Week 9 Learning Express

Learning Express is an amazing resource.  I  took a BTOP training course so I have some knowledge of what is available.  I set-up an account and started to browse the available learning centers.  I started in the Skill Building for Adults and went to Personal Finance Skills Improvement.  I found some very basic information in an e-book "Goof-proof Personal Finance" from 2004.  Next I went to Reading Skills Improvement.  I opened the Reading Comprehension Practice and spent some time.  I was always a very poor test taker and was interested to see what I could learn.  The seven strategies for success were very helpful and I think if someone took the time to do some of the 501 questions they would learn a great deal.  With my new strategies in hand I went to College Students and took a Reading Comprehension test.  I did very well, but only did a few question and forgot to check my time.  I think I may have run out of time if I did the entire test.  If someone takes the time to use these resources they should have no problem preparing for an exam.

Job Search & Workplace Skills.  I decided to see what they had about interviewing.  I have hired all of the staff here at the library and I find the interview to be the msot important part of the process.  Looking at these resources was very interesting.  The first resource is a Career Course: Interview to Get the Job You Want.  I went through most of this information and thought that it was very informative and helpful.  I will be a better interviewer in the future.

I searched for "travel agent" and got 18 e-books.  The e-books were about real estate, becoming a border patrol agent and law enforcement.  Not what I was looking for, but I opened the book "Becoming a Border Patrol Agent."  This is a 176 page "indispensible career guide" and I found it very interesting.  I learned rigth off that I was too old to consider this career chioce.

This is a wonderful resource, but it does take some time to introduce to patrons.  I would like to see the tutorial available on the home page.  Many of our patrons who need these skills have a hard time finding what they want ( not Learning Express' fault, they just do not have the skills to search .)  Several times I have taken a patron to the Jobs and Careers section and then together we have searched for the rigth information and then left them to read or study what we have found.