The Louisville Free Public Library is offering another avenue for lifelong learning to area residents.
A grant of about $25,000 from the Louisville Metro Office of Performance Improvement is allowing the library to offer access to Lynda.com—an online learning resource program with more than 3,200 courses—for anyone with a library card, said Paul Burns, a spokesman for the library.
The library announced the offering on Tuesday.
Burns said the courses offered by the program range from photography to video game design.
He said the library's current online learning resources will be greatly broadened by the new program.
"It really will complement all of our other e-services and allow people to contact it at home or in the library," he said.
E-book popularity in Louisville has surged in recent years. Louisville residents checked out 26 percent more e-books in the most recent 12 month cycle than the previous 12 months, Burns said in an interview in February.
Without the program announced Tuesday, a Lynda.com subscription would cost each patron about $375 annually, Burns said.
But it's now free with a library card.
"The library wants to support people in lifelong learning," he said. "That can be people who are looking to improve their job standing; if they want to move up, if they want to get a better paying job, (this) will help them do that."
