In the six weeks that Lincolnwood residents have been able to access Lynda.com from home, the library has already seen increased site traffic. For the many residents just getting started with Lynda.com, here are some tips for maximizing your enjoyment and learning.
Search YouTube for just about any skill, from boiling an egg to doing the foxtrot, and you’re likely to find a video (or, in the case of the search “build a website,” well over a million videos) of someone telling you how it’s done. What distinguishes Lynda.com is that its trainers are top professionals in their fields, vetted for both content mastery and teaching ability. When watching a video, click on the name of the instructor to read a brief bio and see the other courses he or she teaches.
Lynda.com courses allow you to learn at your own pace. Courses are divided into easily digested portions; pause as needed, absorb the information, and resume when you have time. All videos come with text transcripts and closed captioning to help you keep up with what the instructor is saying. Many courses also include exercise files for practice.
For every completed course, Lynda.com provides a certificate that you can add to your portfolio, building a record of achievement to show to employers.
Not sure where to start?
- Browse courses by subject, or enter keywords in the search box, then narrow your results by skill level, duration, and content type.
- Explore the Playlist Center’s task-oriented lists, curated by experts (e.g. “Design and Create a Website,” “Find a Job,” “Scan and Restore Old Photographs”).
- Sample brief, stand-alone videos from ongoing series like Monday Productivity Pointers or Creative Quick Tips.
If you have any questions about accessing and using Lynda.com — or if you just want to share what you are learning! — don’t hesitate to contact us at digitalservices@lincolnwoodlibrary.org.