Showing posts with label eAudiobooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eAudiobooks. Show all posts

Updated! Hoopla - a new service for borrowing movies, tv shows, audio books and music.

We've talked about Hoopla before on this blog, but we felt it was time to update it since Hoopla has added several new types of material! When we first wrote about this service from Bossier Parish Library back in November, it allowed you to check out movies, television shows, audio books and full albums of music on your computer or smartphone. Hoopla still offers all of those things but now they've added eBooks and Comics to their library! With all these additions there's something for readers of all ages and reading levels.

What does Hoopla offer?

Hoopla offers Audiobooks, eBooks, Comics, Movies, Television and full Music albums! All right at the touch of your fingers. 








How do I use Hoopla?

Step One: Getting to Hoopla

The first step to checking out items on Hoopla is, of course, getting to the Hoopla site. On your computer this means going to http://www.hoopladigital.com. On your tablet or smart phone, you'd download the Hoopla Digital app. 

Step Two: Signing up 

The first time you visit to Hoopla site or app, you'll be asked to sign up for an account. This is free and only takes a few minutes to complete. We'll walk through each step below. The first screen shows you an Overview of the Hoopla service and lets you know what is required to use it. You'll need your library card number and PIN, and a valid email address. 


After the Overview, you'll be taken to a screen that will allow you to choose your library. Most of the time, this will automatically show you all of the libraries in your area that use Hoopla. Choose Bossier Parish Library and click Next. 



After choosing Bossier Parish Library, you'll be asked for your library card number and PIN. Bossier Parish Library does require a PIN, so make sure not to leave this blank. 
(Hint: The PIN is the last 4 digits of your library card number)



The final step in creating an account is entering your email address and creating a Hoopla password. This password is for Hoopla only so Bossier Parish Library staff won't be able to access or reset this password for you. If you do happen to forget this password, you can reset it through the Hoopla website. 


That was the final step! You should now see a Welcome to Hoopla page that gives you basic information on your Hoopla account, including the number of titles you can borrow every month. 


Step Three: Borrowing Materials

Now that you're signed up with an account you're ready to start borrowing titles! You can browse by type or search for a specific title or artist. When browsing you can switch between types at the top. There are several categories including New titles, Top titles and genres. Click on the cover picture to find more info or to borrow the item. 



When you've decided what you'd like to borrow, click on the cover picture. This will take you to a screen that will show you more details, including how long you'll be able to borrow the item. Click the borrow button to add the item to your account. 


Once you've borrowed the item, it can be found under the My Titles. This page also shows you how many more titles you can borrow in the month. 



Using Hoopla on your mobile device or tablet

Using Hoopla on a mobile device is exactly the same as the steps laid out above, though the appearance of the screens may be slightly different. 


Are you excited to start using Hoopla? We are. We're even listening to the album pictured above while typing this! 



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Keeping New Years Resolutions with BPL - Read More Books!

For many people, New Years Resolution means reading more books or reading different types of books than you normally choose. For example, several people at the library are choosing to meet this reading challenge, which was created by the website PopSugar.

There are several ways that Bossier Parish Library can help with your resolution to read more books. There is, of course, the most obvious answer - we certainly do have a lot of books available for free. But beyond regular paper books, there are several other ways to borrow books. 



eBooks from Overdrive

eBooks allow you to read books on your computer, tablet or phone. One of my personal favorite aspects of eBooks is that I can access them anywhere I can use my phone. That means I can read while on a break at work or even waiting in line at the grocery store. So much more enjoyable than scanning the tabloid headlines or counting the items of the person in front of you in the express lane.

Overdrive is an app that allows you to read eBooks on your computer, phone or tablet. It's part of your library account, so there's never any charge. The books return automatically so you can't even be charged late fees. New books are added to the collection every day. For some of these books, you'll need an Adobe ID. This is a free ID that you create using your email one time only. If you're not comfortable with creating an Adobe ID, don't worry! There are plenty of books you can still access.
Overdrive is available for: Apple (via iTunes) Android (via Google Play), Windows Phone.
Download for other devices including Kindle, Nook and your PC can be found on the Overdrive Website.


Audio Books

Audio books can be a great way to read more books while still taking care of other responsibilities. You can listen to audio books during your daily commute or while running errands around town. They can also make more unpleasant tasks like household chores or exercising more enjoyable. You can checkout books on CD to listen in your car at any Bossier Parish Library branch. 

Bossier Parish Library also has two online services that offer Audio Books: Overdrive and Hoopla. These services allow you to checkout Audio Books on your computer, tablet or smartphone. These books return automatically, which means you never risk overdue fines. Both of these services are available as apps for tablets or smartphones, or you can access their respective websites on your computer. We did a instructional post on Hoopla here on our blog.




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eReader Apps

In this post, we will be talking about eReader apps. Apps (or applications) are software that can be downloaded to a smart phone, computer, or tablet (such as the iPad). These apps generally enhance the use of the device. eReaders have become so popular that companies such as Amazon (Kindle) and Barns and Nobles (nook) have developed apps for smart phones, computers, and tablets. This means that you can literally take your books anywhere.

When you purchase a book from Amazon or Barns and Nobles, you have the option to download it to any device that has the eReader app; unless you have downloaded the ebook to the eReader itself. For instance, if I download the Kindle app to my laptop and I login with my Amazon account information, then I can download the book to my laptop and read it. Although these apps are convenient and free, they are not an actual eReader. This means that you cannot utilize everything that makes an eReader unique.

There are many different eReader apps out there for download. Android has an app for almost all of the major eReaders. Simply search for the app in the Android market or go to the eReaders website and download the software. Apple also has its own eReader apps available to download. Just like the Android market, you can visit the App Store to download your eReader’s app. Again, if you do not see your eReader there, then visit the company’s website and try to download it.

This article has covered just a few ways you can access you ebooks via eReader apps. 

Discontinuation of NetLibrary...

NOTE: The following message was emailed to a patron inquiring about NetLibrary. The following was emailed to them and I felt it would be appropriate for me to share it here as well.
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March 3, 2010

The library no longer subscribes to NetLibrary. We are in the process of switching from NetLibrary eaudiobooks to a similar service called OverDrive. Unfortunately, Overdrive will not be available until early June, 2010. A delay in setting up Overdrive has occurred because of their large back log of their new contracts. By moving to Overdrive the library will be able to offer not only eaudiobooks but also ebooks for downloading. OverDrive is supposed to be easier to download and work on more types of devices. If you would like to see a sample of their services check out the Shreve Memorial Library’s page at http://www.shreve-lib.org/ and click on the OverDrive icon.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you and other patrons. I believe you will like OverDrive and their larger selection of eaudiotbook titles and other material. In the meantime, if you have any titles we can get for you by purchasing them for the library or through InterLibrary Loan please let us know. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions. Thank you, Tedy


Tedy Pesnell
Technical Services, Chief
Bossier Parish Library
2206 Beckett St.
Bossier City, LA 71111
(318) 746-1903 (M-F, 7:30 a – 4:30 p)
(318) 746-7768 (fax)