Tag Archives: free

Complimentary access to LinkedIn Learning available for Indiana library staff

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For over 10 years, the Indiana State Library has been providing complimentary access to Indiana library staff to LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com). This service provides Indiana library staff access to a library of instructional videos and courses covering software, creative and business skills.

Decorative logo. Taught by accomplished teachers and recognized industry experts, LinkedIn Learning is a high-quality resource for employees looking to develop skills in Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, project management, communication and a wide range of other topics.

Benefits of using LinkedIn Learning:

  • Professional development – library staff can keep current on technology and personal-professional development without any travel or expenses.
  • Certification – Staff receive certificates of completion that can be used to fulfill LEU/certification requirements. These certificates can also be shared on their LinkedIn accounts.
  • Library staff can track their individual training progress.
  • Learners can bookmark favorite videos or courses.
  • Learners can also create and share course playlists.
  • Staff can learn at their own pace – anytime, anywhere via the website or LinkedIn Mobile App.
  • New and updated courses are added continually.

As an Indiana State Library approved training provider, all courses offered at LinkedIn Learning.com that are at least 31 minutes long are approved for LEUs.
New and popular courses that may be of interest to Indiana library Staff:

  • “Work-Life Blend: The New Work-Life Balance.”
  • “How to Speak Smarter When Put on the Spot.”
  • “Practical Tips for New Manager Effectiveness.”
  • “Skills to Build Stronger Work Relationships.”
  • “Irreplaceable: The Art of Standing Out in the Age of AI.”

How to receive access?
Indiana library staff can receive complementary access to the entire LinkedIn Learning course library through the Indiana State Library’s subscription. Library staff must be currently employed or be working toward maintaining Indiana Library Certification to be eligible.

To request access, fill out the form on the bottom of the What is LinkedIn Learning page and submit. Once Indiana State Library staff have verified your eligibility and assigned your license, you will receive an email from LinkedIn Learning with an activation link to set up your account.

The State Library has a limited number of user accounts available. For this reason, learners are encouraged to log in regularly and complete trainings in order to maintain their accounts. Accounts with no activation, login or learning activity will be subject to deactivation.

For more information, feel free to contact your regional coordinator if you need further assistance.

This post was written by Jen Clifton, Professional Development Office supervisor.

 

Upcoming Rosetta Stone migration will require INSPIRE users to keep track of progress

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On Nov. 13, the Rosetta Stone platform will be upgraded. Users who subscribe to Rosetta Stone via INSPIRE will notice a change in their account.

Once the migration is complete, users’ accounts and progress will be reset. EBSCO recommends that users note their current level and lesson. After the migration, users will be able to go back to their previous lessons manually. EBSCO has provided a reminder bookmark that can be printed out in order to help users keep track of their current lessons. The bookmark can be downloaded here. Click here for further instructions on how locate current levels and lessons.

There will be no other changes to users’ accounts. Users will enter their same credentials on the login screen. They will still have continuous access to Rosetta Stone’s content, new updated imagery and cultural stories. The program will look and feel identical to the existing site. The content and curriculum path will not change.

Indiana residents who use Rosetta Stone via INSPIRE will still have free full access – all five levels – to nine languages in Rosetta Stone: Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), English (American), English (British), French, German, Italian and Russian. Additionally, Indiana residents can access 15 languages up to level three: Arabic, Dutch, Filipino (Tagalog), Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Japanese, Korean, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish and Vietnamese.

Rosetta Stone is available to all Indiana residents at no cost. Visit the INSPIRE website and click on the Rosetta Stone logo to sign up and get started.

This blog post was submitted by the communications director of the Indiana State Library.

Ways to fill your shelves without draining your budget

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About a month ago, the Indiana State Library hosted a webinar titled “Ways to Fill Your Shelves Without Draining Your Budget.” During the webinar, I shared a multitude of resources for librarians showing where they can obtain free books. The webinar is now archived on the Indiana State Library’s website and available for viewing at any time. In case you missed it, or if you would like to try out a few of the resources included in the webinar, here are a few highlights:

EarlyWord – The EarlyWord website is a great place to find contact information for publishing houses and their many imprints. As a librarian, you can request books early to review and/or preview for purchase. Once you find out the publisher of a book, EarlyWord is a great place to go to find out who to contact for a specific book. They have two lists: one for adult publishing contacts and one for children’s publishing contacts. Another great feature of EarlyWord is that you can sign up for librarian newsletters from the links provided and organized by publisher. Publisher’s newsletters most always have contests and giveaways for free books for librarians.

Bookish First – On Bookish First, there are a few featured books each month that you can read an excerpt from and provide a quick first impression. For each of impression you write, you get points. You are also entered to win physical copies of each book you write the first impression for as well. Then, if you review books on their website, share your review to Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog if you have one, you can receive even more points. Once you have 2,000 points, you can choose a free book to be mailed to you. It’s free to signup, and when you do, you automatically get 500 bonus points to get you started.

Early Audiobook Listening Copies – There are two places I check each month to get complimentary early audiobook listening copies, known as ALCs, specifically for librarians. These are LibroFM and the Volumes app. Both are free to sign up. With LibroFM, librarians and educators can download three free audiobooks each month from their selection, which is updated monthly. For the Volumes app, you’ll have to download the app and then signup on the link provided above. Then you can download free audiobooks each month to review. They are yours to keep after downloading.

If you would like to view the full webinar – and see even more resources for receiving free books – you can access it on our Archived Webinars page, or directly via the link shared above. Don’t hesitate to contact me via email if you have any questions regarding these resources.

Submitted by Laura Jones, Northwest regional coordinator, Indiana State Library.

Library services spotlight: Connect IN

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As you probably know, public library standards require public libraries to have a functional website, but, are you aware that the Indiana State Library can host your library’s website for free?! The program is called Connect IN and it’s free for public libraries without a current online presence and those having difficulty maintaining their existing site.

Program participants receive these free services from the Indiana State Library:

  • Modern and high-quality website featuring:
    • An easy-to-use content management system (CMS), based on WordPress, that allows you to manage and update your website and easily create new web pages and online features.
    • Web editing software as simple as using a word processor.
    • Seamless and instant publishing to the web allows you to make instantaneous changes to your website.
    • Dozens of customizable templates to help you get the exact design that reflects your library and community.
    • Libraries interested in joining can review the Connect IN Checklist to gain a better understanding of the process.
  • Technical support and training
  • Content management system (CMS) training
  • Free website hosting
    • The Indiana State Library is contracting with IT experts to handle the complicated back end tasks and to save you time and money.
  • Free email for library staff
    • Get up to 20 email accounts for your library (i.e., yourname@yourlibrary.lib.in.us).
    • Email storage capacity meets industry standards.
    • Email is Microsoft Outlook compatible.
    • Manage account settings as an administrator.

If you’d like to learn more about the Connect IN program, click here. To utilize the program, contact your regional coordinator.

This blog post was written by Courtney Brown, southeast regional coordinator, Indiana State Library.