Many times the most useful way to learn something new is to watch a video. I find that even the best trainers sometimes go too fast for me. Lynda and YouTube have good ways to control a video presentation to get the most out of it. I go to Lynda.com first because the instructional quality is consistently high, but the controls work the same way on Lynda and on YouTube. I’ll use a Lynda lesson as an example.

The Library makes Lynda available for free (requires a valid Library card and PIN). From our home page, click on Research, choose Alphabetical list, the letter L and then click on Access Now on the Lynda.com panel.

After you sign in and choose a topic, you get a Lynda navigation page. I’m learning about iMovie in Lynda, and it saves my place in the lesson, so at the moment my opening page looks like this. The first thing I do is slow it down. I learn better when the instructor’s pace is a better match for my learning speed. Also, it is easier to backtrack and watch something again when the teacher goes slower.

Below, you’ll find helpful tips for using Lynda.com.

Tip: Click on screenshots to get a larger view.