Dr. Tech at the library knows he's saved more than one marriage as he introduces people to their new gifts of technology.
"So the husband gave his wife an ebook reader and at first she thought it was the coolest thing and she was so excited, but then she couldn't figure out how to use it and as time went on she got angrier and angrier and the two of them came in and she said 'my husband bought me this thing' and he's just looking petrified," said Jeff Kozoris, a digital literacy and instructional librarian, better known as Dr. Tech at the Prince George Public Library. "And he's just like 'oh, can you help us?' So I got it all set up, I showed her how to use it, gave her the process - I've got handouts - and at the end of that he whispers 'thank you!' And he was back in her good books again."
And since there are no dumb questions, Dr. Tech can help anyone who needs help each week during technical tutoring sessions Tuesdays from 4 to
5 p.m. at the library.
"I've been doing this a long time," said Kozoris, who has worked at the library since 1999. "I really want to help people understand and be comfortable with their technology. I really dislike it when people buy something or get a gift and they have no idea how to use it. It's not like it's cheap."
Kozoris started out by tutoring people on computers but since most people are now well versed in computer operation and how to navigate the Internet, he switched it up to accommodate the many tools of technology that are available to people today.
Although he's still willing to help people with their computers, today's demand seems to lean more toward people's MP3 players, new phones or ebook readers.
Because the tech tutoring is so popular, Kozoris feels fortunate to have been able to recruit some volunteers.
"There were a few times I was alone with eight people with eight different pieces of technology and I'm running around the table like a crazed hamster," laughed Kozoris.
The most crucial thing for Kozoris is that people quit calling themselves dumb because they don't know how to use their devices, he said.
"I don't know how to change the oil in my truck, now does that make me an idiot? No. I'm going to let someone else do that because I'm afraid of breaking this $30,000 thing," said Kozoris. "So when you come to the tech tutoring session it's calm, it's friendly and I believe that the Prince George Public Library offers the best customer service around."
When the doctor is out, Nurse Tech, also known as Michael Cruikshank, the library's teen programmer, is available Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and the service is also provided at the Nechako branch of the library once a month. The next session is May 27 from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
For more information and the schedule visit www.pgpl.ca/events.
