July 13, 2011
Vol 13 No 28
August 12, 2015
A lot of ‘hoopla’ at the library Recipes
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School
8
Fresh takes on kids’ favorites
FZSD welcomes new administrators
Photo courtesy St. Charles City-County Library District Maggie Melson scrolls through the hoopla menu screen on a tablet. Hoopla is a digital service offered by the St. Charles City-County Library District that will allow patrons access to thousands of movies, TV shows, music albums, eBooks, audiobooks and comics, for mobile and online access.
Digital service gives library patrons access to thousands of ebooks, movies, music and more By Brett Auten The St. Charles City-County Library District isn’t just keeping up with Jones’ but instead blazing ahead of them Last week, the library began a new partnership with hoopla digital that will allow patrons access to thousands of movies, TV shows, music albums, eBooks, audiobooks and comics, for mobile and online access. Library card holders can download the free hoopla digital mobile app on their Android or IOS device, or visit hoopladigital.com to enjoy titles, available to borrow 24/7 for streaming or temporary downloading to smartphones, tablets and computers. “Our consumer base is evolving,” St. Charles City-County Library District Marketing Manager Joshlynn Racherbaumer said. “That is what hoopla is all about, being ahead of the curve.” Accessing hoopla is simple and you have a couple of options. You can visit the district’s homepage, youranswerplace.org. Then under the ‘find materials’ tab, click on elibrary and after the page loads, find the hoopla icon, click and away you go. Or you can download the hoopla app on your mobile device or visit hoopladigital. com. There, you will provide an e-mail address, create a password and enter
your library card number. Then you can browse or search for a selection, click borrow and it will be automatically returned when the lending period has ended. “So far, we have seen tremendous use,” Racherbaumer said. “It was an immediate need that will allow us to go above and beyond.” Customers are allowed seven rentals a month through hoopla. Jeff Jankowski, founder of hoopla digital, explained that the program had been in development for four years and has been rolling out the last two to help leverage their relationship with the libraries and their needs. Midwest Tape LLC is parent company of hoopla digital and has provided hard materials, such as audio books, DVDs and CDs, to public libraries for the past 25 years, and this is a venture that helps serve both libraries and their patrons in a more modern way. For those skeptical or apprehensive about delving into digital consumption, Jankowski said fear not. “We made it a really simple experience,” Jankowski said. “There’s really no wrong way to do it. We have a help desk for any immediate concerns or problems.” Hoopla is spreading. Across North America it is available in nearly 800
libraries. “It’s all about access,” Jankowski said. “Whether it’s off hours, weekends or holidays, you can have access to this materiel.” Music is hoopla’s strong suit when it comes to material. Jankowski estimated that 70-percent of the Billboard Top 40 is available to borrow. When it comes to movies and television there are around 1,600 titles available. See HOOPLA on page 2
Around Town
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O’Fallon woman honored
Business
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10 years in Wentzville
Movie: ‘Shaun the Sheep Movie’
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