On September 27, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Computer courses are becoming increasingly popular among pensioners in the Vitebsk region, reports a BELTA correspondent. As Zhanna Bekasheva, head of the Krylov Library in Vitebsk, said, about fifty elderly people have already mastered the basics of computer literacy here, and as many more have signed up for groups, the classes for which will be held in winter. The training is free of charge, and librarians act as teachers. They unanimously note the huge interest of their grey-haired students in modern communication and information retrieval technologies. Over three years of operation of computer courses at the Francysk Skaryna Library in Polotsk, more than five hundred pensioners have acquired new knowledge. The course organizer, bibliographer Galina Nelina, noted that the demand for training in the basics of computer literacy among Polotsk pensioners is high: groups are formed until January. Within three weeks, students master the basics of working with a computer, learn to search for information on the Internet, use e-mail, and communicate in chats, forums, and social networks. The ability to use a computer not only allows elderly people to keep up with the times and expands their social circle but also helps them find common interests with their families, especially with their grandchildren. And another noteworthy fact is that after mastering the computer, elderly people do not stop being interested in books; many of them sign up for the library. -0-

BELTA