The Johnston Public Library is continuously adding free services to benefit patrons. The recent addition of Lynda will provide members access to a library of engaging, top-quality courses taught by recognized industry experts to develop their creative, business, or technology skills.
“We are proud to offer this service where patrons can educate themselves on a topic of interest on their own time,” said Library Director Eric Melton. “For years, libraries have tried to provide basic computer instruction, and we see Lynda as both an extension of this service and a means of providing the kind of advanced instruction on movie or sound editing, web development, or photography that Johnston’s more tech-savvy cardholders are looking for.”
Many of the videos are part of complete courses that cover very basic to advanced tasks. Lynda can be accessed by patrons at home or in the library by visiting johnstonlibrary.com/research. To log in, patrons will need their library card number.
“The Johnston library currently has 13,748 cardholders, but we are always looking for ways to grow and expand this number,” said Melton. Johnston cardholder members not only have access to Lynda, but other resources like Ancestry Library, Des Moines Register, Chilton library, Consumer Reports, Johnston High School yearbooks, and Johnston newspapers.
To ensure the resources are being utilized the library is able to track the number of tutorials cardholder members sign-up for. These analytics are useful to ensure resources are being added in a timely manner, based on the needs of the community.