New skills. Improved skills. Today.

What do Data Analysis, Social Media Marketing, and Photoshop have in common?

lynda These topics all feature prominently this week in articles, tutorials, or workshops at lynda.com

Lynda.com is a digital resource now offered through the Library, providing tools for anyone —from entry to executive level — to learn or advance skills in topics such as 3D animation, audio engineering, software development, web design, business, marketing, photography, and more.

Access to the great learning opportunities at lynda.com normally requires a monthly subscription. We are pleased to make this resource available at no charge to Spokane Public Library users.

Your lynda.com subscription is available from anywhere – you don’t need to be in the library! You just need your library barcode and PIN. Please note, however, that you do need to login through our portal: www.spokanelibrary.org/lynda.

Pink Floyd comes to Freegal

Pink Floyd released the Dark Side Of The Moon LP in March 1973. It was on the Billboard charts for fourteen consecutive years.

Starting January 1, 2016, all fifteen of the Pink Floyd studio albums, and more, will be available on the Freegal site. You can use your library card to download 5 free songs each week.

Remember: The songs you download from Freegal are yours to keep!

Featured activities and events in January

On the Trail of Big Cats

Come learn about Cougars in Washington State with Candace Bennett from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. Join us at any one of our six locations for this family-friendly event. You’ll have an opportunity to design your own Big Cat mask! More information →

FAFSA Assistance (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

Financial Aid experts from Spokane Community College will provide FAFSA information, resources, and assistance for incoming college students. We’re presenting this program at both Shadle and South Hill. More information →

eBook Boot Camp

Do you have a new Kindle, Nook or other device? Want to set it up to get free ebooks and audiobooks from the library? Come learn how at Hillyard or Indian Trail! More information →

More great adventures and learning opportunities coming up this month:

Join us at your local branch

Michael Dinning: January art exhibit

Stop by the Downtown Library to see thought-provoking pieces and look for familiar elements from life

In January, the Downtown Library’s art gallery will feature works by artist Michael Dinning.

Using a variety of mediums from acrylic paint and canvas to nuts, bolts, hooks and wire Dinning creates works that are inspired by a wide range of sources, from Italian Renaissance to Pop Art, Abstract Expressionism to Fauvism.

Mrs. Korus’s 7th grade class visits the Library

thank-you-note We were thrilled to receive a stack of 50 thank you notes from Mrs. Korus’s seventh-grade class at North Central. Her students recently took a field trip to the Downtown Library to work on their History Day projects.

Librarians Riva Dean and Becky Menzel gave a tour of the library, showing students where and how to find primary source material.

We always welcome classes and groups to the library. Contact us to learn more.

Here’s one of the great notes we received:

Dear Mrs. Dean,
Thank you for inviting my class and I to see all of the stories and past research on all of our topics. It was amazing to see all of the sources that you guys have. Honestly there were more books and papers than I thought. Also I loved how you let us copy things and send them to ourselves. I thought that was cool.

Thank you,
Lydia

Library News January 2016