Index | Project Overview | Evaluation and Planning | Achievements and Lessons | eSussex

Internet Training courses Developing Databases Online Recycling used computer equipment Internet Access Points Developing the communications platform	The ESCIS core team working hard at updating the 13,000 records on the database in time for the public launch in September. A further 60 library staff across the county are engaged in the updating

Internet training courses
Thanks to the training courses provided by Eastbourne College of Arts and Technology, Lewes Tertiary College and NewTap and Robsack Community Centre 270 training places on using the internet have been provided to community groups. Other training has been provided by partners through 20 awareness raising events. Support and one to one guidance has been provided to over 200 groups and help for 60 groups to get hold of reconditioned computers and printers.

Lessons learned:
The courses have all been well supported and over subscribed and as people progress in their computer knowledge different requirement may come forward. Most groups however have expressed the desire for more individually targeted or delivered training, preferably in-house. A bid has been put to the New Opportunities Fund to develop  bespoke courses, and hands-on support for groups in order to create a Community Grid for the community sector Life Long Learning through the eSussex website. The results of this bid will not be known until Autumn 2000.

Lessons learned:
People do not always find it easy to share information despite there being a willingness at certain levels to work together to save the duplication of effort. The SIESTA project provided the chance to do some of the development work required to make this happen and to create a web version of the long awaited ESCIS database and Help in Hand directories.

Recycling used computer equipment A lot of store was placed on the distribution of used computers to provide a quick easy access to the internet for those groups not able to purchase their own equipment. The demand was originally assumed to be 150 groups but in the event 60 came forward. At the same time various technical problems have caused the upgrading and distribution of the equipment to be delayed. By the end of June it is hoped to complete this part of the project. Lessons learned: By bringing Computers for Charity into the project to help, the learning curve was not so steep as had been at the start. Many assumptions are made about how easy upgrading and distributing equipment can be and at each stage a lot of work has gone into overcoming these. Ongoing technical support and hand-holding is required by many groups new to technology and following the end of SIESTA, support services are being developed to provide such help.

The SIESTA computers are reconditioned ex-social services machines made ready to use the Internet using Freenet as a service provider

Internet Access Points

Lessons learned:
It has been found through the project that people do not automatically feel at ease in using unknown computers in different locations to look up the internet as had been initially assumed at the start of the project. The value of the SIESTA project has been to develop some of these points and assess their use. A trained person to guide and support is needed and often if run as a shared or theme based session more people feel able to partake.

Examples were tried - e.g. using funding sites, web page design, searching for health information or using e-mail. Although uptake varied, it may depend as much on publicity as location of access point. research shows that people engage more when there is a social element to the sessions.

Developing the Communications Platform
The SIESTA website www.eSussex.org.uk was always intended to be more than just a publisher of straight community contact information, the library' ESCIS database is after all designed for this. Web based technology allows for different and varied uses and many interactive elements have been developed through the SIESTA project and tested on the site. The aim was to develop a site that is both self sustaining and responsive to users needs - not an easy task!

Achievements:
The website has been developed in a way to make the best use of the technology and tested to ensure that it is as user friendly as possible. An audit of the type of information that people might want was carried out and this has informed the content. People are encourage to feed ideas up to improve the range and coverage, and should funds be available much more would be possible. For ease of use the site is colour coded:

• Pink : Community information, links to who provides what information, local and national
• Blue : Tools to help groups in their work, funding sources, training, ideas and useful things to try out.
• Yellow: Discussion and consultation, how to get involved in creating local services that people really need.
• Brown: A self help virtual notice board to place adverts, news, events, jobs or volunteering requests.

Lessons learned:
In order to make sense of the world-wide nature of the World Wide Web, the eSussex website is a useful First  Stop Shop for community groups.Publicity is vital - although without a great deal there have been 945 visitors to the site in the first 6 months. Information overload is a major modern headache, which web technology can help with, however, no-one would expect to visit a library and locate a book from a pile on the floor. What is needed is a person to categorise the information and guide the visitor. Funding is being sought to continue the development of the community sector's web site www.eSussex.org.uk.

Index | Project Overview | Evaluation and Planning | Achievements and Lessons | eSussex