Monthly Archives: July 2019

If you have the Hoopla app, you may have noticed a recent update that put the word “KIDS” in the upper left corner of the screen. What’s that all about? Well, Hoopla has now made it even easier to put the app in Kids’ mode, making browsing safe & easy for younger users. You used to have to go to “Settings” and toggle “Kids Mode.” Now, with one tap, the entire collection is narrowed down to children’s materials (about G or PG-level) in video, music, & books. It even hides any current checkouts or items in your history that are adult level, so that any child using the device won’t see them. A banner at the top of each page keeps you notified that you’re still in Kids Mode, just in case you’re wondering where all your romance novels went (if you’re into that kind of thing!). To turn Kids Mode off, just go back to your My Hoopla screen and tap “KIDS” again. Kudos to Hoopla for the update – it really couldn’t be simpler!

Heather Auman
Western Allegheny Community Library

The Digital Resources Committee is presenting a technology for seniors training in August. Below are the details and a link to register.

Digital Resources Committee Presents “Technology Training with Seniors”                August 6, 2019 10 – noon; Community Library of Castle Shannon

One of the most important and most needed services a library can provide is in technology training and accessing online resources. Assisting seniors with technology presents its own unique set of challenges and rewards. Heather Auman, Technical Services Librarian, will share from her five years’ experience with conducting computer classes and one-on-one tech tutoring with senior citizens. This staff training will consist of a presentation sharing stories, strategies, successes, and even failures, which we all can learn from to better connect this population with technology that is well suited to their needs. To try some of these skills out, there will be a small group activity where we can role play to practice what we’ve learned. We will also share ideas on how to market such services and create partnerships with the community for these initiatives at our local libraries. 2 Continuing Education hours will be offered.

Please register here.

AllMusic is a great resource for helping patrons with all of their music needs. AllMusic is a music database that houses biographies, discographies, genre charts and reviews for patrons to browse.

This database also has areas that patrons can find new releases, articles, and recommendations. Patrons can discover different artists and information via genre or use the advanced search option to narrow how they find information.

AllMusic even allows patrons to stream some songs and watch video updates on music related news. Hopefully this database helps you access more music information!

~Adrianne

Northland Public Library