#library psa

Day 1 of my own quarantine (I had to go to work yesterday before they were like, “You know, maybe we DON’T need y’all here while we’re closed”) and I have decided to see this enforced alone time as a great opportunity for me to build some new skills. I may have signed up for like...5 online courses because that’s what I like to do.

So if you are like me and are looking for things to learn...see below!

CHECK YOUR LIBRARY FOR THESE:

Gale Courses Offering a wide range of courses on accounting, learning, college readiness, language and arts, healthcare, technology, writing, and more. I may have signed up for four 4-week courses on creative writing. Learn how to draw, play the guitar, use photoshop, etc, all for free!

Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning A great resource for a lot of technical and business skills. From web development, to marketing, to music, to learning new software, there’s something for everyone! I have a lot of management/communication/time management courses in my playlists.

Universal Class Non-credited continuing ed courses led by expert instructors, they span a range of science, accounting, animal care, psychology, alternative medicine,office skills, crafts/hobbies, personal development, computer training, career training, etc. Course lengths vary, but some interesting ones (for me at least) are bread baking, digital photography,  event planning, genealogy, dream interpretation, etiquette, housekeeping 101, how to draw 101, etc. I am, apparently, interested in a really wide range of topics.

Rosetta Stone/Mango/Whatever Your Library Offers Learn a language! I’m going to be using a combination of Rosetta Stone, Mango, and Memrise (not a library database) to continue learning Spanish!

Overdrive/RB Digital/Hoopla/Other Ebook Platforms There are a lot of great non-fiction titles on all of these platforms. You may also be able to access a lot of The Great Courses in audio (or in some libraries, like LAPL, video) form!

Online Registration Some libraries offer online registration and immediate access to their e-resources. If you’re a California resident, check out LAPL, which allows you to sign up online and utilize their resources for 30 days (I think). It doesn’t hurt to check your nearest large cities to see if they do the same!

NON-LIBRARY RESOURCES

Financial Institutions I have, personally, signed up for a webinar from Wells Fargo about women’s financial health! There’s also offerings from Bank of America and I’m sure many other financial institutions offer the same!

Webjunction.org This one is specifically for librarians/library workers, but there are lots of great webinars for library service all for free!

YouTube Look, I’m sure everyone knows you can find just about anything on YouTube, but in case you don’t...find tutorials on everything from house cleaning to make up to how to prep for the apocalypse. 

If you take away libraries, you are essentially taking away grocery stores for people who wanna read.

I haven't been to a library in a long time and the thought of them disappearing is sad, I don't want libraries to disappear.

Wait! Ask your public library about Libby, Hoopla, and other digital resources. These services offer not only ebooks and downloadable audiobooks, but also magazines, music and movies! All for free (in the sense that local library taxes have already paid for them).

Even if your library doesn't offer these services yet, ask if they would consider subscribing. Libraries are more likely to pick up a new offering when they know there's an existing demand.

What services are available will depend on where you live. Two additional services I know in the US are Kanopy (movies) and Flipster (magazines).

ALA offers disaster preparedness and response resources for libraries of all types and sizes. ALA LibGuide on Library Disaster Preparedness and Response from the ALA Library contains information on organizations that provide disaster assistance, online disaster recovery resources, and a bibliography of print resources.

This week’s How To will focus on how to write a summary for your fic. If you’ve seen a particularly interesting, effective, or well-written summary, please send your recommendation to us or directly to Librarian Cate @thefraserwitch. Thanks in advance!!