HOOPLA arrives at the Haddonfield Public Library
Have you heard the hoopla about HOOPLA? If you haven’t, you should.
HOOPLA is now available at the Haddonfield Public Library. HOOPLA is a digital media platform offering thousands of full-length music albums, audiobooks, films, TV shows and instructional videos for kids, teens and adults. To access these different forms of media for free, all people need is a Haddonfield Library card.
Library cardholders will be able to borrow these titles to enjoy on PCs, tablets and phones.
“It’s a one-stop place for media and that is what is exciting about the platform,” said Kathy Metrick, technical services librarian for the Haddonfield Public Library.
With the HOOPLA app or website, both streaming and temporary downloading of content are supported. Multiple borrowers can access the same title at the same time, so no more waiting for popular titles.
“With HOOPLA, all of the kids who love ‘Frozen’ can borrow the album at the same time,” Metrick said.
Better yet, access to these titles is free. Since borrowed titles are automatically returned at the end of their loan periods, HOOPLA titles are fine free.
Libraries have been looking into new technologies and how they can be incorporated into their system for the past several years. According to Metrick, Haddonfield Library has made bringing new technology into the library part of its mission.
“Libraries are always looking to bring new information to customers in whatever way is available. So it was a logical progression. We’ve been offering two other digital platforms that offer books, and we were looking into other digital platforms,” Metrick said.
That is when they learned about HOOPLA through the company that created it, which has been servicing the Haddonfield Public Library for years with traditional media. After seeing how other libraries were using HOOPLA, they decided to get the program.
The library wants to get information out to the public, and Metrick said they want to be seen as a great place to visit for information. HOOPLA is just another way to do that.
Rather than coming in to the library, those with busy lifestyles can get some of the library’s content on the go.
HOOPLA can also be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. View or listen to music, audiobooks and films across mobile devices, and the HOOPLA mobile app will keep your place as you go.
“Its accessibility and depth of content are my favorite parts. When you’re ready to access it, it is right there for you, ready for whenever you’re ready to listen or watch,” Metrick said.
Since getting HOOPLA, the library has been spreading the word through the Internet, bulletin boards, word of mouth and through the library itself. The library staff would like everyone to know about it and other digital platforms that are available, the 3M Cloud Library and South Jersey Overdrive, both for eBooks and audiobooks.
“We’d love for folks to be excited about it and use the platform,” Metrick said.
HOOPLA is available on PC and mobile devices for free, but to get the free content, a Haddonfield Library card is needed. Cardholders would sign up for an account, which would ask for their library card and password. Then, they would need a unique email address for access to HOOPLA and to create a password specifically for the website and app.
For questions or more information on HOOPLA, visit the Haddonfield Public Library website at www.haddonfieldlibrary.org, call (856) 429–1304 or stop by the library in person.
The Friends of the Haddonfield Public Library have funded HOOPLA.
“We couldn’t do it without their generous support and fundraising,” Metrick said.
To support the Friends, visit www.hfol.org.
