Courtesy GCLD
Whether you are the type of person who makes New Year’s resolutions, Grand County Library District has a robust online resources catalog to help you grow, learn, and create in 2020. There are a wide range of resources to reflect our patrons’ diverse interests and needs. As Donna J. Abernathy wrote, “Online learning is not the next big thing, it is the now big thing.”
Here are several resources that are free for all GCLD patrons with a current library card:
• Creativebug is the newest and hottest online resource in America. Enjoy thousands of art and craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists. Search for classes on how to brand your art, find a 5-minute class for kids, or explore an in-depth class. Cooking, painting, journaling and a plethora of other classes will get the right side of your brain enjoying life. Create alone or get together with a group to produce artistic wonders.
• Britannica Online contains comprehensive content for all ages, reading levels, and subjects. The content is vetted to be trustworthy and the platform is intuitive, fast, extensive and thorough with three reading levels from which to choose, as well as options for various articles, best sites, videos, images, and more. A dream resource for parents, teachers, and students!
• Universal Class is for life-long learners of all ages and those needing professional classes. From yoga to accounting, pet and animal care to career training, or spiritual studies to teacher resources or test preparation, you are sure to find online courses of interest. Wondering what to do with all those essential oils you have purchased? Take a self-paced course on aromatherapy. Are you intrigued by historical man-made mysteries? Try the History’s Greatest Conspiracies course. There are so many fascinating and helpful classes!
• Rosetta Stone is for those who are looking to learn a new language, to further their ESL learning as a non-native English speaker, or to brush up on a language for business or vacation. Thirty languages are offered, from French to Swahili to Arabic. The classes are fun, fast, and effective.
• Career Online High School is a great opportunity to obtain an accredited high school diploma. Grand County residents, 19 years or older, can apply for one of the limited slots. We are here to help you!
There are more resources to explore, including American Antiquarian Society (Historical Periodicals Collection), The Denver Post Collections, Kanopy (streaming “thoughtful entertainment”), MyHeritage (genealogy database), NoveList Plus (book recommendations and reviews), NuWav Legal Documents, OverDrive eBooks, Rbdigital Magazines, and Flipster Digital Magazines.
Now that GCLD meeting rooms are free of charge to reserve and use, start a club. You could start an Italian club and learn the language (Rosetta Stone), watch Italian movies (Kanopy), read up on the culture (Britannica Online), and cook together (Universal Class: Italian Cooking 101). Stupendo!
To learn more, go to gcld.org/ebooks-and-learning-tools with your up-to-date GCLD library card number, and the online resource world will be your oyster.