The LinkedIn library is a great feature that allows you to save content that you find interesting or useful on LinkedIn to refer back to later. Having quick access to relevant professional content can be very valuable for networking, research, and continuing education. However, if you are new to LinkedIn, you may not know how to find and use the library feature. This article will walk you through everything you need to know about accessing your library on LinkedIn.
What is the LinkedIn Library?
The LinkedIn library allows you to save posts, articles, videos, and other content that you come across while using LinkedIn. This creates a customized library of professional content that you can access at any time.
Anything that you “like”, “follow”, or otherwise indicate is of interest on LinkedIn can be added to your library. This includes content shared by your connections, companies you follow, LinkedIn news articles, LinkedIn Learning courses, and more.
Essentially, the library acts as a bookmarking system for LinkedIn content. Instead of having to try and remember or dig back through your feed to find valuable content again, you can quickly access it through your library.
Why Use the LinkedIn Library?
There are a few key benefits to using the LinkedIn library feature:
- Saves you time finding content again – Don’t waste time scrolling through your feed trying to find something you saw. Add it to your library for quick access later.
- Organizes relevant content – Your library acts as a customized database of professional content just for you.
- Lets you access content offline – You can view your library even when not connected to the internet.
- Surfaces insights – Look back on what you’ve saved to uncover insights over time.
- Jogs your memory – The library reminds you of content you found useful in the past.
- Lets you reference or share content – Easily reference or share with others any content in your library.
Having a library of go-to professional content can be very valuable for staying up-to-date on your industry, enhancing your skills, researching companies and people, and fueling professional conversations.
How to Add Content to Your LinkedIn Library
Adding content to your LinkedIn library is simple. There are a few ways to do it:
Like or Follow Posts
Whenever you see a post either in your feed or on a profile that you want to save, like or follow that post. This automatically adds it to your library. Look for the like and follow icons at the bottom of any post.
Like or Follow Articles
For articles including LinkedIn news articles, blog posts, and long-form posts, look for the like and follow buttons at the top of the article page. Use these to add articles you like to your library.
Save Courses
For LinkedIn Learning courses and videos, find the “Save” button on the course page. This adds the course to your library for future reference.
Follow Companies
When you follow companies on LinkedIn, their posts will automatically be added to your library. You can follow a company from their Company Page.
Save With Bookmark Icon
For other types of content on LinkedIn like media, links, SlideShare presentations, etc., look for the bookmark icon on the content. This lets you save just about anything else you find valuable to your library.
| Content Type | How to Add to Library |
|---|---|
| Posts | Like or Follow |
| Articles | Like or Follow |
| Courses | Save |
| Companies | Follow |
| Media, links, SlideShares, etc. | Bookmark Icon |
Using these options, you can build up a diverse library filled with content that is valuable to you.
How to Access Your LinkedIn Library
Once you’ve added content to your library, here is how you can access and view it:
On Mobile
On the LinkedIn app:
- Tap the “My Network” icon in the toolbar at the bottom.
- At the top, you will see a tab for “Library.” Tap this to view your library.
- This shows all followed companies, courses, and saved content.
On Desktop
On the desktop LinkedIn site:
- Click on the “Interests” icon along the top toolbar (it looks like a person’s profile icon).
- Select “Library” from the dropdown menu.
- Scroll to see all of your library content sorted by most recent.
You can also access saved courses under the “Learning” tab and followed companies under the “My Network” tab.
Wherever you access it, your library acts as an organized collection of all the posts, articles, media, courses, and companies you have saved over time. It is optimized for scanning and easy searching so you can quickly find relevant content you’ve saved.
Tips for Managing Your Library
Here are some tips to get the most out of your LinkedIn library:
- Check your library weekly or monthly – Don’t forget about your saved content! Periodically review what you’ve saved for new insights.
- Search your library – Search for keywords or names to pull up relevant saved content.
- Remove outdated or irrelevant content – Curate your library by removing anything no longer useful.
- Organize content into playlists – Group content into customized playlists for easy access later.
- Share content from your library – Easily reference or share library content with your network.
- Save liberally – Don’t hesitate to save content that seems interesting or potentially useful.
- Use library snippets – Share snippets from articles in your library into posts or messages.
Treating your library like an professional archive or database will ensure you make the most of this helpful LinkedIn tool.
LinkedIn Library vs. Bookmarking
You may be wondering how the LinkedIn library compares to bookmarking content in your web browser. The LinkedIn library has a few advantages:
- Accessible across devices – browser bookmarks are device-specific, your LinkedIn library is available on all your devices
- Specifically professional content – browser bookmarks can include any website, your library contains curated professional content
- More organization options – better categorization, searching, and sharing options for library content than traditional bookmarks
- Integration with network – your library is tied to your LinkedIn profile and network for easy sharing
- Offline access – you can view your LinkedIn library content without an internet connection, unlike browser bookmarks
While bookmarking in your browser is still useful, using your LinkedIn library as well gives you an improved way to save, organize, and share professional content.
LinkedIn Library vs. Pocket
Pocket is an app that also lets you save articles and content from around the web for later access. So how does it compare to LinkedIn’s library?
- Content focus – Pocket is for any online content, the LinkedIn library is specifically for professional content
- Sharing options – sharing content with your network is easier with the LinkedIn library integration
- Sourcing content – Pocket requires manual adds, some LinkedIn content gets added automatically when you follow companies or influencers
- Learning content – the extensive amount of professional learning content on LinkedIn makes its library more robust for career development
- Professional profile tie-in – your library is linked to your professional identity on LinkedIn, unlike Pocket
Pocket is better for saving general web content, while LinkedIn’s library makes more sense for professional resources related to your career. Using both together covers all your content curation needs.
Conclusion
The LinkedIn library provides a powerful customized database of professional content unique to you. Saving content with the click of a button allows you to efficiently build an archive of resources to advance your career, research industries and companies, and stay on top of news and insights.
With saved posts, articles, courses, videos, companies, and more, your library becomes a valuable asset. Make regularly reviewing and organizing your library a habit to maximize its benefits. Use the searching and sharing functions to put library content to work for you.
Whether you are active on LinkedIn daily or just occasionally, building your library ensures you have quick access to the professional content that matters most. So tap that like, follow, and save button liberally as you come across helpful posts, articles, and resources to improve, reference, and share. Your future self with thank you for curating a customized trove of professional wisdom.
