State Library System to Offer Free Courses, Audiobooks Online

Continuing education – as well as audiobooks – will be but a mouse click away under two new programs being offered by the state public library system beginning on Friday.

The first named Ed2Go will provide free, online, instructor-led courses.

Library officials said the program will include hundreds of courses with continuous enrollment dates. The courses are developed by expert instructors, many currently working at universities around the country.

They will range from personal finance to digital photography to health and wellness. Nineteen of them can lead to continuing education credits.

Each individual course is offered online for six weeks and features 12 lessons with online discussions, homework, quizzes and a final exam.

“Ed2Go will provide our patrons with additional opportunities to increase their personal and career development, help them lead more engaged, fulfilled lives, and support their lifelong learning needs,” State Librarian Richard Burns said in a statement.

Hawaii residents can enroll and participate in courses from their home computer or mobile device, or by using library computers.

To access Ed2Go visit the Hawaii State Public Library System home page and click on the “E-Learning @ Your Library” on the right column.

Funding for Ed2Go is provided by the federal Library Services and Technology Act which is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The library system is also unveiling a new audiobook download service on Friday.

OneClickdigital offers nearly 4,000 fiction titles to choose from and is compatible with Apple, Microsoft and Android devices, library officials said.

The titles are suitable for all age levels. There is a 10-item limit.

Library officials said the advantages of “borrowing” these audiobooks including no waiting lists for titles, a loan period of up to 21 days. There will be no overdue fees since the title will “disappear” from your computer or device screen on the due date.

The service is being provided by Recorded Books, the world’s largest independent publisher and distributor of unabridged audiobooks on cassettes, CDs and downloadable files.

A valid HSPLS library card is required for either service.