TUESDAY TIPS

TODAY'S TIP - LANGUAGE LEARNING – Rosetta Stone, et al.

Want to learn a new language? Would you like learning online or listening on CD or other formats? Short of providing you with a teacher, San Francisco Public Library supplies you with a variety of options to meet your language learning style.

To study online with an interactive course, use the Rosetta Stone series, available from SFPL through our collection of databases. From the homepage, click on Articles & Databases, then choose the Education & Social Science category on the left and click on Rosetta Stone Online Language Learning. If you are a first time user, you will need to register. Then choose which language you would like to learn and start an interactive course. You may have to install Adobe Shockwave if it is not already installed on your home computer.

To find language learning CDs, use the Advanced Search feature of the SFPL catalog. Go to the catalog search page, click on Advanced Search. Type the name of the language and “language instruction” in the search box. Then, choose the material type “Spoken CD.” For example, if you would like to learn Italian, you would type “Italian language instruction” in the search box and limit to “Spoken CD.”

If you would like to get a book instead of - or in addition to other formats, you can do the same search as above, limiting the material type to “book.” Also available are video courses on DVD or VHS.

To download a language learning audiobook from NetLibrary via the catalog, follow the same instructions as for a CD, but chose the material type “Spoken eBook.” First time users will have to register. For more information on NetLibrary, see the Tuesday Tip on this Blog.

To download a language course via OverDrive, you can search for a title or browse for one by looking for “language learning” under Audiobook Nonfiction on the left side of the page. For more information on OverDrive, see the Tuesday Tip on this Blog.

Excelsior Librarians and Staff share tips & tricks to help you make the most of the San Francisco Public Library catalog, databases and website. New tips posted Tuesdays on the Excelsior Blog. Watch this space!