T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Calvin Connor’s position as technology trainer for the St. Clairsville Public Library is expanding to full-time to help the community with technology questions. The new Cricut cutting and design machine is one of the tools and services patrols can use.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Calvin Connor will continue assisting people with their technology needs as the technology trainer at St. Clairsville District Library through next year, with expanded hours.

He was hired with a grant of $29,000 through the Institute for Museum and Library Services

“The grant for it is full-time now,” Connor said. “I started in October, it goes for about a whole year. It just renewed at the end of June. … Instead of getting part-time hours which would be four hours a day, we got full-time hours, so now I get paid to be here from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. … Until next July I’ll be available full-time for the public.”

Originally from Wheeling, Connor is now a St. Clairsville resident and looks forward to answering technology questions. Connor said library patrons will notice more programs, events and assistance.

“I have more time for focusing on getting more grants for the library, putting together technology, visiting places, we already go to the senior center, the high school and whatnot, but now we can even do that a bunch more,” he said.

“We’re looking to get more technology, more video games, more VR headsets, more things the kids and the teens are interested in nowadays and offer that stuff to the library to them,” he said.

He added the range of services has also grown. He has helped patrons in issues ranging from assistance in navigating a web browser to cleaning out ransomware.

“As people know and get my name spread through the community more and more, people come in with more appointments, they can get an hour of my time and sit down with what they need, and that’s become very popular over the last few months now that I’m settled in here,” he said. “If they need to fill out a form, they need to create an email, their laptop has a virus and they want to bring it in.”

Connor added he has built up his own skills with programs such as Microsoft Office and has taken additional classes and this past spring he graduated from Belmont College with majors in cyber security and networking.

“I have a PC tech certificate now, I have a networking and security degree that I finished, I was still working on that when I was in the first year of it, so I have a lot more qualifications technically and even my skills have advanced overall to help people out instantly, they don’t have to have an appointment necessarily, they can just come for 15 minutes and stop by if they have a question, and I’ll be right there to answer them,” he said.

Library Director Doug Walsh said traffic of patrons has been noticeably higher since the addition of a technology trainer.

“It’s really bringing in people with new needs and seeing that the library is able to help them,” Walsh said.

Walsh also pointed out new tools and equipment may be coming to the library.

“We’re looking at maybe having 3-D printing and possibly some additional gaming technology,” Walsh said.

Connor said the library also has a Cricut cutting machine which is proving popular.

“It cuts out designs for you, so we’re putting together a design space for that for people to come and have the materials and the Cricut there to use for free, and be able to purchase bits of vinyl and use it in your projects,” Connor said.

“It’s decorative projects, and people learn new skills, they use math skills, computer skills in working with a Cricut,” Walsh said, adding a prior grant has allowed the purchase of the Cricut machine and making it available to the public.

The library is located at 108 W. Main Street.