As our doors remain closed, staff at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library are busy at their homes in Chippewa, Bloomer, Eau Claire, Menomonie, and even Spooner, WI, creating online programming, answering reference questions, troubleshooting issues with digital media, connecting with local musicians for an upcoming video series to highlight the artists featured in our local music platform, Sawdust City Sounds, and creating video content for the library’s YouTube channel.

We have also been exploring ways to better serve the community, including improving our virtual desk services by adding a chat service, now staffed by Information & Reference staff members Monday – Friday from 10-5, (look for the chat bubble on the lower right-hand corner of nearly every ecpubliclibrary.info page), seeking alternative ways for users to continue using some of the resources they’ve been using onsite in an offsite capacity, and exploring new options for learning and exploration for our cardholders.

Two services now available to our customers offsite are Ancestry Library Edition and the Foundation Directory Online. Both companies responded quickly to library closures by offering unprecedented offsite access to library customers. We are extremely grateful for their support and flexibility during these unprecedented times.

But what about new library services?

You may know Libby, and Tumblebooks, Freading, and Flipster, but do you recall Lynda? Because she is back!

If you are an Eau Claire cardholder, you can now set-up a free account with Lynda.com and learn everything from overcoming cognitive bias to introductory WordPress skills to speed reading tips. Simply visit the Lynda.com portal through our library’s website, have your library card and PIN number handy, and create your account today. If you had an account through our library before, you will be prompted to enter the email address you used for your old account to retrieve any past course modules.

Welcome back, Lynda!

Stay tuned to our website  and our Facebook page for more news about our digital services offerings. If you ever need any assistance troubleshooting any of these services, our staff will be available to answer your questions Monday thru Friday, from 10-5 via our new chat service or via email at librarian@eauclaire.lib.org, and we are returning voicemails from a variety of numbers, so if you see a strange number from Stevens Point in your Caller ID and you have recently left a voice message by calling our Information & Reference staff at 715-839-5004, please pick up the phone. You’ll probably find one of us on the other end.

If you have any suggestions for other virtual services the library could provide while we are all staying safe at home, please let us know in the comments. We miss seeing you at the Information & Reference desk on the second floor and look forward to the day when we will be able to answer your questions in-person. Until then, stay safe, stay well, and keep reading, learning, and asking those questions!