Chesterfield County Public Library

Learning How to Use the Internet A Beginner's Guide

Getting started on the web can sometimes feel like entering a fun-house maze. Everyone you know is surfing around, throwing out terms like "link" and "URL." You see funny looking words at the bottom of magazine ads and on TV - things like http:// and www. What does it all mean?

Well if you are lost in the maze, consider this the map to the center. Learning how to use the Internet is not hard - it is just a very foreign experience if you have never really used a computer. The library staff will always be glad to help you find your way. However, if you would like to learn on your own and at your own speed, there are several tutorials that will assist you. If you go through all three you will become an expert surfer. If you just want to feel more comfortable, start with ICYouSee.

ICYouSee is a great place for beginners to start. It contains three basic lessons to make you feel more comfortable with using the mouse to navigate the web and shows you just how to move between links on a page. It even defines "link" for you. Once you master the basics, ICYouSee teaches you what you can DO on the web, how you can FIND things, and even helps you understand what went wrong if you end up lost in the maze again.

WebTeacher is a bit more advanced for those of you who know what links are and how to navigate, but do not know what the Internet is or what it offers. WebTeacher still answers basic questions and offers a beginner's tutorial, but it also covers more advanced topics.

Berkeley Tutorial is comprehensive and geared to college students. It is the place to go if you feel comfortable on the web but lost as to its' resources. Berkeley does a wonderful job with all of their tutorials and we recommend that you spend some time looking around this site.

Have fun!

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