Lake Country This Month

Page 4A • FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE LAKE COUNTRY JANUARY 2015 To Milwaukee Northview Rd. Waukesha Expo Center N. Grandview Blvd. Pewaukee Rd. To Madison 94 ArtWorks Studio Clearance Waukesha Expo Center 1 0 0 0 N o r t h v i e w R d - Wa u k e s h a ArtWorksWisconsin.com Free Parking Bring 2 canned goods and get into the show for Free! Children under 12 and adults over 65 can attend at no charge 242117002 January 24, 2015 Admission: $5 at the door All proceeds benefit The Food Pantry of Waukesha County Best Selection in the morning... Best Prices in the afternoon CHENEQUA — The ladies of the Kettle Moraine Garden Club hosted their annual fundraiser, Holly Berry, on Dec. 2. Carol Manegold, Vicki Gaynor and Linda Surles co-hosted the luncheon held at Chenequa Country Club. The holiday-themed event featured raffles, silent auctions, and bakery and floral items for purchase. Lunch was also served. The group donates to local educational and civic projects in the Lake Country community. HOLLY BERRY Photos by Tamara Conley Gogin Out & About Cindy Price, Hartland, and Debbie Treis, Chenequa. Casey Hasselkus, Delafield, and Karleen Hallock, Indiana. Kim Schubert, Hartland, and Karin Perrault, Oconomowoc. Debbie Kaerek, Delafield, Pam Angst, Pewaukee, and Cindy Ziegler- Fritz, Pewaukee. Lara Ehrsam, Hartland, Karen Gosewehr, Hartland, and Lynn Behling, Delafield. Lulu Lubbers, Sheboygan, and Ann Kobs, Pewaukee. Karleen Haberichter, Delafield, and Barbara Lodde, Milwaukee. Julia Syburg, Hartland, and Cynthia See, Delafield. Regina Lay, Summit, Jane Peterson, Helenville, and Barb Watson, Oconomowoc. Lori Sra, Pewaukee, and Heidi Wurlitzer, Mequon. To inquire about coverage of your event, contact Tamara Conley Gogin at gmtoday.out.about@gmail.com By Lauren Anderson Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — With the start of the new year, Wauke- sha County library cardhold- ers now have access to hun- dreds of free online courses. The Waukesha County Fed- erated Library system is launching a new initiative to provide continuing education opportunities for its mem- bers. WCFLS Automation Coor- dinator Mellanie Mercier said the program will allow coun- ty residents to further their studies without having to pay the cost of tuition. "Libraries are all about education for the public so we feel it's part of our mission," Mercier said. More than 300 classes will be offered through online platform Gale Courses. Included in the course cata- log are topics related to tech- nology, writing, photography, accounting, parenting, test prep, professional develop- ment and health. Currently garnering the most interest is "Lose Weight and Keep it Off," Mercier said. Courses run for six weeks, include about 24 hours of course time, and require homework. Library cardhold- ers can take as many courses as are offered. Mercier said the flexibility of taking classes online for free will eliminate two com- mon deterrents to continuing education: time and money. "Some people will say that classes are expensive to take at a university and that this is a great fit for their schedule," Mercier said. "Many people say they were wanting to take classes at brick-and-mortar schools, but couldn't make it happen. So this is a great way to learn." County libraries purchased an unlimited subscription to the courses, which allows them to provide the service free of charge to library card- holders. Ordinarily the instructor-led courses cost $99 per class, Mercier said. Completion of certain courses may qualify profes- sionals for continuing educa- tion certifications, Mercier said. Students who complete courses and pass the final tests will be awarded certifi- cates. Delafield Public Library Director Terry Zignego said the program will fill an inter- est among area residents. When she asked library users and nonusers in a survey ear- lier this year what services they would like to see more of, online courses was the top response. "It's a great outreach oppor- tunity for the library because the classes have a broad appeal," Zignego said. "I think continuing education for adults is a great way we can serve the community and I think there's a huge interest in it." The libraries will pilot the program in 2015 and gauge if there is enough interest to continue, Mercier said. "We're very excited to offer something new and have peo- ple look at libraries in a new light," Mercier said. A full listing of courses is available through the library system's website, www.wcfls.org. Email: landerson@conleynet.com County libraries to offer free online courses

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