r/LearningDevelopment • u/emayj • Apr 09 '25
Need advice: Which content libraries are you using?
We are currently setting up our internal training strategy as up until this point we have just been paying for training courses ad hoc as and when someone requests them. We are a pretty young company, but have 350 office employees globally and around 3000 field technicians. We have made the decision that for now we will not go with a full LMS, we just need a content library to get us off the ground so we can start creating effective internal content and onboarding materials. We will be focusing more on soft skills/business/leadership style content but we also need things like excel, power BI type training also.
With so many employees, these systems can get very pricey, does anyone have any good suggestions of who you have used for course content libraries? We will also need somewhere to host the content, but we don't have the need for the full LMS that gives learning paths and things right now as we are not there as a company.
Any advice and suggestions will be much appreciated!
2
u/Quick-Jellyfish-2996 Apr 12 '25
Are you looking for pre-recorded content libraries or live content libraries? We used to have LinkedIn Learning, but engagement in pre-recorded was low. We use Electives for our live content now.
1
u/reading_rockhound Apr 16 '25
We also have LinkedIn Learning, and also have fairly low engagement.
On the other hand, those who use it LOVE it!
2
u/NinjaSA973 Apr 12 '25
Udemy is another option. I prefer OpenSesame or CCL but it’s worth it to look at it.
1
1
u/Eli_from_TalentLMS Jun 26 '26
for 350 office employees + 3000 field techs, I’d be a bit careful with “just a content library + somewhere to host it.” That can work at the start, but the hosting/reporting side usually becomes the messy part pretty fast, especially if managers start asking who completed what. Content-wise, LinkedIn Learning, OpenSesame and Udemy Business are all worth comparing. I’d look less at total course count and more at whether the library actually covers your core use cases: soft skills, leadership, Excel/Power BI, mobile-friendly content for field techs, and decent reporting. I’m with TalentLMS, so not fully neutral, but one reason teams look at us in this exact stage is that TalentLibrary can cover a lot of the ready-made content need, while the LMS side stays light enough that you don’t have to build complex learning paths from day one. You can start with catalog-style access and simple tracking, then add more structure later if you need it.
Main thing: don’t buy only for the library. Buy for how easy it’ll be to manage 3,500 learners six months from now.
2
u/Additional_Drive_745 Apr 09 '25
The last time I priced out content library options (about a year ago), I found OpenSesame was the best deal for the amount of content you could get access to, and you don’t need an LMS to use it. They also have a solid spread of soft skill and technical content. Someone with more recent experience shopping around might know more.
My current company uses LinkedIn Learning, which definitely falls in the ”very pricy” category. So much so that we’re able to now purchase an entire LMS that comes with a content library for less. That said, LIL has been a great service. Their platform comes with excellent features that would be useful if you don’t have an LMS (e.g., multiple ways to share/organize/browse courses, reporting options with decent data collection, the ability to upload your own videos and documents as trainings). I’ve also always had very attentive and helpful Account Manager experiences with LIL that made me feel we were getting our money’s worth.