Whether you’re learning a new software application at work or getting up to speed with the latest technology at home, odds are that Lynda.com has something for you.

If you’re not familiar with Lynda (aka LinkedIn Learning), they have an extensive collection of courses taught by industry experts. These courses are all organized into short segments with full text transcripts which make finding that exact snippet of learning quick and easy. Many of the software courses even come with practice files so you can work along with the instructor.

Here are a few examples of the industry experts worth checking out on Lynda:

Training & Elearning

• Train the Trainer by Ajay M. Pangarkar ( @bizlearningdude )
• Workshop Facilitation by Britt Andreatta ( @BrittAndreatta )
• Instructional Design Storyboarding by Daniel Brigham ( @DanielBrigham )

A quick search will lead you to a number of useful, relevant titles including topics such as:

• Articulate
• Camtasia
• Captivate
• Lectora
• LMS

Browse more training related courses in:

• Elearning courses
• Educational Technology
• Instructional Design

Design

• Anything and everything by John McWade ( @JohnMcWade )
• Managing Conversions Between Adobe CC and Microsoft Office by Anne-Marie Concepción ( @amarie )

Beyond these gems, there is also something for everyone including topics such as Google, Microsoft Office, and more.

Weekly Series

In addition to full courses, there are also a number of short weekly series that give you a nice snack-sized slice of learning every week.

• Training Tips Weekly with Chris Matia ( @cmmattia )
• Monday Productivity Pointers with Jess Stratton ( @NerdGirlJess )
• Graphic Design Tips Weekly with John McWade ( @johnmcwade )
• Universal Principles of Design

Playlists

Much like YouTube, you can also create and follow collections of related courses like this one for Instructional Design Fundamentals. You can browse curated playlists in the Playlist Center.

And of course, if you want to learn more about learning with Lynda…you guessed it…there is a course for that too!

Interested? Maybe it is worth the $20 for a monthly subscription? Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could access all of these and more for free? Here is how you might be able to do that — check with your library. You do have a library card, don’t you? If not, this is just one of the many reasons to get down there and sign up for one.

Check With Your Library for Free Access

I don’t know of any way to search Lynda to see if you’re library is participating so a Google search might be the best place to start. Of course, you can always go to your library and ask them in person too.

Our totally amazing local library has a dedicated page for free access to the Lynda portal. All I have to do is hit the link, then enter my library card number and PIN. Voila! Instant access for free.

https://www.lynda.com/portal/sip?org=worthingtonlibraries.org

Notice how the access link appends the library URL. If you can’t find it via search you might be able to guess the link by adding your library’s web address at the end like I did for the Columbus library here:

https://www.lynda.com/portal/sip?org=columbuslibrary.org

https://www.lynda.com/portal/sip?org=%5Byour library website here]

Let me know if your library gives you free access and if you find any courses there that you really like.