Polish Your Skills with LinkedIn Learning

Whether you’re looking to polish up your resume or pick up a new hobby in animation, LinkedIn Learning offers video classes on the skills you’ll need.

LinkedIn Learning for Library hosts a variety of course series created by experts, each of which will provide you with a certificate upon completion. LinkedIn Learning was previously Lynda.com.

LinkedIn Learning is a subscription service that is available for free through Plano Public Library. In order to get free access to this service, you must visit our webpage at planolibrary.org and use the LinkedIn Learning link. This will bring you to a special log-in screen to enter your library card number and PIN. Once you’ve logged in, you will have access to a library of courses valued at up to $360 per year, for free! 

Sometimes LinkedIn Learning asks for the “Library ID” before library card number and PIN. The Library ID is planolibrary (all one word, no capitalization). Sometimes it has the URL mostly filled out, but if not here it is typed out: www.linkedin.com/learning-login/go/planolibrary

There are thousands of courses, updated frequently by industry experts. Whether you are looking for software-specific training, soft skills, or hardware, there is a course for you.

Each video course comes with Exercise Files, downloadable content such as glossaries, activity outlines or editable documents for you to practice on. Courses typically run from around 15 minutes to multiple hours, and can be paused for later viewing, allowing you to tackle each course at your own pace.

Watching the course to the end will reward you with a certificate of completion, recognizing you as proficient in the subject matter, which you can share on your LinkedIn profile. Of course, if you have questions about the material, you can return to the course for another viewing at any time. 

Learning Paths are a collection of courses related to a particular subject or skill set, and offer multiple certificates upon completion. Examples of a Learning Path include Improve Your Microsoft Excel Skills or Become a Photojournalist. These course playlists are an excellent starting point for those who are just getting into a new field, or who want a comprehensive review on a particular skill set.  

Perhaps you only need some of the courses they offer: you can create your own Playlists. Along the right hand side of the page, you will see a plus (+) icon appear when you move your mouse over a search result. Clicking this icon will bring up a menu asking you to add the course to a new or existing playlist. This is a good way to save videos for later, after you’ve finished browsing the site for interesting content, allowing you to binge classes later without having to repeat your search. Think of it as a shopping cart that you’re putting your favorite classes into, only you won’t need to pay for anything at checkout! 

LinkedIn Learning has obvious applications for our professional lives, providing easy-to-understand instruction on how to use software for business and even how to improve your organizational skills, but it also has artistic offerings. There are classes on creative writing, topics like writing compelling characters or interesting plot, how to pitch your idea, or tell if your idea is a good one. The service also provides lessons on mixing music or other audio tracks, editing videos and designing graphics.  

Whether you’re padding out your resume or breaking into a new hobby, LinkedIn Learning and Plano Public Library are here to provide you with the tools and lessons to succeed. We look forward to serving  and growing with you in your latest endeavor.