Ready, Set, Learn: Lynda.com Offers Library Customers Free Access to Thousands of Courses Taught by Industry Experts
Posted By: Tina Walker Davis
Date Posted: 2/12/2018
Where can you learn to design an app, build a website, master Photoshop, and study calligraphy—as well as hundreds of other skills—all for free? With Deschutes Public Library’s addition of Lynda.com, you can now learn a new skill from anywhere you happen to be with internet access.
Lynda.com is a robust online learning resource offering more than 6,000 courses on technical skills, creative techniques, business strategies and more. It is a fee-based service, normally costing $20 a month for the basic subscription package, but it is now available free for Deschutes Public Library card holders who reside in Deschutes County.
“Lynda.com is a great resource for anyone looking to improve their business, technical, or creative skills,” says Catherine Jasper, a collection development librarian for Deschutes Public Library.
“For example,” says Jasper, “there are classes on management, running a small business, marketing, software development, web development, network administration, photography, design, and music production. What’s great about Lynda.com is the variety in the courses offered, from soft skills like ‘Improving Your Listening Skills’ to highly technical skills such as specific programming languages. And most topics have a variety of levels, so the user can choose an introductory class or take a series of in-depth classes.”
Job seekers will also find a wealth of career development resources on Lynda.com, including business and communication skills, business etiquette, interviewing techniques, developing a professional image, negotiating a job offer and more.
Whether users are logging on to Lynda.com for work or personal enrichment, there’s something for everyone.
“Lynda.com provides Learning Paths to guide users through a meaningful course of study,” says Jasper. “Lynda also enables users to create and track their progress on a course they have customized to fit their own needs. Users have access to top-quality video tutorials, complete transcripts and course exercise files to deepen learning. Once users completes a course, they are issued a Lynda.com Certificate of Completion.”
Lynda.com can be accessed remotely by going to www.deschuteslibrary.org/research/resource/lynda on any browser or by downloading the app for access on the go. Users will need their Deschutes Public Library card number and PIN when they log in. When accessing Lynda.com via the app, users will need to select the “Already a member?” button; then select the “Organization” toggle option at the top of the screen. From there, scroll down to the “Web Portal” section and type in “deschuteslibrary.org” and then select “Log in”. Users will be taken to a screen where they can enter their library card number and PIN.