The Ungheni Public Library has attracted a group of users that are rarely seen walking the halls of Moldovan libraries: soldiers. A new library service has been made available for members of the locally-based "Prut" battalion of the National Army, designed to give the soldiers access to online information and help them communicate with their friends and families back home.
Last month, the Ungheni Public Library became a pilot site for the Novateca [6] program and began providing the community with access to computers and free communications tools. Now, every Sunday, the military unit has been given a special timeframe to access online information as well as chat with families via Skype or social networks.
“I can access internet only on my phone,” explains Private Efim Scutelnic, a soldier who is on duty for more than 6 months. “But this is expensive and not practical. I am really excited that I have this possibility to access the internet for free and communicate with all those I miss at the library.”
Librarians began the special service by hosting a short training for the soldiers to help them improve their IT skills, access and use online resources, and search more effectively for information.
“After finishing my military service, I want to apply for a scholarship,” mentioned Private Igor Ciobanu. “The public internet center at the library provides the possibility to look for a future university.”
According to Ala Mutilică from the Ungheni Public Library, this service is a big step for their library. “After receiving computers, training and mentoring through participation in Novateca, we began to adjust our activities and develop library services that could bring new groups of people to the library," Mutilică said. “What is really important for us is knowing that our library started to offer interesting and necessary services to the community that were not possible before.”
The Ungheni library serves as one of six regional training centers that form the backbone of the 68-library Novateca pilot network in Moldova. In addition to serving their own communities, the Ungheni library and the other regional training centers train other librarians and target audiences from throughout their region.