TUCSON, Ariz. — There's a new resource launching through the Pima County Libraries, hoping to open your world.
"It's always the goal of the library to help people improve their lives, advance their careers and make their lives better," said Jessica Pryde. She's in charge of the adult fiction selection for the Pima County Libraries, but she also oversees the online resources the library offers, including their newest one, "Udemy."
Udemy is an online platform with thousands of educational video classes you can take, covering just about anything you can think of. Whether you want to learn how to install a light, write code, beef up your resume so you don't have to lie about knowing Excel, or play an instrument.
"They have art classes, guitar classes, yoga, Qigong," Pryde explained, "all the things you might be looking for, but also Microsoft Word and business analytics and data validation and all of these things that people might be interested in learning, so that they can advance their careers or advance their personal lives, start business, anything that they would be interested in doing."
She says each video class is like your own personal private lesson from an expert.
"You are guaranteed that whoever is teaching these classes," she said, "has some form of expertise. Whether it's a certificate, a PhD, whatever the Udemy process of finding these people, is very, very thorough."
If you were to take a Udemy class yourself, they could cost you as much as a few hundred dollars. But now, as long as you have a library card, which you can get for free online, you can just log into the library's website, and the Udemy classes become free too, no matter where you are.
"You can go online anywhere," Pride said, "including in the library buildings or at home, and all you have to do is create an account."
To get a library card, you can click here.
From there, you can log in on the library's website, select "E-Library," then "E-Library A-Z" and you'll find Udemy in the "U" section.
Claire Graham is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. She grew up in Tucson and graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in musical theatre. Claire spent a decade in Washington state, where she worked in journalism, met her husband and welcomed their baby boy, before moving back home. Share your story ideas and important issues with Claire by emailing claire.graham@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
