Another snowy Grand County winter has come and gone, leaving most of us looking forward to warmer weather.

With the changing of seasons, residents are hanging up their ski boots and looking for new activities. Look no further than Grand County Library District, which has the resources and materials you need to keep boredom at bay this mud season.

Whether you’re in the market for a new hobby or just need something to help pass the time while waiting for the last of the snow to melt, the library’s online learning platform, Gale Presents: Udemy, is a one-stop learning resource for a variety of practical skills.

Udemy’s huge catalog of courses can help you learn or improve work-related skills or further develop personal interests. Log into GCLD.org and select “online resources” to browse Udemy’s 75 categories with over 20,000 classes. Eighty-five percent of the collection has been updated within the past two years to ensure classes are current and relevant. Courses are taught by world-class instructors and offer tailor-made learning experiences.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Go to Udemy. Looking to bake your own bread? Go to Udemy. Want to become an Office 365 expert? You guessed it. Head on over to Udemy. The platform has something for everyone and is free with a current library card.

In other exciting news, the library is proud to announce the addition of a Creator’s Accessory Kit to our Library of Things collection, now available for checkout at Granby Library. The kit includes two microphones with stands, two wireless microphones, two headphones, a 12-inch ring light, an adjustable tripod with a removable phone attachment (great for photography or filming), and a USB audio Interface for studio-quality sound — perfect for recording, songwriting, streaming, podcasting or recording interviews. 

To use the kit, you’ll need your own computer to save recordings. The kit also includes Audacity, a free sound-editing software tool that you can easily download to your computer.

And Udemy classes can help you take your project to the next level, whether you’re interested in songwriting, music production, audio engineering, sound design, podcasting or even vlogging for beginners. Be sure to check out “Ultimate Sound Design,” “The Complete Guide to Podcasting” and “How to Vlog on YouTube for Beginners.”

And of course, the library also offers great books, audiobooks and e-books to help first-timers learn the ropes of podcasting or songwriting.

Jack Street is a library clerk at Granby Library. Reach him at jstreet@gcld.org.