HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are often considered the backbones of web development. If you're looking to learn some new skills, then taking a virtual course means you can learn Javascript online.

By Nicole Bonaccorso2020-08-13 09:00:00 UTC

After learning HTML and CSS, JavaScript is often the next step. Its beginner-friendly, and its installed in every modern browser, so you dont even have to spend time downloading any additional consoles. Learning JavaScript could open up a whole slew of opportunities on the job market too.

Is it hard to learn JavaScript?

JavaScript, often abbreviated as js, is one of the worlds most popular programming languages. The script is used to create automated and animated features on websites and apps, like animated graphics, slideshows, autocomplete text fields, and interactive forms. Anytime something updates or changes on your screen without a manual click or refresh, JavaScript is most likely doing it.

Learning JavaScript doesn't require you to get accepted to any special programs, though it's not necessarily something you can teach yourself. You'll have to set aside some real time to learn the ropes, but a dedicated and motivated student should be able to grasp the concepts with some moderate effort.

When learning a new coding language, class exercises and projects will be invaluable to becoming a good programmer. Thats where youll really get to learn what works and how to troubleshoot your own code. Code is something you have to practice to learn well. Watching video tutorials and taking detailed notes is great, but it doesnt compare to writing code on your own and experimenting with different scripts.

What is the best way to learn JavaScript?

We recommend that you learn JavaScript programming via online courses, that way you don't ever have to leave the comfort of your home. Youll be able to take classes at your own pace, with the ability to go back to review sections as necessary. As school and the workplace becomes increasingly hosted online, remote and online courses are getting better and better.

To make the most out of online schooling, youll want to take advantage of the resources offered in each class. Many education platforms offer community features, where youll be able to form teams, talk to mentors, generate ideas, and ask for help and advice with your code.

Whether youre well on your way to becoming a JavaScript developer, or youre brand new to programming, the list below will detail some of the best classes to learn JavaScript online.

If you havent yet had the experience in HTML and CSS, this class from Coursera and Duke University is for you. Youll learn the foundational programming concepts, and how to think and solve problems like a programmer.The class focuses on core concepts, and youll create an interactive webpage by the end of the class where others will be able to upload their own images and apply image filters that you create. The class focuses on writing JavaScript programs using functions for loops and conditional statements, as well as how to use HTML to create a webpage with paragraphs, divs, images, links, and lists. Using CSS, youll learn to use IDs and classes. Youll also learn JavaScript commands like alert, onClick, and onChange, as well as learn to add input features like an image canvas, button, and slider.This class is a great way to learn how these three languages, often referred to as the backbone of web development, work together to create webpages. If youre interested in deepening your knowledge after the class, Programming Foundations with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS is part of a larger Coursera specialization called Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals Specialization.

In this five-and-a-half hour JavaScript tutorial, youll learn what the language is, focusing on real-world examples and mini projects. The course focuses on core JavaScript principles like variables, data types, conditionals, and functions, as well as advanced topics such as loops, closures, and DOM scripting. Youll gain an understanding of ES6, as well as the basics of JavaScript libraries.Youll love working through the short, digestible modules at your own pace. A shareable certificate of completion awaits each student at the end of the class.LinkedIn Learning offers more than 15,000 expert-led courses, and students will love that the modules and activities can be accessed anytime via computer or phone. One of the most helpful aspects of LinkedIn Learning is that it will create a learning path for you, suggesting the best classes to take next.

With guided learning paths, interactive quizzes and challenges, and real-world projects, this class may be a game-changer for your career. Youll complete projects to add to your portfolio that will impress hiring managers and help you get a full understanding of JavaScript programming.You should reserve a minimum of three months for this course, but its adaptable to your lifestyle, as youll be able to pause the class at any time. There are no hard deadlines, so youll be working at your own pace.Over the course, youll complete nine to 12 projects that will be reviewed and graded by industry professionals and advanced Treehouse students. Youll get access to the Treehouse community, where you can share ideas, receive mentoring, and get live support as you complete the course.Whether youre a true beginner or looking to deepen your knowledge of web development, this class will launch your rsum to new heights, and put you on the path to begin a career in programming.

If you want to receive the shareable certificate of completion, youll have to pay $199. But if youre just looking to learn some JavaScript fundamentals for free, this class will certainly do it.Taught by University Cte d'Azur professor Michel Buffa, this class is designed to help students think like a JavaScript developer. Youll learn how to add JavaScript code to your website or mobile app, how to make interactive web sites through the DOM API, and much more.By the courses completion, you should be able to read the source code of any JavaScript code on the web, learn from it, tweak it, and start contributing to open-source JavaScript projects. This is part of a larger certificate track, and youll have the option to continue education or to stick to the one course.

Taught by one of Udemys highest rated instructors, this class goes beyond what traditional JavaScript courses cover. Youll learn the JavaScript language, but the class also focuses on problem solving, theory, and practical usage.Starting with JavaScript fundamentals, such as variables, loops, functions, and arrays, the class will move on into intermediate and advanced territory, where real-world examples and projects will help new coders understand the code application.The groups Q&A sessions will offer you a place for help and deeper understanding, and downloadable lectures, code, and design assets for all projects allow you to access the material in the future for refreshers. The class is 28 hours long, and youll earn a certificate of completion at the end.

Dont want to spend weeks or months learning the ins and outs of JavaScript? This seven-hour Skillshare class moves from basics to intermediate concepts quickly, led by a self-taught instructor.If you wanted, you could finish this class in a week. The class is organized into short modules, where youll learn to use variables, functions, casses, inheritance, and more.Students upload their projects to the site, so youll be able to see what others are working on. The discussion board is a great place to ask questions and brainstorm as you start learning more advanced JavaScript. The instructor also advises what classes will be most helpful after you complete the course so you'll know what to do next if you're looking to deepen your knowledge.

This three-week, intermediate class focuses on JavaScript's object-oriented features. Youll learn how to create dynamic websites and apps through interactive challenges and quizzes. The class is taught by industry professionals, and youll be able to attend the lessons at your own pace.You'll learn how to create classes to build objects encapsulating both data and functionality, how to pass behaviors down to objects using prototypal inheritance to maintain DRY code, and much, much more.The class is free, but is part of one of Udacitys nanodegree programs, which means youll be able to continue your web development education if you choose. When you opt for a nanodegree, Udacity offers stellar community support, including career coaching and mentor support.

Read more:
How to learn JavaScript: These are the best online courses - Mashable

The world of open source tooling has expanded to welcome JSHint, as the projects maintainers have finally completed the necessary work to adopt the MIT Expat license. Previously, the JavaScript linters code was partially published under the JSON license, with an additional seemingly innocuous clause that stated: The Software shall be used for Good, not Evil. This clause prevented it from being recognized by FSF as a free software license and similarly was not recognized as open source by the Open Source Initiative.

In an essay titled Watching the Ship Sink, JSHint co-maintainer Mike Pennisi describes how the license hurt the project. Despite having captured the distinction of being the most popular JavaScript linter in 2015, the tool has been brutally outpaced during the past five years by its contemporary, ESLint, largely due to the effects of having non-free licensing.

Legally-conscious objectors arent betraying their own dastardly motivations; theyre refusing to enter into an ambiguous contract, Pennisi said. Put differently: theyre not saying, Im an evildoer, theyre saying, I dont understand what you want. This consideration disqualified JSHint from inclusion in all sorts of contexts.

Licensing concerns prevented developers from the Debian and Fedora GNU/Linux distributions from including JSHint. Pennisi even dips into a bit of WordPress history, when he detailed how programming platforms that repackaged JSHintalso reconsidered due to its additional clause.

There was a time when the popular content management system WordPress repackaged JSHint in this way, he said. Once they learned of the JSON license, they replaced JSHint in a matter of weeks. Pennisi referenced a ticket for WordPress 4.9 wherein JSHint was removed from cores implementation of CodeMirror, as well as WordPress build tools.

When a project like JSHint loses users, it also loses contributors, Pennisi said. This slows the addition of new features and the correction of bugs. Timeliness is important for these things, and people perceive delays very negatively. The best example of this comes from JSHints delayed support for async functions.

JSHint had become what Pennisi described as a bizarrely-encumbered JavaScript linter. Unfortunately, the process of going open source after seven years was not as simple as submitting a pull request for a license change. In a series of essays, he unfolds the grueling process of requesting permission from all of the projects 200+ contributors, only to end up receiving one refusal and some who werent available for contact. Ultimately, the JSHint team was forced to rewrite the source code but only for the parts that were contributed by the five people who had not permitted the license change.

At the beginning of August, JSHint updated to use the MIT Expat license in version 2.12.0 and is now GPL-compatible. Pennisis cautionary tale of what he called the liberation of JSHint is a fascinating read that details the struggle of overcoming the challenges of the projects original license. The key takeaway from this story is that software creators should strongly consider the ramifications of licensing up front, even if a large community of users seems unimaginable at first. Open source licensing takes a project further than its creator could ever have brought it alone.

For many people, licensing is an esoteric part of software development, Pennisi said. Its a relatable opinion: the legal frameworks are intimidating, and most considerations can be addressed by simply defaulting to well-known free/open-source licenses.

The trouble is that not all software is distributed under well-known free/open-source licenses. My hope is that the particulars of JSHints decay help folks understand why licensing matters.

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JSHint is Now Free Software after Updating License to MIT Expat - WP Tavern

Bitcoins are digital currencies, and you cant store bitcoins in your wallet like you store other currencies. Bitcoins cant be stored physically anywhere. You cant store bitcoins in a bank vault or under your mattress.

To store bitcoin wallets, you need a bitcoin wallet. The bitcoin wallets are accessible by using private keys. Thus, you will need a set of digital keys for entry. Thus, the security of bitcoins depends upon the security of keys.

This article will help you to know all about bitcoin wallets.

Every Bitcoin has two major keys. The first one is called the public key, and the other one is called the private key. Bitcoins are derived from public keys. Sharing bitcoin is like sharing your email address with a person.

If you have sent an email to someone, they can check your email, but they cant take a look into your inbox. In the same way, no one will be able to get entry into your bitcoin wallet.

Before you choose any bitcoin exchange to help you provide access to a safe and secure bitcoin wallet, it is important to check the credibility and license of the company.

Different types of bitcoin wallets are available, and we will provide you with complete information just like website thebitcoincode.io so that you can choose the best wallet.

Types of Bitcoin Wallet

Hardware Wallets

Hardware wallets are the safest option to protect ownership over bitcoins. The name of the hardware wallet is derived from the sense that it takes the form of a physical device that protects the key that holds the bitcoin. The hardware wallets are considered as a safer wallet option as compared to other wallets.

Since the wallet is not connected to the internet, it removes any chances of getting hacked by hackers or spammers. Most hardware wallets generate keys within the wallet to remove any kind of risk of theft.

Paper wallets are also a type of physical wallet, but they lack the best security aspect. The paper wallets have a private key, a bitcoin address, and a QR code that is printed on a piece of paper. But, the physical wallets like paper wallets are recommended to use as the keys can be easily generated by a third person. Thus, users need to take extra precaution when they are using the paper wallet.

Software wallets

The software wallets are mostly used these days to keep the bitcoins safe. Software wallets are any form of wallet that cant be converted into a physical format. The software wallets can exist in all kinds of computers and laptops. These are pretty convenient to use, and most bitcoin investors and traders are using software wallets to store their bitcoins safely.

The best part about the software wallet is that it can also be used via mobile phones. The software wallets are safe as they use encryption to keep the bitcoins safe. If you are using a software wallet, make sure that it is developed in a peer-reviewed and open-source manner. The wallet should also be developed by a reliable programmer and organization.

Since the software wallets are connected to the internet, and they are used digitally, they are not as safe and secure as the hardware wallets. The advantage of software wallets is that they are pretty easy to use, and you wont face any issues while sending or signing the bitcoin transactions.

If you want to store your bitcoins safely and securely for an extended time, it is advisable to not use the software wallet. For storing bitcoins for a long duration, a hardware wallet with no connection to the internet is a preferred option.

Which bitcoin wallet should you use?

When it comes to choosing a bitcoin wallet, you should have complete knowledge and understanding of all kinds of wallets. The choice of a bitcoin wallet is entirely dependent on your personal choice.

Thus, if you are looking for a bitcoin wallet that can be used for day to day transactions, the software wallet can be one of the best choices. But, if you want to store bitcoins for an extended period, it is advisable to go for the hardware wallet as they are not connected to the internet.

Let us know about your views on bitcoin wallets.

More:
What are Bitcoin Wallets: Everything You Need to Know - Programming Insider

If you want to get started with the latest version of Python3.x on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, then here is the tutorial along with the installation of PIP3 and its usage to install various Pythons Packages.

If you have just started taking interest in coding and software development then you would already know Python. It is an open-source and free to use programming language that has been used to develop hundreds of software projects. Python is platform-independent language thus can run on all mainstream operating systems such as Windows, Linux / Unix, Mac OS X, Solaris more

Python has been very popular among the developers because of its powerful range of functions and libraries with only a few keywords and the reduced grammatical syntax and the resulting clarity.With Python, you can not only write your own programs but also can integrate scripting language in other applications furthermore building AI models is another usage of Python.

What we learn:

What do we need to perform this tutorial?

Open the command terminal, for GUI Desktop use Applications or the keyboard shortcut CTRL+ALT+T on Ubuntu. And run the system update command, so that our existing repos and packages can be updated.

The good thing is to install python on Ubuntu, we dont need to add any third-party repository. The programming language is available by default on the official repo. Thus, what we have to do is the running of the command with the version you want to download and install on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS focal fossa.

For Python 3.x:

The latest version in our case for Python was python 3.8.6.

For Python 2.x:

In case also want the older version, then use this command; it will download python2.7 for you.

If we go through the tutorial then you would havetwo different Python on the same system. Thus, the command to call the interpreter will also be different.

To check the version of Python 3.x, the command will be:

And for Python2.x

And for default:

By default, the command python will be associated with version 2.x and will only call that whereas python3 for version3.x. Therefore, if you are fine with that then skip this step. However, those want to use python3 with python command instead of using its version repeatedly, then use the below procedure.

First, check the default version:

The output will be version will be 2.7.x

Python 2.7.18rc1

Now, see all the installed versions of Python on your system:

In our case, the output was:

So, you can see the two versions that are available to the user- 2.7 and 3.8. In the same way, you would have on your command terminal.

Now, we set one of them as the default Python versions for Ubuntus current user. Well, by default, it was 2.7, thus we are changing it to 3.8 here.

In the same, replace 3.8 in the above command with the one, want to use by default for your current user.

Now, log out and log in again or simply source the bash file:

Finally, check the default version:

This time it will be 3.8 or whatever you have set.

Well, in most of the cases after install python you will get the PIP that is the packages installer for Python. Thus, in case you dont have then get the PIP for Pthong on Ubuntu manually:

Just the Python, pip3 is not the default version that we can use with only pip command. Thus, we can also change that simply using

alias pip=pip3

Therefore, to call the other pip version you need to given the version along with it. However, after using the above command the default pip will work for the pip3 version.

In future to upgrade the pip, use the command:

syntax: pip install packages-name

Now, lets use the pip to install some Python-based libraries such as Numpy

In case you get a warning:

WARNING: The scripts f2py, f2py3 and f2py3.8 are install in /home/user/.local/bin which is not on PATH.

Consider adding this directory to PATH or, if you prefer to suppress this warning, use no-warn-script-location.

This appears because the PIP installed location is not available in the PATH thus add it:

So, this was the quick tutorial on the Python 3.x and Pip3 installation on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Continue reading here:
How to install Python 3 and PIP 3 on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS - Linux Shout - H2S Media

Google will subject Chrome users to a large-scale test in the next version of its browser to discover how people respond to just seeing a site's domain name without the full URL for pages on that site.

The test will be carried out on Chrome 86, which is due for a stable release at the end of this month.

Chrome 86 is already known to include a feature that detects and unloads heavy ads and throttles JavaScript timers used on websites to deliver better battery life for end-user devices.

Google's new experiment will involve some "randomly assigned" users of Chrome 86. These users will have two choices when the full URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is concealed. Those in the experiment would, for example, only see en.wikipedia.org rather than the full address of the specific Wikipedia page.

As a first step, users in the experiment can hover over the limited URL to display the full URL. The other option is to right-click on the URL, and choose 'Always show full URLs' in the context menu. This will make Chrome show the full URL for all future sites being visited.

The purpose of the experiment is to see whether this approach helps people spot phishing URLs.

As Google points out, there are a bunch of ways scammers and attackers can tweak a URL to trick users into thinking they're opening a legitimate and authentic page.

Apple Safari is one browser that already only shows the domain name by default and like Chrome, no longer shows the HTTPS part of the URL.

"In Chrome 86, we're likewise going to experiment with how URLs are shown in the address bar on desktop platforms. Our goal is to understand through real-world usage whether showing URLs this way helps users realize they're visiting a malicious website, and protects them from phishing and social-engineering attacks," the Chrome security team states.

Chrome users can test the approach Google is exploring in the Chrome Canary and Dev channels. Users will need to open chrome://flags in Chrome 86 and enable several flags before relaunching Chrome.

The flags include:

Those in Google's Chrome 86 experiment would, for example, only see en.wikipedia.org rather than the full page address.

Follow this link:
Google: We'll test hiding the full URL in Chrome 86 to combat phishing - ZDNet

One of the marks of the start of a new school year is a shift in hours at the public library. Not all libraries offer Sunday hours, but many do, and those hours show up after Labor Day, often running through early June. They allow more time for students to study and do research for school.

This year is anything but typical. With so many unknowns about schooling broadlywill local schools be all online? all in-person? a hybrid model? for how long?and many parents electing to home school, the demand for other community public institutions to step up is already growing.

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Libraries across the United States have been reopening at varying rates, with varying staff levels to match both whats acceptable by their states reopening guidelines and what the reality of their struggling budgets decides. As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the nation and the world, with aid to those struggling in the U.S. lacking, parents, students, teachers, and librarians find themselves wrestling with how to handle the realities of balancing school, work, and access to information and resources. For many, these roles are not interchangeable but interconnected, further hammering home the fears and worries about how to navigate the future.

I have no idea what our school year services will be yet, said a Texas librarian, whose library is open at 25% capacity with no study room accessibility, limited computer access, and a skeleton staff which rotates three days in-library with two days working from home. I think most of the schools in our city have decided to be virtual for the first few months so far, so I have no idea what that will look like here at the library if kids come in for computer use or research.

As of this writing, schools are still making their plans about learning, sometimes changing their decisions multiple times in a short period of time, leaving communities to scramble. Early-start states like Georgia have already seen the realities of distancing at play as scores of high schoolers crowded hallways and threats of suspension abound for those unwilling to simply go along with the plan to continue on as normal.

Public libraries and schools across the country dont usually have formal partnerships as organizations, but in many communities they work closely with one another to provide resources and tools for their communities. A lot depends on the logistics, and because those logistics change community by community, even within a single city, some schools and libraries may have a fantastic working relationship while others dont have one at all.

Which isnt to say that libraries and schools dont want to work together. They do, as its in their best interest in public stewardship to do so. So with the ever-shifting landscape of fall 2020 education, librarians are preparing themselves the best they can with the tools they doand do nothave to make their resources as accessible as possible across a wide range of scenarios.

Right now were limited in seating and were packed and cant add more without it being too close. We frequently have teens meet after school to work on group projects and homeschool groups meet at the library during the day for several hours. Our seating limits and distancing cant hold that capacity. We also do not have our meeting rooms open and while we had initially anticipated opening them in the Fall, that is being discussed as cases are on the rise and we are seeing significant increases in our area, said a librarian in Missouri. Her library reopened in May, but with precautions in place that include limited study spaces and tables. Patron traffic is half of what it normally is, and the drop in attendance by school-age people is significant.

If school goes virtual, many of our students do not have access to wifi, especially in some of our more rural branches and communities, she added. I am anticipating many patrons choosing virtual school options even if school is in session, so what does that mean for the library? Do we become a place where kids are sent while parents work so the kids can do school for 8 hours? Our policy is ages 10 and up can be alone in the library, so will we be enforcing that more? We have also started seeing more patrons ask about homeschooling resources, which is something we dont have a lot of. We have books with tips and guidance, but mostly they are looking for curriculum, plans, and what to teach in each grade, which is something we do not have. We can point them to resources to find these things, but we dont have curriculum in the library for checkout which causes lots of confusion and frustration when patrons are told by their school to go to the library.'

A librarian in Alaska reported their organization was teaming up with a local non-profit who runs before and after school care programs with hopes to use some of the librarys space for safe childcare and virtual school.

Throughout the summer as public libraries reopened, they reported implementing virtual programming to varying levels of success. The inability to easily track attendance or engagement made for a challenge, and, as many librarians reported, there simply was little interest in such programming. This doesnt come as much of a surprise, given the increase in screen time as a result of quarantine schooling and work.

Zoom and Facebook live continue to be where and how libraries are presenting programming. Some will continue the programming through fall and even into early 2021, while others will cut back on the amount of virtual programming offered to reflect patron interest.

We have been doing some live Zoom programs and a lot of pre-recorded programs. Some of us would like to do fewer because were feeling burned out and some of the programs dont get a lot of views. Concentrating efforts on a couple of live Zoom storytimes per week might be more effective than half a dozen pre-recorded storytimes, for example, said a librarian in Illinois. The library reopened to the public in May, with masks mandated per state guidelines, as well as a limit on the number of patrons allowed inside the building, curbside pickup service, no in-person programming or study room access, and limited furniture to limit lingering. Patrons are allowed to be in the building for no longer than an hour. Weve got a survey with our summer reading report asking families whether theyre looking for opportunities to interact with staff or whether pre-recorded is better. A lot of people want physical materials more than anything, whether by browsing themselves or asking us to pull them. We have an online form that we were using to offer e-book and book purchasing suggestions, then suggestions of items to put on hold, and we are now extending that to offer to pull a bag of books (based on whats available on shelf) for patrons to pick up.

Some librarians are utilizing this same line of thinking and pivoting to creating more virtual guides, tutorials, and content that helps patrons find the information and materials they seek. In other words, rather than concentrating on community programming, theyre focusing on anticipating needs to what their libraries offer.

A librarian in Virginia who was homeschooled herself says part of the preparation for the new year involves boning up on current homeschool laws and resources to accommodate those who will be trying it for the first time.

We have revamped our childrens website page with more learning resources and are planning on a homeschool resource day to give patrons an idea of what we offer to help with home learning. We will offer Zoom classes on how to access and use our resources and anticipate higher use of our computers, STEM kits, and nonfiction collections, she said. Her library has been impacted by layoffs and furloughs at neighboring library systems, as well as challenged by the fact many families in the community do not have wireless access at home.

Still others dont plan on addressing childrens services at all due to state mandates, safety, and lack of staff.

We simply dont have the resources. We are in a hotspot so we wont be offering programming or even access to the childrens department, said a librarian in Pennsylvania. The library has been closed for months, reopening with limited services in early August. As it stands, protective equipment is lacking, as is access to hand sanitizer and other necessary supplies for staff.

All of our free space is being used to quarantine items so we dont have any study or meeting rooms available, she said, adding that despite the challenges, one of the goals is to continue offering Chromebooks and Hotspots for patron check out, as well as virtual tech support via a chat client.

A librarian in Cincinnati, which just furloughed 58 people from their Main Library, noted that because of time restrictions for in-person library visits, worries about how those in the community without wireless internet to access virtual schooling will adjust.

We will have over 125 families in our school district with no wifi. They will need to use our spaces and we are probably going to have to tell them no, or that they can only stay for an hour. Im trying to partner with teachers early so Ill know when kiddos need certain books and I can reserve them, they said.

How can we support kids and parents through this totally unprecedented time? How do we keep relevant when families arent coming to the physical building like they normally would? How can we communicate the need for the library in our community? asks a New York librarian. The hours at their library are back to pre-COVID levels, but staffing structures have changed, and patrons are encouraged to grab and go, and must leave after an hour. Were going to try to provide as many call-in services as we cancurbside books pick up, call-in to request materials.

For many, the public library serves as a third space/place: a freely accessible community building where youre welcome to show up as you are, without any expectation of financial/goods exchange. Libraries are seen not only in that capacity, but also as places that are simply safe. This means adults feel okay allowing their children to be there alone or with minimal supervision (where age-appropriate). But in an era where there are not places to congregate within the library, things become even more precarious.

We have three study rooms available to reserve. Our wifi reaches the parking lot for anyone willing to study in a car. Our tables and chairs are distanced as much as possible, so we have room for maybe twenty people at a time to study at the regular tables, said a Michigan librarian, whose library returned to normal hours and staffing levels. They noted an increase in tension and frustration from patrons being told to follow guidelines for masks and physical distancing, and many have taken it out on staff members. [Im worried] if schools opencrowds of unsupervised children and teens hanging out after school. If schools go virtualcrowds of students trying to study in the library and parents getting upset that we wont babysit.

Im now dreading coming to work for the first time since I started working in libraries, they added.

Librarians worry, too, about the demands placed upon their by schools to fill in for the roles that are played by school staff as well.

The school district eliminated school librarians this year so we anticipate well have to deal with the slack. Were looking at creating tutorials to explain our digital services such as Tutor.com and Mango Languages. This is one reason we wanted to do passive programming since we recognize that well be the support to the schools this year, said a California librarian. The facility has been closed to the public but open for curbside pickup, with no Sunday hours. Those hours will likely not return with the school year, either.

Of course, these challenges impact marginalized communities, as well as the libraries that serve them, even harder.

[Im concerned about] risk to staff and customers if we open the doors instead of doing curbsidewe are a predominantly Black and Latinx community and have been hit incredibly hard1 out of 20 have had or have COVID, lots of deaths, said a Maryland librarian. The county in which the library operates has been among the hardest in the state by several thousand cases.

Not to mention the challenges of being a working parent.

My biggest concerns are more personal, as Im a single foster parent with a 12-year-old child who will almost certainly be learning remotely. Ive been told Im not allowed to bring him to work with me. Im stressing about how Im supposed to shepherd him through a full middle school course-load with a bunch of Zoom meetings if Im expected to commit to working specific shifts at the physical library. I foresee even more stress and possible burnout. Many other librarians in my department are in a similar situation, albeit with younger children and two-parent households, said an Illinois librarian.

We get to invent a new way to be a library. Thats terrifying and exciting, said an Alaskan librarian.

And indeed, while there are uncharted waters to navigate and unforeseeable challenges that lie ahead, librarians continue to do what it is they always do: address their concerns openly and frankly while also utilizing their intellect and creativity to best serve their communities with the resources available to them.

May every community remember that libraries are trying better than their best and that those libraries are filled with a wide range of peopleyoung, old, healthy, disabled, scared, worried, and hopeful that theyre doing everything they can for themselves and those for whom they work.

Because the state of public education in the U.S. remains in constant flux, its impossible to offer a roadmap or toolkit for developing a plan for libraries to safely meet the needs of students and parents. But, perhaps, seeing the insights, worries, and anticipation other libraries have can be valuable.

Thirty librarians from across the United States, representing rural, suburban, and urban institutions self-selected to partake in a survey from mid-July to early August for this piece. The anonymized insights can be accessed here.

Visit link:
How Will Public Libraries Adapt To New School Year Norms? - Book Riot

Chriselle Lim and Joan Nguyen, cofounders of Bumo, Photo Credit: Courtesy of Bumo

One of the biggest takeaways to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis has been the art of the swift pivot, something Chriselle Lim and Joan Nguyen have mastered with grace and grit.

The friends turned cofounders were well on their way to launching bmoWORK, a coworking space with licensed childcare, with a large emphasis on community. The design and build of the physical space was going full steam ahead in L.A.s Century City mall for a May 2020 opening, when COVID-19 hit in March, forcing Lim and Nguyen to pump the brakes on the IRL space and switch gears quickly.

Bmos growth and grand opening was on track, already fueled by a $2.4M seed round, which the two founders began raising in November 2019 and closed this past May.

Participants in the round include G5 Capital, the investment arm of Zhejiang Jiangong Real Estate Development Group; Vivian Chou, daughter of Hong Kong billionaire textile magnate, Silas Chou; Honest Company founder Jessica Alba;Digital Brand Architects founder Raina Penchansky; the cofounders of JGU Ventures; Thrive former chief product officer, Yardley Pohl; as well as celebrities and entertainers Whitney Port, Cara Loren and Jessi Malay.

As Lim and Nguyen were trying to figure out the next steps for their business, they were also dealing with the overwhelming task of home schooling their toddlers another result of the new normal brought about by COVID-19.

Chriselle and I were the case studies, Nguyen shares. Between the two of us, we have four kids 5 and under, with our older children in preschool. Both of our children's schools tried really hard to adapt, but it was clear that you cannot retrofit the traditional school model into the virtual setting. You must start fresh and build it exactly the way you want it.

And build it they did.

Bumo, which means parent in Korean, maintained its core mission from bmoWORKs original launch: finding a solution for working parents, specifically mothers.

Bmo Virtual School (BVS) started as a one-month learning camp another tab on our navigation bar of our website, as Nguyen puts it. We were all seriously quarantining so we had many Zoom meetings to stay connected as a team. During one Zoom call, we just said, "Let's bat for the fences let's just make the best-in-class virtual school for young learners."

Nguyen and Lim searched the domain and bought bumobrain.com on April 9, 2020. They knew they had a tiny window a very tiny one so they got to work right away.

The website launched on April 20 with a waitlist, and within about a week, their waitlist grew to over 1,000 families from over 30 countries.

Nguyen and Lim, both serial entrepreneurs in their own right, are no strangers to attracting international audiences.

Renowned digital influencer and content creator Chriselle Lim began her career as a wardrobe stylist. In 2011, she launched her YouTube channel and website, The Chriselle Factor, to empower and inspire women all around the world through her daily musings on beauty, fashion and lifestyle. With a following of over 3M across her various channels (including a highly engaged TikTok audience), Lim is now ranked among the top industry experts, deemed a pioneer in new media for her success in bridging the gap between the editorial and digital worlds. In 2017, Lim co-founded CINC Studios, a creative studio that specializes in the visual, digital and social communication for beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands.

Joan Nguyen is also the founder and CEO of MeriEducation. Raised by refugee parents, Nguyen spent much of her childhood living in poverty. Her father finished 7th grade and her mother high school as a result, she was raised with the understanding that education was not only important, but also a privilege that she needed to wholeheartedly pursue. With a budding passion for education and learning, Nguyen started MeriEducation at 20 years old with $3,000 she saved, giving educational services ranging from SAT preparation to academic tutoring. After graduating college summa cum laude, she scaled it to four physical locations without any outside capital, and stopped opening more to leverage virtual instruction. Now, MeriEducation, an INC 5000 company, serves tens of thousands of students everywhere from Santiago, Chile to Tokyo, Japan.

(Side note: Nguyen had already mastered a pivot from fashion to education, when she launched a small self-named collection and quickly learned that there were too many barriers to entry as an unknown fashion entrepreneur: I was 21, just out of college, and I stopped all things fashion one day and signed a lease for a 600-square-foot office that fall, which was the start of MeriEducation.)

Photo rendering of Bumo, Photo Credit: Heitler Houston Architects

Back to Bmo, which has since spawned other spinoff businesses, including BmoParent and BmoBrain.

So how did the Bmo universe come to be? Discover how Lim and Nguyen secured their round of investment after hearing several nos off the bat, and kept persisting.

Karin Eldor: What led to the aha moment that helped you identify the void in the market for a space like bmoWORK?

Chriselle Lim: My aha moment was when I went to Asia and realized there were so many places that support working parents they were thoughtfully designed with the parents and kids in mind. But honestly the real aha moment was when I started talking to other parents and CEOs of other companies that were telling me I needed to build this, because they would use it in a heartbeat!

Eldor: I love your story of how you went after rounds of investment, and had to tweak your pitch for the VC meetings.

Can you share more details about the round of investment you received to launch bmo?

Nguyen: Our fundraising journey was an adventure that had steep downhills and small inclines that kept us hopeful until the end. We got a few warm intros from a friend who had just closed her round. Eagerly, we decided to fly out to San Francisco to meet with a few VCs they were so excited, it seemed, about what we were saying but in retrospect, they were just being polite. We heard the same words over and over again, our model was asset-heavy and not scalable. In between international Zoom calls, 10 or so trips to San Francisco and New York to meet VCs, and dozens of in-person meetings locally, we tweaked every line of our spreadsheet for our financial, changed our deck and rehearsed it in different ways -- who should say what, when and why.

1- Dont assume not now is a hard no.

Nguyen: Between April and July 2019, over 200 people were pitched Bmo in some way, shape or form and all 200 people basically said no by politely saying "not now."But the really important move for us was with each "not now," we not only asked why, but we asked who else that particular person knew who would have an appetite or slight interest in learning more about Bmo. In July 2019, we saw the writing on the wall we were not going to get any investor to really make the leap, but we had to keep moving with practically no money.

2- Gain digital traction by building and engaging a community.

Nguyen: In late July 2019, we launched Bmo as a weekly parenting digest it was lean, we could do it with just the two of us along with someone we contracted who later became our first employee. Chriselle is a mastermind at all things digital most notably, building a community and I am an executor, writing the first newsletters and setting up the website. By August, we had over 10,000 followers and subscribers. We went to Westfield (the parent company of Century City mall) and told them about our idea to start a robust work lounge with a childcare space, and they believed in us. We still had no money we asked for the world, and they gave us a few islands.

3- Go back with updates.

Nguyen: With digital traction and with the yes from Westfield, we went to all the investors who had said not now," and emailed a brief update. One investor, Vivian Chou, flew to Los Angeles we showed her the space filled with debris and really just a shell. She said she would invest she was our lead investor.

4- Remember that people invest in your grit, reputation and integrity.

Nguyen: Vivian said something that really resonated with the both of us. She told us that she believed in us the idea was great, but she was convinced that we could execute on this idea given our sheer grit and unwavering persistence even after months of "not now's." That was a key turning point for us people invested in us. It was our character, our reputations and our integrity that swayed people, not just five-year projections or unit economics.

5- Reach out to your network (after all, your network is your net worth).

Nguyen: So, we went to people who would invest in us. Chriselle reached out to the influencer network that believed in her and watched her grow from a wardrobe stylist to having an eponymous fashion label, and really building a fashion community of devoted followers over the course of a decade. I went to the families who saw me grow a one-person, in-home tutoring side job into an INC 5000 company with students from all over the globe, publishing almost a dozen textbooks along the way.

In the end, it was the people who knew us people who knew our core were the people who helped us close this round.

Eldor: Based on the experience above, what advice would you give to fellow female founders looking to raise VC capital?

Lim: Manage expectations! Know going into it that it will be hard! Expect a lot of nos in the beginning and it might take some time to get some traction, but once you get the traction, it just kind of takes off. My number 1 piece advice especially if you have not raised money before is to research investors and firms with women investors. We were introduced to a few women investors who led us to others, and the word just got out.

Eldor: Can you share more about BmoParent?

Lim: BmoParent is our online community where we provide tactical tips, parenting advice from experts, and share inspiring stories from other parents. Our mission is to make parenting easier, reimagining the way millennial and Gen-Z parents work and live through fostering community, and innovating solutions to parenting hurdles through our content. Whether it be from our blog, Instagram, TikTok, or weekly digest, we are constantly putting out content to inspire our bmos.

Eldor: So much is happening so quickly, and I know BmoBrain Virtual School is very much in motion and bmoWORK is set to open its doors in Century City in the fall.What are your next steps, at this point?

Nguyen: It's interesting because we do have so many verticals of our company. As an interesting analog, having BVS and bmoWORK is like balancing two children whom you both want to succeed. There are times when both of them want and need your full attention there are times when one is okay and the other needs attention, and vice versa. We shift gears often and quickly we are definitely getting plenty of practice from being mothers of two children each.

And while its tough to predict the future in the midst of a pandemic, Nguyen and Lim are planning as much as they can:

Our next steps for BVS are to expand our international footprint more and develop curriculum and programming for more age groups, Nguyen shares. Right now, we offer programming for children 3 to 6 years old. We would love to offer programming for even younger children. For bmoWORK, we are focused on getting the physical space open this fall and making sure that we open in a way that not only promotes education and balance for families, but also safety for everyone.

Read this article:
How Chriselle Lim And Joan Nguyen Created Bmo, The Coworking Space And Virtual Classroom Of The Future (With A Childcare Twist) - Forbes