hether you want to learn how to speak Spanish or how to code, how to decorate a cake or how to play the guitar, the Jessamine County Public Library has the resources to help you learn new skills.
We can even help you “Get Skilled” with a personalized learning plan that we create just for you.

Online Learning
Learn 24/7 from the comfort of your own home with our online learning resources. These resources normally charge individuals as much as $29.99 a month, but they are all free with your library card. Find all of these resources and more on the Online Learning page of our website at jesspublib.org/learning/
Transparent Language Online offers lessons in more than 100 languages and includes courses in English as a second language. Courses are packed with pronunciation, speech, grammar, writing and vocabulary-building lessons. To get started, you’ll need to create an account from inside the library. You can do that yourself from a library computer, or you can call the Ask a Librarian Desk at (859) 885-3523 ext. 228, and we will be happy to create an account for you.
Lynda.com is a premier online learning resource providing more than 4,400 courses covering technical skills, creative techniques, business strategies and more. Take video courses from working professionals who are also great teachers. Sample courses include Programming Foundations: Fundamentals, Excel 2016 Essential Training, InDesign CC 2019 Essential Training, Introduction to Photography, and eBay Essential Training: Selling.
Universal Class offers more than 500 online courses for patrons interested in the lifelong pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. Choose from self-paced or instructor-led courses on such topics as home computing, crafts and hobbies, business and others. Earn Continuing Education Units for many instructor-led courses. Sample courses include Dog Training 101, Accounting and Bookkeeping 101 for Everyone, Adobe Photoshop 101, Genealogy 101, and Cake Decorating 101.
With Great Courses Library Collection, you get full access to more than 150 video courses taught by the world’s top professors. Subjects range from photography to physics, astronomy to art, history to health and more. Sample courses include How to Publish Your Book, Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language, Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation and The Science of Extreme Weather.
ArtistWorks provides world-class music and art instruction through self-paced video lessons. With your library card, you get free, unlimited access to beginning to advanced lessons for instruments, voice and visual art. Sample courses include Art Lessons with Justin Bua, Acoustic Guitar with Scott Law, Bluegrass Vocal Lessons with Michael Daves, and Piano Lessons with Christine Peery.

In-Person Classes
Prefer to learn in person? We’ve got you covered with great library programs that can enrich your technology, cooking, gardening, and music skills among others.
Learn how to use our 3D printers, laser cutter, CNC machines, and recording studio equipment by taking the Intro to the JCPL Creative Space Class and an introductory one-to-one session. Our Technology Education Specialist regularly offers classes on GarageBand, video recording basics, and getting started with Mac computers.
You can also improve your musical abilities with group voice lessons or ukulele lessons; turn your black thumb to green by taking a gardening class, or up your parenting game by taking a class in our Parent Toolkit series. Find and register for all of these classes on our website at esspublib.org.

Get Skilled Service
If you feel overwhelmed by all the choices, try our new Get Skilled service. As we mentioned above, this service makes learning a new skill even easier. Let us know if you prefer to learn in an online or in-person class, or by reading, listening, or watching videos and a JCPL librarian will find the best resources for you.
Just visit our Get Skilled webpage to fill out the form, and we’ll email you three to five resources that are tailored to your desired skill and learning methods. The possibilities are endless!

Carrie Green is the reference/user education librarian at the Jessamine County Public Library.