Monthly Archives: December 2017

This holiday season, relax and watch some great FREE content on Hoopla.  Now Hoopla is easier to watch with a number of different devices and streaming services. It is available on Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV and now available on Roku Players and Roku TVs.

At this time, you can watch any items you have borrowed on the Roku channel.  If you access your account via the app or website, and borrow items, you can now watch them on the Roku channel.  Unfortunately at this time, you cannot borrow items directly from Roku through Hoopla, that must be done through the app or website.

Right now, Hoopla is featuring a number of “Best of 2017” lists including best movies of 2017 on Hoopla. Also there are two featured collections: Christmas for Kids & Hanukkah for Kids.

Browse these great collections to watch a movie with the family this holiday season!

Be sure to check out Hoopla’s help page for specific instructions on how to set Hoopla up on different devices, TVs and streaming services. 

A select number of Library database companies and many of the specific databases themselves provide useful extras for your educator patrons!  Perfect for the teachers and home-schoolers that depend upon Library resources to get their jobs done.

EBSCO’s Resources for Educators webpage has collection development articles, lexiles and curriculum information for it’s products.

The specific database Explora: Public Libraries’s For Educators section at the top of the page, gives access to the list below.

• Lesson Plans – STEM Lessons, Geometry and American History
• Student Tools – Student Scavenger Hunts and Search Help
• Curriculum Standards – Searchable by State and including STEM Instructions
• Valuable Sites for Teachers – Includes STEM info and more Lesson Plans

A Lesson Plan Template is also available for EBSCO eResources.

Science Reference Center, another EBSCO database, has a Reference Shelf with links to science experiments, citation help and more.

SIRS Discoverer, a ProQuest database covering a variety of topics, offers Educator’s Resources.

Activities, tutorials and webinars will help any educator or students with many subjects including Art, Health, Math, Science, Reading and Language.

Find Educator’s Resources at the top right corner of the SIRS Discoverer search page.

Our Gale eResources (Bio. in Context, Lit. Resource Center, Opposing Viewpoints, History in Context) deliver online extras as well.

Documents and Tools provides lesson plans, tip sheets, research help, and tutorial videos.

And the Gale School Toolkit has Lesson Plans by database product name.

Databases are continuously updating and adding new tools to help educators.  Periodically check for new additions and don’t be afraid to provide them with feedback and suggestions!

Rob Kalchthaler / Bethel Park Public Library