"Holidays with hoopla" Magazine

20 14

How the Librarians Saved Christmas Kris K r ingle

Holiday Collections on hoopla Tech the Halls The Perfect Gift

Happy Holidays from the

Team!

This year, as every year, the Holiday Season causes us to pause and think how fortunate we are having friends and partners like you. You are the source of what hoopla believes! Without your enthusiasm for engaging patrons in new ways throughout the entire year, and without your trust in us to help them explore new experiences, hoopla wouldn’t be possible. It’s this enthusiasm that continues to fuel our passion to provide patrons more.

For this we want to say thank you in a few ways of our own, with the desire to make your Holidays brighter and hopefully less stressful, as you head into another New Year.

We’ve learned from working with library partners in past years that the Holidays, while joyful, can also be hectic. At times, there may even be some disappointment with so many patrons turning to their libraries for music, movies, and more, and with no content available.

Inside this publication, we’ve wrapped a number of gifts we hope you can use to make each and every patron happy throughout the Holidays and beyond. We’ve also included a little something inside entirely dedicated to you as librarians, for all you do each day.

We hope you enjoy your Holidays and may they find you in the merriest of ways!

Jeff Jankowski and the entire hoopla Team

Holiday Heroes

How the Librarians Saved Christmas ‘Twas the month before Christmas, when we heard the librarians say, “What to do this year for our patrons on this most busy day?

They will surely be here searching for selections galore.

We’ll need to find everything—movies, music, and more!”

So they manned the front desk, and thought hard a long while.

Then suddenly the Director came running up the aisle.

“Well,” she asked woefully, and with nary a smirk, “Have you found this year’s answer; will anything work?”

“Why, Christmas is coming - on our doors patrons will be knocking.

To the holiday collections they will come flocking.

They’ll come in all shapes, all sizes, and all ages.

And just like last year, they’ll come turning pages.

If you remember that time - the time it took no time at all, Holiday titles all vanished - not one left to borrow on any library wall.”

The librarians then shared a glance, and replied with a knowing grin, “We can only think of one service that lets every patron win.

It’s called hoopla,” they said, “With lots of movies, music, and tons more to explore.

They’ll get immediate access on every gadget they can possibly get from the store!”

Now, on the day after Christmas, all the patrons had no sorrows.

They were happy hoopla was there and they all had library borrows.

With people beaming over their gadgets in states of unwrap, The librarians could finally rest and take a well-deserved nap.

As patrons everywhere chimed together in glee, “On iPads! On Galaxy! On Apple TV!” The librarians answered proudly from the library’s hall, “Browse away. Browse away. Browse away all!”

Holiday Collections Holiday cheer for the eye and ear—that’s what hoopla brings to you this year! hoopla celebrates this Holiday Season with a festive array of movies, music, and audiobook collections—enough to satisfy the senses of every single patron.

We know how tough it might be making sure that everyone has what they’re looking for to test out on the new gadgets that Santa may have in store for them this year. To help out, since there’s never a wait on hoopla, we’ve put together a Holiday Collection in every format we offer—with a genre assortment that’s sure to please every palate.

Use our collection in its entirety, or create one of your own!

For the Movie Buff What would the Holidays be without sharing a movie night or two?

You know your patrons will want to snuggle up to some of those ‘Holidays with a Heart’ movies, or spend some time watching ‘Festive Family Flicks.’ With hoopla, they’re always on hand!

For the Music Lover Music is what makes the Holidays sing for almost everyone, so we’ve put together a collection that will have all your patrons humming.

From ‘Jazz to the World’ to ‘Christmas Live from Symphony Hall’ and ‘A Cozy, Contemporary Christmas’ to ‘Navidad Musica,’ you’ll find the sounds of the Holidays all on hoopla.

For the Audiobook Enthusiast ‘Holiday Stories’ by the hearth or at bedtime are as much a Christmas tradition as anything we can imagine. That’s why we’ve included some of the most traditional titles and authors in our audiobook collection, like The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens.

Tech the Halls This Holiday Season, there will be numerous gadgets and gizmos out there. With so many tablets, smartphones, and connected devices, patron questions may get overwhelming. So, we’d like to help you get a little wiser before the holiday rush!

Here are some specific examples of some popular technology, and what devices your patrons will be buzzing about this Holiday Season:

Tablets

Tablets are quickly becoming computer replacements. Five years ago, everyone had a laptop. Fast forward to 2014, and it seems a shift toward tablets is well underway. Tablets provide users with a powerful tool that completes many functions that their laptop/desktop computer previously completed. These devices allow users to be on the go, and still be connected.

Tablets-users can surf the Internet, compose email, consume digital content, and easily stay in touch with family and friends. The popular devices this winter are looking to be iPad Air/Mini, Kindle Fire HDX, Galaxy Tab series, and the Nexus line of tablets. Chances are good that tablets will be the main device your patrons will have questions about.

Streaming Boxes

Many folks have “cut the cord,” moving away from cable, and switched to a “stream-only” diet for their content consumption.

To continue viewing popular shows or sporting events, many cord cutters have invested in a streaming box. These boxes offer links to many popular digital services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus and even allow users to stream a rented movie from places like Apple or Google Play. Apple TV users can mirror their hoopla digital app to their television, and enjoy hoopla content on a bigger screen.

The most popular streaming boxes your patrons might be asking about include: Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku. Many gaming consoles also connect to these apps as well, such as a PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Wii U.

Wearables

Wearable devices have been around seemingly since the Casio Calculator Watch. There has been a renaissance in this field, with a shift toward fitness/lifestyle trackers. Many of these fitness trackers provide wearers with insights on how they are living, and where they can improve their lifestyle. Most of these devices can be paired with a smartphone or tablet for advance tracking. Popular device makers include Fitbit, Garmin, Nike, LG, Samsung, Jawbone, and Microsoft.

Things to Consider

• Many people have already selected their preferred operating system or store to access content and apps from. It might be a good idea to ask if they prefer Android (Google) or iOS (Apple), or another platform altogether.

• Whether or not they will use cellular data. Many tablets offer an optional built-in connection to the Internet.

Having a network connection anywhere with a tablet is a great advantage to have. This option almost always has an additional monthly fee, and may not be needed by the person you are giving the gift to.

• Many smartphones are getting close to the size of a tablet. You might consider a “phablet,” which means a smartphone with a bigger screen. This can provide users with a bigger display screen, without having to take a tablet on the go.

The holidays are a perfect time of year for connecting with patrons, as you help them connect to their family and friends.

As the library’s role continues to evolve in these types of ways, we hope guides such as these can help prepare you for the questions your patrons may have … before and after Christmas morning and into the New Year.

Happy Holidays from the hoopla Support Team!

What a Wonderful Christmas Louis Armstrong featured in the “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” collection.

Miss Patti's Christmas - Patti LaBelle featured in the Heart & Soul of Christmas collection.

Let It Be Christmas - Alan Jackson featured in the Country’s Heavenly Christmas collection.

A Charlie Brown Christmas [2012 Remastered & Expanded Edition] - Vince Guaraldi Trio featured in the Jazz to the World collection.

For the

Music Lover

Juntos En Navidad - Various Artists featured in the Navidad Musica collection.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! - M-G-M Studio Chorus featured in the Christmas Is for Kids collection.

Christmas (Deluxe Special Edition) - Michael Bublé featured in the A Cozy, Contemporary Christmas collection.

Christmas in New York - Renée Fleming featured in the Christmas Live from Symphony Hall collection.

The Perfect Gift (and Re-Gift)

It’s you! As we thought about what the perfect gift would be, what came to mind is what you share with patrons every day – yourself – a gift you re-gift daily.

And so, we set about creating a visual window into the librarian’s life that we hope you’ll use to re-gift to patrons again and again. Yes, it talks about how “Sue” the librarian uses hoopla during her day, but more than that we wanted to show how the librarian’s life today is a 24/7 giving and guiding experience, a lot like hoopla itself.

As a matter of fact, that’s why we’re perfect partners – you and hoopla.

We share a devotion to service; a dedication to help others find their own sense of individuality.

Our special thank you goes out to Onondaga Public Library in Syracuse, NY, the setting for our in-library scenes.

We hope you enjoy our gift to you!

Below are just a couple of ways we could think of to re-gift the video to your patrons: • In-branch TV (Loop) • Library Website • Library Social Media

To add a little Holiday fun and flair to our visual gift, hoopla would like to provide you with three versions: Version 1: (Original) “Librarian’s Life: A Day with hoopla” http://vimeo.com/110819483 Version 2: Original plus vignette of “How the Librarians Saved Christmas” http://vimeo.com/111429115 Version 3: Video vignette only - “How the Librarians Saved Christmas” http://vimeo.com/111391297

The New Year is nearly here . . . are you ready?

It’s that time of year again, the New Year, where you may feel as though you’re scrambling as you wrap up the current fiscal year and begin planning for the new. Knowing many patrons will be turning to your libraries craving music, movies, and more, we wanted to remind you that we’re here to help make things easier.

First of all, if you have our hoopla service, then you’ve prepared yourself to manage the increase in patron demands during and after the holiday season because with hoopla, you instantly expand your materials by over 225,000 unique titles!

With hoopla’s extensive offering, we’d like to share some quick tips that will provide you peace of mind knowing you’ve found one simple solution for all your staff and patrons: Just making sure you have the right budget amount set aside will allow your patrons to both browse and borrow away during the Holiday Season. Or, maybe you have enough funds, but patrons’ demands are up, having extra Holiday time on their hands to enjoy their hoopla service.

Why not think of increasing the number of circs allowed per patron just for the Holiday Season. This will make for a wonderful user experience and greater appreciation of their library service!

TIP 1: Perhaps the most important tip – if you haven’t signed up for hoopla, do it today!

TIP 2: Do you have funds available before year end? No problem. hoopla allows you to increase your budgets on account at any time and can accommodate this within 24 hours.

TIP 3: Do you already have funds available on your hoopla account? Try increasing the number of circs allowed per patron for the Holiday Season. It’s a great way to thank your patrons during the holidays, as well as a solution for the increase in growth that will likely occur.

It’s easy. Really!

Just making sure you have the right budget amount set aside will allow your patrons to both browse and borrow away during the Holiday Season.

If you still have questions, we’re always here to help. Give us a call at 1-800-875-2785.

A Christmas Kiss featured in the Holidays with Heart collection.

The Snowman and the Snowdog featured in the Festive Family Flicks collection.

A Christmas Wish - Kristy Swanson featured in the Holidays with Heart collection.

For the

Movie Buff

The Dog Who Saved the Holidays - Mario Lopez featured in the Holidays with Heart collection.

Christmas Is Here Again Edward Asner featured in the Festive Family Flicks collection.

Caillou’s Holiday Movie - Annie Bovaird featured in the Festive Family Flicks collection.

The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens featured in the Holiday Stories collection.

Zanna’s Gift - Orson Scott Richards featured in the Holiday Stories collection.

For the

Audiobook Enthusiast

The Night Before Christmas Clement Moore featured in the Holiday Stories collection.

Duck the Halls - Donna Andrews featured in the Holiday Stories collection.

Christmas with Anne - L.M. Montgomery featured in the Holiday Stories collection.

naughty or nice, we’re always on your device

Making spirits brighter this holiday season! www.hoopladigital.com