OKLAHOMA CITY– Developing a competitive edge with key professional skills does not have to be expensive. Library users can develop their professional skills from the convenience of their couch through the library’s eResource Lynda.com.  

In January the library is highlighting the variety of courses available on Lynda.com that are accessible with a library card. Lynda.com is an online learning platform with video learning tutorials hosted by industry experts in areas such as business, technology and creative skills.

“Lynda has been instrumental in reaching some of my professional and personal goals,” library customer Pierre Liepenberg said. “I have saved a lot of money using Lynda.com.”

Liepenberg is an Oklahoma City app developer who got his start on Lynda.com. He set out to create an app that could help his son develop his reading skills. His son’s dyslexia was causing him to fall behind in reading and there was not anything in the app landscape that worked for him, Liepenberg said.

“I started doing a bit of reading and I realized that if I am able to isolate a paragraph of text and show it to him that way then he could read the words,” he said. “I realized that if I wanted an app to do this, I would learn how to do it myself.”

Liepenberg started using Lynda.com through the library to learn the process of app development. He began with a basic programming course and then went on to learn Swift, the language used to create app and desktop applications. Next, he learned iOS development and distribution in the app store. About six months later, he had built an app called Lexico.

“My sons reading scores have doubled since using the app. None of that would have been possible if I did not have the Library resources available to me,” he said.

Library users can access Lynda.com from the library, from home or from a mobile device on the library’s downloads page and log in using their library card number and pin (last name).