Getting Started with Gale Courses

Gale Courses offers unlimited access to interactive, instructor-led online courses. Courses run for six weeks, with two new lessons released every week on Wednesday and Friday. New sessions begin every month. Note these are not credit courses.

What You Need

To Use Gale Courses on a Computer:

* Most courses are compatible with PC and Mac; if one is not compatible with your computer the information will be stated in the requirements tab when you view the course details.

What Courses Are Available?

A variety of courses relating to accounting, finance, business and management, entrepreneurship, computer applications, web design, technology skills, personal enrichment, writing and more are offered. A library card is not needed to browse but is required to enroll in a course.

List of courses

How to Enroll

  1. Find a course you would like to take by searching or browsing the catalogue.
  2. Select "Enroll Now".
  3. Select the course Start Date and select Continue Enrollment.
  4. New students: enter your email address in the New Student area and select Create A New Account.
  5. Complete the Account Information section. Note: uncheck the box if you do not want to receive information and offers by email.
  6. Complete the Student Information section. You will need to provide some personal information. Personal information is not shared or sold to outside parties.
  7. Confirm that your information is correct, enter your library card number with no spaces and select Submit. Remember to access your course as soon as possible after the course start date.
  8. You will receive an email confirmation from ed2gosupport confirming that you have successfully created an account.
  9. Returning students: enter your email address and password and then select Sign In to access your courses.

Please Note:

If you enroll in a course, you must log in and view lessons one and two within 13 days after the start date of the course or you will be automatically dropped. If you are dropped from a course, you can enroll in the course again during a later session.

Once you create an account, you only need to enter your library card number when enrolling in a new course. Once you have started a course, you will not have to enter your card number again.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many courses can I take?

There is no limit to the number of courses you can take, and you can take a course as many times as you need in order to complete it.

How do the the courses work?

Course materials are not available until the course start date. Each lesson includes short quizzes. Some courses include hands-on assignments. If you have a question during a class you can post your question to the interactive discussion area. The instructor, teaching assistant or one of your fellow students will respond. The interactive discussion closes two weeks after each lesson is released. You can download and print each lesson or save them for future reference.

How to get started on a course?

In My Classroom you will see your Upcoming, Previous and Active Courses. If you select Orientation under Upcoming Courses, you will see all the information you need and the details of when the the course begins. (Ignore the reference to receipt of payment - Gale Courses are free for Toronto Public Library cardholders).

Can I drop a course part way through?

There is no way to manually drop a course. Once you are enrolled, you must log in and view lessons one and two within 13 days after the course start date or you will be automatically dropped. There is no need to contact Gale to drop afterwards. You will no longer be able to access the class again unless you enroll in a future session.

Is technical support available?

Each course lists the technical requirements under the Requirements tab for the specific course. E-mail technical support is available from the Help page. You will have to enter your email address, name and enter Toronto Public Library as the name of the institution. You can expect a response within 48 hours.

Why did I receive a request to complete a demographics survey?

After you complete lesson 12 you will receive an email requesting you complete a demographic survey. This survey is entirely optional and does not have to be completed.

How does the final exam and certificate of completion work?

You can only take the final exam once. Students can download a certificate of completion if they complete the final exam with a passing score of 65%. The final exam must be taken and submitted two weeks from the last lesson.

Can I use Gale Courses on a library computer?

Yes, Gale Courses is available from home and in the library.

What happens if I get logged off on a public computer in the library while I am in the middle of a course?

There is a maximum one hour booking per day per customer on public library computers. If you get logged off the program saves your work. Hopefully you can make another booking and sign in again to continue learning.

Does the library provide the software covered by the Gale Courses?

Toronto Public Library provides free access to Adobe Creative Suite software including Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign and more at six of our Learning Centres with Additional Tools and our Digital Innovation Hubs. Public computers in all Toronto Public Library branches offer the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher).

How can I get help using Gale Courses?
Can children use Gale Courses?

If you are under 18 years of age, your parent or guardian must enter into the Terms of Use on your behalf. The parent or guardian represents that they accept these Terms on your behalf and that you are 13 years or older. You are not permitted to use this resource if you are under the age of 13.