ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Families who have loved ones in the military deployed overseas can now be as close to them as a simple trip to the Orange Beach Public Library.

Thanks to funds that were donated from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Connecting Families Program allows family members state side to be electronically connected via the Internet to their service man or woman over seas.

Connecting Families is a partnership between the public library service and the Alabama Broadband Initiative that Gov. Bob Riley launched earlier this year.

According to Maria Baroco, a reference librarian, the program is easy to use. It makes use of the free online communications software Skype.

“Families will contact their deployed service personnel to decide the best time for the video conference,” Baroco said. “The families then come to the library and log in to their Skype account to begin a video conversation with their family member. If families are new to Skype and need help setting up an account, the library staff is available to help with new account set-up or to walk the families through the mechanics of their first chat.”

The Connecting Families Program kickoff was held back in December at the Wetumpka Public Library when Col. Christopher Morgan, currently serving in Afghanistan, visited with his wife Leslie and their children.

The idea for Connecting Families came from Chief Warrant Officer Randy Hickman who was serving in Iraq.  Hickman was unable to communicate with his family in Elmore County via webcam because there was no high-speed Internet access in the area where they live. Hickman then contacted Riley’s office, and the wheels for the program started turning.

Now there are more than 100 public libraries across the state offering the service.

The new iMac computer station became available at the Orange Beach Library May 4.

Baroco said the most important thing to keep in mind is that the video-chat must be scheduled during library hours on the day that family members wish to chat with their service person.

To get more information about the Connecting Families Program or to set up an appointment to contact your deployed family memer, contact the Orange Beach Public Library at 981-2923.