I Love My Library Blog Series: KCLS provides Lynda.com for free!

Welcome to my first post of  "I Love My Library!"

I am in libraries all the time, either doing shows, or checking out books for myself, or my five grandchildren. I am constantly amazed by two things. One: the new services both on and offline libraries are adding every day, and two: number of people I talk to who are totally unaware of the these incredible resources. So I am starting this series to share those resources with you because when you're really excited about something, you want everyone to know about it! And in this day and age when everyone is trying to juggle every minute and stretch every dollar, the library has endless ways to accomplish both. Most of these posts will be related to using the library with children, but I couldn't resist sharing this first one.

Lynda.com for free!

Lynda.com, if you don't know about it, is an amazing online video training service. So let's say you want to know how to use Word, or Windows 8, or Garageband. Or you want information on... how to find information! The scope of topics is relevant and extensive. You go to Lynda.com. and put in your search request. You will be presented with list of short video tutorials. And that's what makes this service so great. Pick a short tutorial you can easily digest (well-done and easy to follow), and what seemed like a monumental task (learning a new program) is broken into digestible bites that you can actually fit into your already-full day. You can view them on any device, so if you're stuck in a line somewhere, pull out your smartphone and learn something! It's brilliant, and effective. 

Lynda.com is a subscription service costing between $20-$35 a month- and well worth every penny if you use it.  At my library, KCLS, it's free as part of my library account!  Okay, so that's the catch. You have to be a King County Library cardholder. But there are many of you reading this, and you should know about it. Like many library resources, it can be hard to find. So here's how to access it:

Either click on the link or follow direction below (you'll have to enter your library card and  pin numbers) and don't forget to bookmark it!
http://ezproxy.kcls.org/login?url=http://iplogin.lynda.com

or follow these directions to get there: 

KCLS library card holders-
1. Go to KCLS.org
2 From homepage, click on "Learning and Research" page (gray box below homepage heading)
3. From drop-down menu, click on "premium data bases." 
4. Select "browse an alphabetical list", and select "L"
5. scroll down blue headings to "Lynda.com" and click on it. 
6. Now you'll have to put in your library cadrd number and pin
7. Ta-da! You now have free access to an amazing library of short professional video tutorials. 
8. Share with other KCLS library users you know!

Note: The library pays A LOT to provide this service for us, and if we don't use it, they will likley drop it. So DO share it with your friends!

Now I have to go. I'm going to finally learn how to use Photoshop Elements to create photos for my Sing With Our Kids Facebook page!