Free digital support sessions

Our digital champions run sessions for anyone who needs more confidence using their device or accessing our services on the web.

Free digital support sessions 

Our digital champions run free one-to-one support sessions to help you feel more confident using the internet and online services.

You can book a session and bring your own device along (such as a laptop, tablet or smartphone), or you can borrow one of ours on the day - just let us know when you request to book.

Our digital champions can help you with things such as:

  • emailing
  • browsing the web and staying safe online
  • video calling
  • online shopping and banking
  • Social media
  • using online council services, such as:
  • using online library services, including eBooks and eAudio and your online library account

Session dates and times

Location  Date Time
Royston Library Friday 23 September 10am to 1pm
Mapplewell Library Wednesday 28 September 1pm to 4pm
Penistone Library Friday 30 September 10am to 1pm
Cudworth Library Monday 3 October 10am to 1pm
Goldthorpe Library Friday 7 October 10am to 1pm
Dodworth Library Friday 7 October 2.30pm to 4.30pm
Library @ the Lightbox Monday 10 October 10am to 1pm
Hoyland Library Friday 14 October 10am to 1pm
Worsbrough Library Monday 17 October 2.30pm to 4.30pm
Wombwell Library Thursday 20 October 1pm to 4pm
Royston Library Friday 21 October 10am to 1pm
Mapplewell Library Wednesday 26 October 10am to 1pm
Penistone Library Friday 28 October 1pm to 4pm
Roundhouse Library Friday 28 October 2pm to 4pm

You can request to book a 45 minute slot at any of the sessions by filling in our online form or calling (01226) 773555. If you'd like to attend at a library not listed, just let us know your preferred location when you contact us.

Request to attend a digital session

Free online basics course 

If you'd like to learn more about getting online, you can join us for a free course.

There's a choice of dates and venues, and each course runs one day a week for six weeks.

Sessions cover:

  • Week 1 – using the internet and searching the internet
  • Week 2 – online forms and keeping your personal details secure online
  • Week 3 – using email
  • Week 4 – accessing public services and health services online
  • Week 5 – online shopping
  • Week 6 – learning to video call and watching/listening online

You can bring your own laptop or tablet if you have one, or borrow one of ours on the day.

Course dates and times

Location Day Dates Time How to book a place
Dodworth Library Tuesday 4 October to 8 November 10am to 12pm Contact us online, call (01226) 773555, or ask in the library.
Library @ the Lightbox Monday 17 October to 21 November 10am to 12pm Contact us online, call (01226) 773555, or ask in the library.
Library @ Penistone Friday 28 October to 2 December 10am to 12pm Contact us online, call (01226) 773555, or ask in the library.
Fitzwilliam Court, Hoyland Tuesday 1 November to 6 December 2pm to 4pm Contact us online, call (01226) 773555, or ask in Hoyland Library.

You can request to book a place at any of the courses by filling in our online form or calling (01226) 773555.

Request to attend a digital session

Digital safety sessions

Our digital champions are running some digital safety sessions during Safeguarding Awareness Week; they're open to anyone who is worried about online safety or who wants to learn more about keeping themselves safe online.

This session will look at how to stay safe online, with subjects such as:

  • staying safe when shopping.
  • booking tickets or holidays.
  • using email.
  • recognising fake websites.
  • recognising phishing emails and texts.
  • creating strong passwords.
  • protecting your device from viruses.

Please see below for the dates, times and venues:

Location Date Time
Penistone Library Tuesday 22 November 10am to 11.30am
Library @ the Lightbox Wednesday 23 November 10am to 11.30am

To book onto the event, please email digitalchampions@barnsley.gov.uk, ring (01226) 773555 or fill in our online form.

Support for local community groups

We also work with local community groups to support people to get online. You can read a case study about some of our work below. If you run a group and would like our digital champions to visit you, please get in touch using our online form. 

Case study: Athersley Cares

Here's what Lorraine, project manager at Athersley Cares, said about working with our digital champions:

"Athersley Cares is a community based organisation working on various initiatives and activities for children, families and the elderly residents of Athersley, New Lodge and Smithies area of Barnsley.

As part of our work we support a regular meeting of elderly members from the community. Through discussions it became apparent that they had little or no experience of using the internet or social media, but expressed a wish to learn about it.

I contacted the digital champions who were more than happy to attend one of the meetings to introduce themselves and their service.

From this meeting they developed a programme thatmet the needs of the group. A four week programme was developed which included:

  • emailing
  • shopping on line
  • social media
  • online security
  • online Barnsley Council services, which included library services

Feedback after each session was extremely positive with everyone saying they had learned something and confidence had grown when using the internet. Numbers attending each session were maintained, and new people joined throughout the programme.

I feel that the group will access Barnsley Council online services and I will have a laptop available at their meetings from now on to make sure they can do this. The group have also expressed that they would like the digital champions to return in the future. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the digital champions for an extremely interesting and informative programme and already myself and the group have recommended this service to other groups. I look forward to working with them again in the future."