Getting connected at Tech Time

"Tech Time" at the Macon County Public Library provides a service vital to residents without digital literacy. Digital navigators John Modlin and Richard Broxson make up the Tech Time team. Broxson has decades of experience working with computers since he broke his first computer in 1989, working in tech support in Mobile, Alabama, for 16-17 years. Modlin worked in adult education for the Department of Defense, and post-retirement continued his adult education services with computer labs and similar activities to share his technological skills. The original digital navigators program was funded through the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund grant in 2022 with the pair hired to run Tech Time events and the occasional set of classes where attendees have a chance to earn a free Chromebook, giving them affordable access to internet services. In the last two years, Broxson said more than 2,000 people have attended the digital navigator programs, most of them coming for Tech Time to get help with their devices. He said in 2023, 322 members of the public attended Tech Time events, increasing to 740 in 2024, then dropping slightly to 655 in 2025. To date in 2026, 468 visitors have attended. Though no classes were held in 2023, a total of 191 attendees took classes through 2026. Upcoming classes The Digital Navigator Program is offering sessions covering subjects such as basic computer, email, cybersecurity and more. Sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 10-11:30 a.m. on Oct. 20 and 27 as well as on Nov. 3 and 10. You will need a cell phone for the class (flip phones are fine) and internet access at home or elsewhere. You may register for which classes you want to attend. To register, call 828-524-3600. Getting connected Tech Time has been working through the library, but also partners with the Crawford Senior Center to provide classes and assistance. The pair also sought to work with Macon County Schools to provide help and support for parents, grandparents and other guardians, many of who struggle with using the system's preferred online registration or communications portals, but Modlin said after they got started, not many participants were interested even with the opportunity to get a free device. The program is currently covered through a 2.5-year Digital Champions grant from the state library that is set to run out in December. The Tech Time team and the library have been looking for other grants to keep the program afloat. County librarian Abby Hardison said the library also will soon lose a popular service in which the library lent out wifi hotspots through the Digital Champions grant after the FCC cancelled library discounts in 2025. Hardison said the hotspots have been in high demand among patrons, with the library having a permanent waitlist for the devices. "There's a huge need, and I don't know what's going to happen when we finish this grant," Broxson said. He said the overwhelming majority of program attendees are over the age of 60, with perhaps fewer than 20 young people being among the thousands of Tech Time participants of the past year. Older adults most commonly need help remembering and recovering passwords and navigating medical and financial online portals to access services. Some attendees need help using general applications or installing antivirus and other security measures to protect their devices and information. Broxson said around a tenth of the attendees are repeats. Modlin said part of the issue is the rapid pace of change for software. "We do get a lot of early seniors, the retirees that are in their 60s and 70s that they used to work in an office with computers, but they stopped and now the computers have moved on without them," he said. More than 10 people showed up at the Sept. 17 Tech Time, where Mary Olen said she was looking for help installing antivirus to protect her Android device. Hallie Davison, also called the donkey lady, said she was looking for general help and was happy to attend her first Tech Time and learn there was a free version of a service she had paid for – and gotten subpar results for – elsewhere. Marron Porter said she was interested in getting help with installing security features, and was disappointed to find out the grant was running out for something so necessary to help the community. Hardison said pursuing other grant funding for the project is not feasible with Macon County set to withdraw from the FRL in June, though she said other options are "certainly something that could be pursued in the future when the organization structure and scope is more defined. The library has always offered one-on-one assistance by appointment to patrons and we will certainly continue to do so." "In addition, if any local community partners are interested in working with us to serve this community need we would be thrilled to connect with them to fill this service gap," Hardison said.

Getting connected at Tech Time

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