Learning to Type

Learning to type will take a lot of self-discipline and patience. It is important that you do not get frustrated. You need to view the process as a skill you are attempting to master. It takes practice to achieve good technique. It is also important that you establish the foundation of having the correct technique rather than speed. Speed and accuracy are results of establishing a good technique.

Tips for Typing

• Memorize the letters by not looking at your hands while typing.
• Good posture helps your form. Keep your feet flat on floor, hips touching the back of chair, back straight, and sit up tall.
• Additionally, the way you position your arms, wrist, and fingers will help deter any discomfort from typing. Remember to keep your fingers curved, arms close to body, and wrists straight and not touching keyboard.
• Strike the keys with the proper finger, and then return those fingers to home row keys.

Rhythm – You will eventually learn and develop a good rhythm. This will hopefully keep you from potential tension and anxiety, and it may even minimize mistakes. Instead of focusing on a “quick where is the next” letter approach, an even rhythm will allow you to focus on what to type. If you slow down to achieve an even rhythm, you will find that you actually speed up.

Errors – The acceptable number of typing errors is one error per minute, regardless of how fast you type. Of course, as a beginner, expect to have more. These numbers will lower as you learn to master keyboarding.

WPM – This stands for “words per minute” typing rate. A word is considered to be on average of five keystrokes, including spaces. If you type 50 keystrokes per minute, your typing rate is 10 wpm.

Note: A speed of 40 wpm is the basic minimum standard required by many employers and government positions. Effective typing speeds should be at least three to four times your handwriting speed.

April 2014 Class Registration

Registration is now open for staff and the public for the April 2014 Regional Library Computer Center classes. All classes are held in the Regional Library Computer Center (RLCC) of the Central (downtown) Library. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL CLASSES.

Other classes offered are:

• Creating Labels and Envelopes in Word 2010 (Advanced)
• Working with Images in Word 2010 (Advanced)
• Removing Background Images in Word 2010 (Intermediate)

To register for classes, you may:

• Visit the Computer Commons department at the Central Library and obtain a copy of the class schedule. Fill it out and return to a Computer Commons staff.
• Register online through the RLCC website. Please allow 2 to 4 business days for registration confirmation.

Space is limited for each class, and registration does not guarantee you a space. If you register for a class, please make all efforts to attend. Repeated “no shows” could affect your registration eligibility for future classes. If you register for a class and cannot attend, call Public Computer Services at (205) 226-3680 or 226-3681 as soon as possible. Please pay close attention to the class times. No one will be admitted after 5 minutes past the time class is scheduled to start. Classes are provided by the Birmingham Public Library.