Vodafone Foundation tablet loan scheme comes to public libraries
The Vodafone Foundation, through its Hi Digital programme, has partnered with public libraries in Ireland to make digital skills training more accessible for older people by introducing a tablet loan scheme.
Recent research by the Vodafone Foundation highlights both the challenge and the opportunity facing older people in Ireland. While 91% are open to learning new digital skills, one-in-three feel digitally excluded, and 22% say they have no one to turn to when they encounter digital difficulties.
The tablet loan scheme is the latest initiative by the Vodafone Foundation to help address this by providing library members access to ready-to-use tablets preloaded with the free Hi Digital course, in a familiar and supportive environment.
Hi Digital, in partnership with Alone, is Vodafone Foundation’s free digital skills course for older people, designed to help them use technology with confidence. The course involves short, easy‑to‑follow online lessons and practical modules such as using smartphones, avoiding scams, and using WhatsApp, alongside other supports such as quick tip videos. Through Hi Digital, learners can also access in‑person support, with free Drop‑In Fridays at Vodafone stores every week, regular workshops and classes delivered by Hi Digital partners across the country, and now through the tablet loan scheme at participating public libraries.
The scheme is available in 30 public libraries across seven participating counties, with 200 tablets supplied to date across Dublin, Kildare, Limerick, Monaghan, Waterford, Wicklow, and Wexford. The scheme is supported by Vodafone Business, which securely manages the devices behind the scenes – helping libraries roll out and maintain the tablets easily, while ensuring a safe and seamless experience for users.
The scheme is completely free to access, and library members are encouraged to drop in, borrow a tablet, and explore what it can offer – whether that’s completing the Hi Digital course, researching hobbies and interests, listening to music, or getting more comfortable using a digital device in everyday life.
Vodafone Ireland CEO Sabrina Casalta said: “Digital inclusion is often about much more than skills – it’s about access, confidence, and feeling supported. By working with libraries to provide tablets with our Hi Digital programme pre‑loaded, we’re removing some of the most practical barriers older people face and making it easier to take that first step towards building digital confidence and skills.”
Dr Stuart Hamilton, head of libraries development for the Local Government Management Agency, added: “Libraries have always been places of learning and inclusion at the heart of communities. This partnership allows us to support older people in a very practical way – giving them access to technology they may not otherwise have, and the time and space to learn in a setting they trust. In our libraries, we see how even small digital skills – like making video calls or using online banking – can make a big difference in the lives of older people.”
By embedding digital access and learning within local libraries, the programme supports older people to stay connected, confident, and independent in an increasingly digital world.
Public libraries in Ireland join charity partners Friends of the Elderly, Alone, Society of St Vincent de Paul and others as Hi Digital partners in Ireland, with the ambition to support and provide digital skills training to older people.
Since its establishment in 2021, over 170,000 older people have benefitted from digital skills training through Hi Digital.
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