Did you know that your Floyd County Library card does more than check out books? Even if you do, you might be surprised to find just how many cool things you’re able to access and use, in the building or at home. I’m going to focus today on two of our learning resources, Gale Courses and Mango Languages, both of which I love.
Gale Courses is an online repository of online courses. Offerings vary widely in content, with classes in technical topics such as Adobe or Windows, as well as many other fields including grant writing, test prep, creative writing, and American Sign Language. Each course description includes the amount of time commitment to complete the course– usually 24 hours, although sometimes more or less– and the available start dates. Although the course lectures are pre-recorded and progress largely yours to determine, participants take the class over the same period of time, such that there is always a class of students and an instructor, with whom you can have discussions and ask questions. Although there is a suggested timeline for completing the lessons and activities, you are relatively free to set your own pace as your schedule allows. At the end of the course, if you have met the necessary requirements, you will be issued a certificate of completion.
Mango Languages is different; instead of with a class, you study on your own with only the program’s pre-sets to guide you. With 71 languages on offer, you can begin learning whichever you choose. The process is comparable to Rosetta Stone– but available to you for free through the library. It contains both written and speaking/listening aspects, to get you on the path to fluency.
To access either Gale Courses or Mango Languages, go to our website, floydlibrary.org, and hover your mouse pointer over the “Resources” menu option at the top of the page. On the resulting dropdown menu, there will be options for both Free Online Gale Courses and Mango Languages, which will take you to the appropriate site. Once there, you can sign in or create an account using your library card information, and begin learning!
