to 5 pencils. One pencil is the lowest rating and five pencils is the highest.
Introducing the OA Library by Books 24x7You may have noticed a new addition to the OfficeArrow website: The OA Library by Books 24x7. We've added this incredibly helpful resource to assist you in building your job skills and expanding your career opportunities. Many of the books you'll find in the OA Library are on the bestseller list and you'll also find a wide variety of industry experts contribute to the site as well.
The OA Library by Books 24x7 is an electronic library of downloadable e-books and video "quick talks." It's a vast resource for you to learn about current methods of productivity, time management, and other professional skills for the office. And the neat thing is that you can access all of this right from your computer without having to take a trip or attend a conference. You can literally learn a new skill during your downtime at work!
The OA Library provides incredibly easy access to information. Think about it: When have you remembered a key thought but couldn't put your finger on who said it or where you read it? Using this new electronic library, you can search by keywords or phrases and the system will locate the reference within its selection of ebooks and/or videos.
And just like a regular library, you can also search by the citation, author and ISBN. You can even refine your search by selecting specific collections, such as BusinessPro, Office Essentials, or What's New.
Currently there are nineteen topic categories to explore. Some cover basic skills, while others span the broad range of coaching, communication, facilitating change, influencing, meeting skills, project management, and strategic planning. You can use the information in these various categories to sharpen your current skills. Even if you've been in the workforce for a long period of time, it never hurts to have a refresher. For example, if your want to see the new ideas or tips for project management, search this topic the OA Library and you'll find a list of valuable resources.
EBooks are just like regular books except they are available in 100% electronic format. For many, they are seen as the wave of the future. You can access the OA Library of eBooks directly from the website and read the entire book on your computer screen. I find eBooks are perfect if you want to read a book but don't necessarily have any interest in owning the book. How many books have you bought, read once and then just put away to collect dust on your bookshelf? You enjoyed the book and learned new things, but now you rarely refer to it again. It usually ends up in a garage sale ten years later when it is outdated. EBooks are a convenient, less expensive and greener way to read.
And again, it's easy to search topics in electronic format. So referencing material is a snap! Suppose you read something but can't remember where you read it. With the OA Library, you can type in the word and access everything written on the topic. With paper books you could spend hours thumbing around trying to find that hidden passage.
The Quick Talks section of the OA Library is just what the name implies-a collection of quick conversations. You can access these talks in those few minutes before you go home, after you have finished your daily work. Or they could be a nice "break" for your mind on your lunch hour. Contributors consist of many well known experts including David Allen, bestselling author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity; Rita Bailey, who specializes in customer service, culture, leadership, people success strategies, and women's issues; and Tony Schwartz, peak performance expert and bestselling author who helps organizations and their leaders more skillfully manage energy. Many of the experts featured here conduct leadership programs for executives and are well-known public speakers.
As the official OA Training Doctor, I often rate training and educational resources to help you evaluate their usefulness in your own life and career. In doing so, I consider five key category areas:
Does the course give you the information you need? Is it a lot of fluff or does it really help you build new skills?
Is it easy to navigate or read? Do you need a tutorial to figure it out?
Do you have to travel to access the course? Is it only offered within one region of the country? If it is an online course or resource, do you have to pay to join a website or organization before you can participate?
Is it cost effective? Do you have to take out a loan or can you take the course for a minimal fee? Do the benefits outweigh the cost?
How much time do you need to devote to the course? Given that you are very busy in your job, I will rate a course higher if it takes less of your time.
Rating will be from 1 pencil to 5 pencils. One pencil is the lowest rating and five pencils is the highest.
Based on this rating system, I rate the OA Library by Books 24x 7 in this way:
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Skill Sets |
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The skill sets and topical areas are very applicable to the office professional. The skills also transfer to many other jobs and careers. |
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Ease of Use |
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Searching is easy and fast. There are multiple ways to search for a book or quick talk to meet your particular needs. |
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Accessibility |
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After you pay a small fee you can access any of the content from any computer with internet access. You can use break or lunch time to read about topics that will enhance your skills and give you new perspective. You can also use your personal time at home to expand your professional knowledge. |
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Cost |
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The money you spend is well worth the investment. You could easily spend hundreds (or thousands!) to buy the books available in the OA Library or attend seminars by the experts featured in the Quick Talks. |
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Time investment |
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You can spend as much or as little time you want accessing the features in the OA Library. Many Quick Talks are as short as a few minutes and can be viewed multiple times if desired. Additionally, all eBooks can be viewed as many times as you'd like, for any length of time. |
Overall, I think you will enjoy using the OA Library by Books24x7 and highly recommend you check it out. It's free with the OA Silver Membership. Learn more here.