SIMPLE tasks like filling in a form can become dauntingly complex for those unfamiliar with computers when they have to be completed online.

In the same way, communications once available only via a telephone landline are now available through a plethora of options, which may not be easily understood by those unfamiliar with today’s technology.

Help is at hand, however, through people like John Farrar who give up their time to act as ‘IT Buddies’ at North Yorkshire’s libraries.

John spends half a day a week at Skipton Library to help with a guiding hand, instructions or simply as an intermediary to get people’s information onto the correct form and submitted - and an hour’s time slot can have a transformative effect on the lives of those who seek help.

Many people want help to fill in applications for bus passes or blue badges and either don’t have their own computer or are too unfamiliar with the technology to use it.

Others want help to learn to use specific features, to allow them to keep in touch with friends and relatives or pursue particular interests.

Smartphone handsets can pose similar problems, but assistance with tasks like storing phone numbers can make what was a baffling piece of technology into a useful asset.

John had a head start over many people because he looked after computer software when he had a business, before retiring in 2000.

He volunteered to offer similar help in Ilkley, before responding to an appeal for volunteers in Skipton, where he became in IT Buddy at the library.

John was drawn to volunteering because retirement had left a ‘vacuum’ in his life and has been at the library for several years.

“Often, I act as an intermediary, people tell me what they want to say and I put it onto a form on the computer,” he said.

“Sometimes people have been given a phone or tablet, but don’t have a clue how to use it so they book an appointment and I show them how to do the basic things.

“It is pretty straight forwards and people’s learning curve is often steep. I focus on what they actually want to do; if they want to talk to someone using their device, I show them how to do it.

“I get a lot of satisfaction from it. I have found there is nothing better than having someone who is totally lost and needs help with a bus pass and at the end of the hour, the application has gone off. They are over the moon.

“The vast majority of people are focused on what they want to use the computer for and I have adjusted the way I do my job match that. I give them what they want, not what I think they should have,” he said.

Area Librarian Catherine Barlow said the volunteering scheme had been running for years, but the scale of its importance had been underlined by the Covid-19 lockdowns, which left many people needing to conduct their business remotely.

“Having someone to sit down one to one and help people do what they need is really important to them and our volunteers provide that service,” she said.

Libraries have computers which can be used free for up to an hour and while some people want to use the internet to access council services, others had been given help in using options like price comparison websites, with the potential to check the value of various deals.

Digital skills and support to get online

If you or someone you know needs support with using technology or getting online, library IT buddies can help. Just drop into your local library or give them a call to find out more. You can also get advice and support by calling the Citizens Online free digital support helpline on 0808 196 5883. Citizen’s Online can connect you with a trained Digital Champion and give you access to laptops and other digital devices.