Whoop it up for Hoopla!

hooplamosaic-01

Hoopla will go live on April 1, 2014.

Hoopla offers free video (movies and TV) and music content to patrons throughout Allegheny County.  Anyone with a valid library card will be able to borrow up to eight items per month.  (During the training period the site will indicate that each cardholder can access up to two items per month.  This will be adjusted prior to going live.) Video content can be borrowed for three days. Music content can be borrowed for seven days.   All titles are always available – no holds, no waiting!

Patrons can stream video and music content through all major browsers and/or the Hoopla app for iOS (Apple) or Android devices.   Within the apps patrons also have the option to download content to enjoy when they don’t have Internet connectivity.

Training & Staying Informed

Hoopla offers several options for learning about and familiarizing yourself with the service.

Hoopla Training Webinars

These two training videos are specifically for library staff.

Hoopla Overview – This 25 minute video provides a basic introduction to the service.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • The administrative functions discussed in these videos are not available to individual libraries.  Oversight of administrative functions will be handled by CLP and the ACLA Downloadables Committee.
  • We will not be offering audiobooks through Hoopla at this time.  When Hoopla goes live, please refer patrons to OverDrive or OneClick for audiobook content.

Hoopla Patron Experience – This 43 minute video walks you through the entire Hoopla experience, including how to register, borrow, add to favorites, and more.

Hoopla Live Training for Library Staff

This training occurs twice a month.  This month’s sessions are:

  • Wed., March 12, 2014 from 11am – 12pm
  • Thurs., March 27, 2014 from 3:30pm – 4:30pm

You can register here.

Hoopla Training/Video Help for Patrons: youtube.com/hoopladigital

Each of these short videos provides an overview of a different feature or function within Hoopla.

Hoopla also offers a bi-weekly newsletter. This newsletter informs staff about the latest content, upgrades and enhancements to the system, and other useful updates.  I encourage all staff to sign up for the newsletter. 

Get Started!

All staff are encouraged to sign up and start exploring Hoopla: www.hoopladigital.com. (Once we go live this will be linked from the eResources Landing Page, the eCLP site, and many of your libraries’ web pages.)  You will be able to walk through the registration process and start borrowing movies, TV shows, and music.  Please take advantage of the “Demo” content (marked with an orange banner) found at the bottom of the page.  This content is free to access and will not count against our pay-per-use budget.

PLEASE NOTE: You are encouraged to create your Hoopla account prior to the upcoming ILS outage (potentially from March 21 after 6 pm through March 24).  Existing accounts will be able to access content, but it will not be possible to create new accounts during the outage.

Questions?  Comments?   If you think the answer would be helpful to others, feel free to leave your question in the comments section below.  Otherwise, email Sarah at beasleys @ carnegielibrary.org.

— Debi (ACLA/Carnegie Library of McKeesport) & Sarah (CLP)