Library webinars a hit with Latvian farmers

Klintaine Public Library’s new webinar service is a big hit with farmers, who report that it is saving them time and money and helping them clarify complex tax and subsidy regulations.

‘Hand in Hand’ – the brainchild of Klintaine Public Library – is the first webinar information service for library users inLatvia. It links rural libraries to live webinar presentations by experts on agricultural topics. Increasing numbers of farmers are attending the webinars in their local libraries and at home, to the delight of librarians.

‘We are attracting many small farmers. We believed these farmers would find the webinars very challenging, because they do not have advanced technology skills. But they are coming to the library and watching at home. We publish the completed webinars online, and some farmers are also downloading them,’ said Ms Alita Kluša, manager of Klintaine Public Library.

Farmers are finding the webinars experts extremely useful. ‘We rural folk do not have time to read long laws and regulations, and I was glad to receive answers to my questions during the webinar,’ said Mrs Mārīte Ramata, who farms in Klintaine County in Plaviņas municipality.

Five webinars have been completed with more to come in autumn, after the summer harvest. Topics have included farm accounting, preparation of annual reports, European Union subsidies and support, agriculture and environmental sustainability and forestry issues. Lecturers are skilled adult educators from the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre.

About 20 village libraries are broadcasting the webinars, enabling farmers from different parts of Latvia to interact with the lecturers and with each other. Read what the farmers say about Klintaine Public Library’s new webinar service.

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