I came across this site today and I just couldn't keep it to myself. Now this is not necessarily geared for libraries, but you might find this useful. It's called the HP Learning Center.
It is a site that allows you to learn about business and technology related topics in todays world that may help you within your library. These are free classes offered online and 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Classes are given with a specific time frame (usually 4 to 6 weeks) and content moves and changes to keep topics current and fresh. At the end of a section you are also given a very small quiz to gauge your understanding of the material. You can also chime in using the virtual classrooms as a way to engage discussions with the instructor and students in the message board area. And although this will not help you with CE credits, they do give you a certificate of completion once you finish a course. And they even have a few Spanish courses too.
How do you take a class? Well you first need to register and then sign in. Then choose a class you want to take. Pay attention to the date range of the classes you are interested in. Next, enroll into the class and keep in mind that classes are updated twice a week. Once on Mondays and the other on Thursdays. And they will remain online until the ending date of the class. You can learn at your own pace, and again if you have questions or want to discuss things, then go to your message board. Most of the courses are text only, but there are some courses that offer video content as a way to learn. If a class hasn't started yet, you can also set an email reminder so that when it does you will be notified.
So what are some of the classes? Well I will give a few that I think might be library related in some indirect or direct way.
* Adobe Photoshop CS2 --This is a basic class.
* Laptop PCs: Basic troubleshooting and repair (quick lesson)
* Laptop PCs: troubleshooting wireless problems (quick lesson)
* Microsoft Office 2007 classes are available here
* Microsoft Vista topics are covered
* Wireless network solutions
Now keep in mind the mindset of these classes were for mainstream business, but you can certainly learn some things to help out in your library or personally as well.
And the best part is...It's free!!!
