Update (August 30, 2015): Coding resources available on the Internet are listed here.

I began learning to code more than a decade ago during my undergraduate days at university sitting in a darkened room in front of a SunSystem computer running Unix. I programmed in C++ and Java for endless hours. I never complained about my biology and math labs and tutorials again after taking a computer science class! I did not realize at the time how useful I would find this skill in future years. During my Masters, which I completed in 2012, I learned to program in HTML/XHTML and CSS from the ground up, although I had prior knowledge from building my own websites. Now my next goals are to learn to code PHP and APIs. I not only want to learn these languages to bolster my resume but to learn more about the fundamentals of Internet and mobile architecture. How they are connected. I think learning to code is a great way to learn how to solve problems.

I find it surprising how popular coding is becoming, especially in libraries. Although now with the morphing of hackerspaces and makerspaces in libraries maybe its not so surprising. Librarians are known for being pioneers in education, learning and collaborative efforts after all. We can now even learn a programming language by attending a conference session – the 2013 ALA Conference in June will be presenting a LITA Pre-conference Introductory Python Workshop. 2012 was known as Code Year. With this push for awareness and education of coding there are now numerous resources one can use to learn abut coding and how to code. Here are a few of them:

Literacy

• Cracking the Code: Librarians Acquiring Essential Coding Skills | The Digital Shift
• Introduction to Python: Join Us in Chicago for a LITA Preconference | LITA Blog
• Zuckerberg, Gates, Will.I.Am Encourage Students to Code | Mashable
• Understanding HTML Is Critical to Web Literacy, Especially for Young Creators | Opinion | The Digital Shift
• The Learn To Code Movement | Videos | SXSW PanelPicker
• The Learn to Code Movement (Panel) | Audio | SXSW Interactive 2013
• Please Don’t Learn to Code | Coding Horror
• Why Everyone Should NOT Learn To Code | The Coders Lexicon

Learning to Code

• W3Schools.com Online Web Tutorials
• Codecademy | Learn to code
• Code.org
• Code School
• GitHub (social coding)
• Learn to Code the Hard Way | Books and Courses to Learn to Code
• 10 places where anyone can learn to code | TED Blog
• Learn to Code for Free With These 10 Online Resources | Mashable
• So you want to be a programmer, huh? Here are 27 ways to learn online | The Next Web

APIs/Apps

• 5 Rules For API Management | TechCrunch
• How Long Does It Take To Build A Native Mobile App? | ReadWriteWeb
• Codecademy Launches API Lessons So You Can Build Apps On Top Of YouTube, Twilio, And Others | TechCrunch
• Codecademy Partners With Twitter, Evernote, Box, And Others To Offer A Suite Of New API Lessons | TechCrunch