Downloadables

Hoopla Bonus Borrows Coming Soon!

Thanks to my long list of romance authors I want to check out, I have been what I would consider a heavy Hoopla user this year – and I still forget to take advantage of my bonus borrows! This is a great feature Hoopla offers that your patrons – and maybe staff! – probably need a reminder about.

In the last week of every month, Hoopla offers a selection of titles as bonus borrows. These can be checked out with ZERO cost to the library and, since it counts as a bonus, it doesn’t use up one of the 5 checkout spots. Sure, you’re not able to freely browse – this is a curated collection offered up by Hoopla, but it includes eBooks, audiobooks, comics, TV, movies, and a BingePass, so there’s something for everybody.

So maybe you’re about to go on vacation and want to squeeze in a TV show on your days off. Maybe you’ve got a patron just trying to get a little extra on their summer reading challenge. This month, bonus borrows are available from July 25th – July 31st, so you’ve got time to start spreading the word! If you check out Hoopla’s resource center (an incredible service in its own right that I also forget to take full advantage of!), they’ve got graphics you can post to your social media or display around your libraries.

-Jaime @ Penn Hills Library

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New “Content Controls” Coming to Libby!

The next major release of Libby will introduce a new feature called Content Controls. Content Controls allow users to configure what library content appears in Libby, for themselves or for their family, based on the intended audience for each book, audiobook, and magazine in the library collection.

🦸 Libby for Everyone works just like Libby does today, with no restrictions by audience except those users manually choose to apply.
🧒 Libby for Kids shows only titles for “juvenile” and “young adult” audiences when searching and browsing in Libby. Users can apply deep-search, sample, and circulation restrictions to young adult titles if they wish.
🧟 Libby for Grown-ups is for people who borrow “general content” and “mature content” titles only. It prevents kids’ titles from appearing at their libraries in Libby. Users who enjoy young adult titles can re-enable that content using a toggle within the preset.

Users can also choose to lock Content Controls with a passkey. To access these options, visit Content Controls in the Settings section of the Menu. The update with these new features is expected the week of June 23!

– Heather Auman, Western Allegheny Community Library

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Beyond Mango

We all know Mango Languages is fantastic. If you don’t, you can get up to speed here. But did you know about our other language learning tools? 

Let’s say you want to learn some Greek, so you head over to Pimsleur, a trusted name in quick and impactful language instruction for over 60 years. The Greek program alone is $19.95 a month! The Pimsleur method is effective, of course, but you’re going to be spending more than $20 getting the hang of the language. 

If you are set on Pimsleur, you can head over to Hoopla, where “each lesson provides 30 minutes of spoken language practice, with an introductory conversation, and new vocabulary and structures.”

In fact, Hoopla has a fantastic array of Pimsleur options, including English instruction for native speakers of a variety of other languages (English for Arabic speakers, English for Norwegian speakers, etc). 

You don’t have to limit yourself to Mr. Pimsleur, either! Hoopla has lots of options for audiobook language learning.

And it’s not just Hoopla. And it’s not just Greek! You can find similar content in our Libby collection. 

You can also head over to Udemy for language instruction!  

Whether you want to brush up on a new language in time for an upcoming vacation, or you have new neighbors who speak a language new to you, there are so many ways our eResources can support your language learning goals.  

-Mary, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh 

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New BingePass Alert

Hoopla recently added a brand new BingePass to it’s growing selections. The Ken Burns Collection is now available to borrow for all hoopla users. As with all BingePasses, you only need to use 1 borrow credit to get hours upon hours of content!

Over 40+ years of great documentaries including The Civil War, Jazz, Country Music, Prohibition, The National Parks and more can be borrowed for an entire week. That’s prime bingeing material.

If you aren’t already familiar with hoopla’s BingePass offerings, now is a great time to check them out!

Happy watching!

-Richelle @ Sewickley Public Library

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