Original photo by Kara Monroe. Almost all of the books I currently have checked out from the library
Welcome back to the series on defining and implementing your learning goals. Today we're looking at the first of a series essays on gathering your resources.
I'm going to release these resource essays in order from what I believe are the least expensive to the most expensive.
I will use a dollar ranking system for price and a star ranking system for quality - five dollar signs has potential to be very expensive, five stars has the potential to be very high quality. At the end of the series I'll give an overall chart as a summation and quick resource checklist.
Today, we focus on the local library.
Cost: 💲
Quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Your local library, regardless of its size, is almost always the best place to start when you're starting a learning project. Small town libraries often participate in statewide and national partnerships to bring more resources and opportunities into their community.
When you consider the library, don't just scour their web site for the wealth of free resources they provide (e.g. mine provides free subscription access to the NYTimes as well as free access to LinkedIn Learning).
Call or go in and talk to a librarian about your project. Librarians are some of the knowledgeable people I know when it comes to making learning accessible from a cost standpoint.
Your library may also offer free classes. Many offer computer skills courses but a lot also offer book clubs, coding classes, and more.
Regardless of what my learning project is, I always start with my local library. I "surf" my library right from Amazon.com using the free Library Extension in Chrome (www.libraryextension.com). It has saved me hundreds and probably thousands of dollars over the years.