Yearly Archives: 2015

Important (and helpful!) updates coming to Hoopla and OverDrive!

Hoopla Digital and OverDrive have recently announced a few updates that will be extremely helpful to many patrons.

Here are the changes:

  • Hoopla is now available on Chromecast. Stream all of your favorite Hoopla movies and shows right to your TV! Using Chromecast, a device that plugs into the HDMI port on many TVs, patrons can cast borrowed video titles onto a larger screen right from the Hoopla App on their phone or tablet.
  • Hoopla is updating its iOS app. These updates will be available in the next few weeks.
    • Content tabs will now appear on the main screen, which will allow for faster discovery and quicker access to content.
    • The Browse feature will combine genres and collections and will assist patrons in finding all titles related to a collection of interest.
    • A trending search feature will be added to show patrons the most relevant search terms. This will help make their searching easier!
    • Quicker download speed in the iOS app! It will be easier for patrons to now when the download of a borrow item is complete.
    • An updated favorites feature: Grouped by content kind an artist, making it easier to find.
    • Updated help screen.
  • OverDrive will change “Bookshelf” on the OverDrive site to “Checkouts” on December 15. This is a major point of confusion that we covered in a previous post.  This new update should alleviate the confusion between a user’s bookshelf on the website and their bookshelf in the OverDrive app.

Pam (Baldwin)

Continue ReadingImportant (and helpful!) updates coming to Hoopla and OverDrive!

Select Reads: A virtual resource for inquiring minds

Do you want to:

  • know what the newest titles added to the catalog in the past week are?
  • look up the books that have won an Award?
  • learn more about an author and their books?
  • choose a subject and get some book recommendations?
  • see if that new movie is circulating yet?

Select Reads can do this and more!

selectreads

Look for this logo/link on the right hand side of every NGC catalog page.

The tabs across the top of the Select Reads landing page link to the different services offered.

  • Monthly Newsletters – by age group, or topic of your choice
  • Featured Lists – curated by librarians across the county
  • My Select Reads – you select the specific set of topics you want
  • Awards Lists — every one of them!
  • New Titles – the latest additions to the catalog, by format, age group, or topic
  • Author Spotlight – read a biography, see their works

You can browse lists and follow the link back to check the catalog and title availability.

You can sign up to receive monthly newsletters on the newest additions by format or topics of your choice.

It’s a virtual library experience that’s easy and fun.

Try it out yourself and recommend it to your patrons!

Helen (Upper St. Clair)

Continue ReadingSelect Reads: A virtual resource for inquiring minds

Coming Soon to OverDrive

We’ve got a holiday treat in store for our patrons!  Before the end of the year, they will be able to discover, browse, and checkout magazines and even some newspapers through OverDrive and the new Library Catalog.  Here are a few of the new titles we’ll be offering:

To read borrowed periodicals, patrons will either need the free NOOK app installed on a compatible device (Android phone/tablet, Apple iPhone/iPad/iPod touch, Windows 8 computer/tablet), or a compatible NOOK tablet.  As with the Zinio and Freegal apps, downloading to a Kindle Fire is possible, but not as straightforward as other devices.  Those apps are not available through the Amazon App store.  But don’t worry, we’re working on instructions to help you walk patrons with those devices through the process.

Here’s what else you need to know about OverDrive Periodicals:

  • Only the current issue is available to download.  This differs from Zinio, in which back issues are available.  However, like Zinio, once an issue is downloaded patrons can keep it for as long as they like.
  • Patrons can check out as many magazines as they would like. There are no loan limits for this format and they do not count against a patron’s checkout limit for other formats available in OverDrive.
  • Some titles have a circulation cap for each issue.  If an issue reaches its circulation cap there will be a message indicating it is no longer available.  We do not anticipate that this will pose a problem in most cases, but please email Sarah Beasley if patrons ask or comment about current issues no longer being available.
  • The OverDrive help pages offer additional information about using OverDrive periodicals.  There’s a helpful introductory video and  step-by-step instructions for downloading and using the Nook app.

We are also continuing our subscription to Zinio.  However, there will be some changes in the titles that are available.  We’ve added some great new content, including some titles especially for children (with two in Spanish!):

Some titles have been pulled from Zinio for Libraries by the publishers,  we have canceled some subscriptions that were not popular, and we are shifting some titles from Zinio to OverDrive.  In addition, the most popular titles will be found in both OverDrive and Zinio.  For a complete list of 2016 titles in Zinio and OverDrive, including information about canceled titles and titles that are exclusive in each, visit our Digital Magazine Title List 2016.

Happy Reading!

Charmaine (CLP)

Continue ReadingComing Soon to OverDrive

Holiday e-Cooking

Have a Holiday Cooking and Entertaining display?  Why not publicize our e-Cookbooks?!

Overdrive has an entire category of Adult Non-Fiction dedicated to Food & Cooking.  A search for “entertaining” will also yield a few good books.

cookbooks overdrive

EBSCO e-Books also has a cooking category directly accessible from the homepage.

REMINDER: Don’t forget about Overdrive’s Seasonal Promo Packs.  These kits include a variety of marketing materials that cover the entire year!

overdrive seasonal promotions

rob – Bethel Park Public Library

Continue ReadingHoliday e-Cooking