Earlier this summer, Ohio libraries made national headlines with the announcement that all Ohio libraries would be offering access to Lynda.com. I have even better news, it’s now up, running, and best of all, free with a Delaware County District Library card.
Lynda.com is an absolutely ginormous trove of more than 12,000 online video courses. You can learn skills in the ever-baffling Microsoft Excel for beginners (like me) or if you’ve got the basics down, explore how to master data validation tools. I’m most excited about refining my Adobe Creative Suite skills. My design game is about to step up a notch.
It’s not only technical skill tutorials available on Lynda.com either. There are courses on professional skills like management, marketing, leadership and more. Do you have the entrepreneurial bug? Lyda.com has more than 2,000 courses on how to start a business. It’s like having a career coach on demand for you. The more courses you watch, the more catered content will appear for you.
The sheer size of course offerings may seem daunting, but the site is extremely searchable. And, of course, Delaware County District Library staff is always available to help you find the Lynda.com course that’s right for you. We’re so excited to help you learn more and grow in your professions. (Or just pick up a hobby like photography.)
You can access Lynda.com at the library or from your kitchen table with an internet connection. You just need your library card number and PIN. Delaware County District Library patrons with active library cards can access the site at www.delawarelibrary.org/lynda.
Here are some of the Lynda.com courses that have caught my eye. I’ll definitely be giving some of these courses a try:
• Arianna Huffington’s Thrive: Live a life filled with less stress, greater well-being, and enhanced productivity by learning how to make transformational changes. Start your Thrive journey and discover how to go from coping and surviving to actually thriving.
• Photoshop: Working Faster: In this brief course, veteran photographer Chris Orwig shares practical tips that can help you work faster and smarter with this essential software. Throughout the course, he also provides advanced time-saving tips and shortcuts that can help you truly harness the power of Photoshop.
• Jodi Glickman on Pitching Yourself: Pitching is a universal skill. The time will come when you need to pitch an idea, a project, or even yourself. But you may stumble when the moment strikes—if you don’t have a quick and effective process to nail the pitch. In this free course, thought leader Jodi Glickman shares her go-to approach for selling your ideas, your story, and yourself. Learn three easy steps to a successful pitch: destination, backstory, and connecting the dots.
• Creating a Business Plan: Looking to build a business or expand one you’re already running? You’ll need to build a business plan before you do. Mike provides guidance for thinking through your sales strategy, day-to-day operations, staffing, and financial forecasting. A sample business plan is provided, so you can follow along with the development of a real-world company.
• WordPress Essential Training: WordPress powers millions of blogs and websites. Learn how to create your own with this powerful publishing platform. Staff author Morten Rand-Hendriksen will help you get the most out of the self-hosted version of WordPress and create feature-rich blogs and websites.
• Time Management Tips Weekly: Improve your productivity, get things done, and find more time for what’s most important with Time Management Tips. This weekly series provides actionable time management techniques to help people better manage their time and ultimately become more productive.
