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D uring the past month I’ve at-
tended a number of computer-
related presentations at local librar-
ies. These included how to best use
various Google tools as an aid to
research of a particular subject (in this case
genealogy), navigating YouTube to find videos
of practical and entertainment value, how to
minimize my chances of being hacked and
how to use Microsoft’s new presentation soft-
ware, Sway. These presentations, plus related
experiences, have reminded me of the wealth
of computer-oriented information that is availa-
ble. Here are some thoughts in that regard.
While a number of local library districts offer
basic classes about computer use and com-
mon software (Microsoft Word and Excel, for
instance), there are a few which go considera-
bly farther. The library district with the most
(and most-varied) computer-related offerings is
Cook Memorial Library District, with facilities in
Libertyville and Vernon Hills. This was where I
attended three of the four presentations I men-
tioned above. The fourth presentation was at
the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire.
Most libraries offer quarterly catalogs of com-
ing events, in print and/or online; I encourage
you to check out yours – and to go online to
check out offerings at neighboring libraries.
(So far, I have not heard of non-residents be-
ing turned away from library programs, other
than because of space limitations.)
Along the same lines, check out the online da-
tabases available through your library (and
others that are convenient to you). During sev-
eral of the presentations I attended, the speak-
ers recommended that attendees follow up by
accessing the library’s Lynda.com database for
additional information about that night’s topic.
I had never used that database before, and so
looked into what it is all about. Lynda.com is
an online learning company based in Califor-
nia, which provides a wide range of personal
and business classes to individuals and com-
3
panies on a subscription basis. While individ-
uals can subscribe for $240 a year, a better
alternative is to take advantage of subscrip-
tions purchased by local libraries and availa-
ble to their patrons for free. I have found four
local library districts which have such sub-
scriptions – Grayslake, Cook, Fremont
(Mundelein) and Vernon Area.
There is another option if your library does
not offer this database. I spoke with a Cook
librarian yesterday, who explained their recip-
rocal library card process. At either of the
two Cook library facilities a non-resident can
present a valid library card from another dis-
trict in Illinois or Wisconsin, and be granted a
reciprocal library card at Cook. This card
does not grant full privileges, but does offer a
way to access their Lynda.com subscription.
While reciprocal card holders will not have
online access from their homes, as residents
do, they will be able to use their reciprocal
card to utilize one of the library’s public com-
puters to access Lynda.com. I have not
checked the policies at the other three library
districts; however, if one of them is closer to
where you live and you are interested in pur-
suing this option, it would be worth inquiring.
I’ll use Sway as an example of how
Lynda.com and other educational options can
help you learn more about a particular com-
puter topic. Sway is new application software
released by Microsoft last fall. Superficially, it
resembles PowerPoint in that it is also a form
of presentation software. However, while
PowerPoint is typically used to create a visual
aid for a live presentation, Sway is designed
to create a standalone presentation that can
be viewed online by the intended audience.
The software itself is available as a free app
in the Windows Store in Windows 10. Here is
a portion of the description shown in the Win-
dows Store (notice the almost 5-star user rat-
ing for this app):