Confusion Solution - hoopla digital

Are your patrons confused by the many different digital services available to them for media? Does your library offer more than one single copy use eAudiobook platform?

Despite your efforts to provide a bit of something for everyone that walks into your library's doors or accesses the library online, unfortunately what often results when multiple digital platforms are offered is confusion. It is often difficult for library staff and patrons alike to differentiate between numerous models, remembering which has what content, what special software is necessary, what steps need to be taken on which device to make them work. Many "digitarians," or library users of digital services, do not understand why they should have to wait for digital content.

When we developed hoopla, we listened to many of these issues, as presented to us by our library partners. We wanted to provide a solution to all of this confusion.

With hoopla, your patrons have access to close to half a million titles, across 6 formats – Movies, TV, full music albums, eAudiobooks, eBooks, Comics/Graphic novels – all in the same location, all instantly available, all providing the same experience: Discover. Borrow. Enjoy. There are no extra steps. Even our eReader is built right into the app and interface, meaning your entire experience - from discovery to enjoyment - happens in just one space.

With hoopla, we focus our efforts on "one app, one tap." We want to help you help your patrons find what they want, when they want it. We want them to have the same experience across all content, without barriers to entry or usage. This provides less confusion than having to source and learn multiple platforms for content.

What we see happening in libraries throughout the country is a consolidation of eResources. No longer does it makes sense for our libraries to have to host and maintain multiple platforms, each having its own niche content and offering the same experience of having to wait in line to get what you want.

More libraries are beginning to cut out services such as One Click, Axis 360, Freegal, 3M, etc and are consolidating down to just 2 services: Overdrive and hoopla. With these two interfaces, your bases in terms of content are covered. By not having to purchase content from Overdrive that is offered in hoopla, your spending on the single copy use platform may very well begin to decrease, meaning you will have more funds available to provide your patrons exactly what they show you they want on hoopla.

Having one primary app through which patrons may easily access what they seek, our libraries are finding that they are:

- Providing patrons a more simplistic approach to discovery of content

- Focusing their resources and energy into acclimating and training staff.

- Spending more time engaging patrons and providing outreach to their communities.

- Positioning the service for discovery and continued success.

Hang with hoopla for a 10-day San Diego Comic-Con Experience!

We’re very excited to be exhibiting for the first time ever at San Diego Comic-Con International 2016, and we want to make your library and your patrons part of this great comics and pop culture experience!
 
Under the shout out to – “Be Here to Be There.” – we’re hoping you and your patrons will hang with hoopla through social media and take part in the whole San Diego Comic- Con (SDCC) experience. We’ll be sharing posts with you and patrons throughout the convention … all the onsite events, announcements and trending happenings … and, of course, we’ll be sharing all of the event-relevant content that hoopla has available.

Let’s make the SDCC experience a 10-day pop-culture, social media party for patrons!

This whole summer is shaping up to be a sci-fi, pop-culture, and comics occurrence! From Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary to the Suicide Squad emerging from the pages of comics onto film, SDCC will be the place to be … and hoopla wants to help you bring patrons into all the excitement.
 
Not only will we be providing you with daily show posts, we want to give you images and content to create your own.  To do this, we’re filling the hoopla Dropbox with image assets you can use:
 
Access and use your hoopla “Be Here to Be There.” Dropbox assets:

1. Access the hoopla Marketing Dropbox here.
2. Browse our selection of graphics. When you’ve made your selection, click Download
3. When you post/share the graphics, be sure to link your images to our collections.

 
Be sure to check back often for new hoopla/San Diego Comic-Con 2016 assets!
 

Thank You for Being Part of our Success!

We at Midwest Tape only work with libraries. For the past 30 years, we have listened to and learned from our customers, continuously evolving and developing new products and services to help meet the needs of our library partner's patrons and communities.

It is an exciting week at Midwest Tape, as we settle into our new International Headquarters, which is located at 1417 Timberwolf Drive in Holland, OH. Our staff dedicated the full holiday weekend to the move as well as the set up and testing of business processes so our service to you, our library partners, was not affected. It was business as usual upon our arrival to our new home on Tuesday, July 5th.

Our new location is impressive, and it is because of our partnership with you that we continue to expand, create new jobs in our community and continue to develop and improve our services to you.

Thank you for being a part of our success.

Summer Stickers for hoopla Readers

It is official. Summer is here, and so are our hoopla Summer Reading Stickers!!

We at hoopla want to support your library with your Summer Reading Efforts and are kicking off the Read 60 on hoopla for our US libraries as well as our Camp Wild Campaign for our Canadian partner libraries!

Want to reward your younger patrons for their efforts, or are you looking for additional collateral to give away at Summer Reading events as prizes?!

If you would like to take advantage of these stickers as you work to reward for reading, we will send them to you FREE of charge! Simply reach out to your hoopla Customer Support Specialist by calling: 1-800-875-2785

As a reminder, our Marketing Team has put together a great activity sheet, which you may access below, to encourage children to find fun ways to read on hoopla digital, as well!

Happy Reading!

Your History is History on hoopla digital!

hoopla digital users tend to refer to their history for a multitude of reasons. They may wish to recall a title they particularly liked in order to share with a colleague or friend, or they may look to re-borrow a title they enjoyed in order to view or listen to it again, often with a friend or family member.

That being said, we know that not everyone wishes to view their History. As always, we listen to our libraries and want to provide what your patrons are asking for. We are happy to report that, in an effort to better personalize the hoopla service for your users, we now offer the option for one to delete their entire history or select titles from their history, across all devices, on hoopla digital!

Hiding one’s history on hoopla can be done easily, regardless of the device one is on. Click on the bubble below to learn more!

Summer Reading with hoopla!

We at hoopla digital know you have a lot going on during the summer! With many Summer Reading Campaigns being centered around physical activity, outdoor adventure as well as reading, we wanted to provide you supplemental materials for hoopla digital to support you in your efforts!

With so many eBook, audiobook, and even comics titles as alternative reading, hoopla is geared up this year to help you in so many ways to get your summer reading programs off to a running start! We've even developed a support theme and digital communication materials and mechanisms for you to use in encouraging your patrons to make reading an active part of their active summer months...

Below, marketing collateral links are available, where you will find shelf talkers, an activity sheet for kids as well as social media content to assist you in sharing your digital collections on hoopla digital!

We are excited to provide you this content, and do hope you find it beneficial! Summer is here… On Your Mark, Get Set, and GO WILD!!

Archie Comics – NOW on hoopla!

Your Comic collection on hoopla digital continues to grow!

We all know Archie, right? How many know that “America’s favorite teenager” has come of age and has made a comeback with a new 21st century appeal?!

We at Midwest Tape are proud to offer your library patrons – of all generations – access to Archie comics, both old and new, as well as Archie Action and Dark Circle, via hoopla digital!!

Please see our full Archie flyer – designed specifically for our libraries – below!

Rave Reviews on hoopla digital!

Rave Reviews on iOS!

As you know, we recently released a new iOS app on hoopla digital, which included features such as Kid’s Mode, comic ratings and the addition of language, subtitle and dubbed language information to our video detail pages.

We continue to update our hoopla digital apps with new features, fixes and enhancements to provide your patrons the best possible user experience, and from what we are seeing in the iOS app store, its working!!

Check out some of the rave reviews hoopla digital (iOS 4.4) has received recently in the app store:

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I love Hoopla! by Rahn~Doe

Great app. Awesome website! The Free Library of Philadelphia grants free membership with a library card. #winning

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 Love by skimberly1978

I love this app for checking out audio books from my library. My kids get to hear many of their favorite books read by different narrators, which makes their love of books grow!

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Even better! by Redhead6@7

The most recent update has fixed a lot of problems with menus, and it seems that the download is working much much better now. Thank you thank you! Great app!

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Love this app by Mel's Ewee

Made known to me through my library. I have never had problems playing or casting. I appreciate the variety of movies, music, audiobooks and ebooks. I am hooked. My only problem is not enough time in the day to do all I want on the app.

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 Awesome app! by Independant Shopper

Download entire music albums and movies for a week at a time, plus e-books and audiobooks. Free through many public library systems!

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 Great Audio Book App by Mostiky

I use this app to listen to great audio books. It has all I need to listen to them and a decent selection from my local library. Doesn't crash ever. IPhone 6 Plus.

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 Hoopla by T. C. O. N.

This is AMAZING because you can get COMIC books!!!!

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 Who doesn't love free books?! by Kendalynsmiles

I mean, like I said, who doesn't love free books? I love this app! Easy to navigate, and fills me to my nerdy heart's content!

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 A must have by Super br123

Great app that allows you to have a variety of entertainment options at your fingers. A must have. I love my library more for offering hoopla!

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Thank you! by Victosolo

Free everything and everything works without a glitch. I can borrow comics and audiobooks without worrying if they're already checked out or forgetting to return them on time. I love this app and the content they offer

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Hoopla! by Tricotiti

Hoopla is your on the go library perfectly suited for mobile devices. From albums to audiobooks, Hoopla's user friendly platform provides easy access to your favorites, old and new

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We at Midwest Tape strive to listen to and learn from our libraries, our only customers, as we continue to focus on providing your community the best possible user experience in the industry.

I highly encourage you to update your app frequently in order to take advantage of these great new features, leverage the rave reviews we are sharing with you today and review the app yourself, as well! iOS 4.5 is coming in the next two weeks, so watch for my post on that soon!

Thank you for your continued trust and partnership!

How Do You Share?

How do you share new services with your current digital platform users when they rarely step foot into the library?  Despite our efforts with social media, on our websites and blogs, we know we have a challenge reaching our communities -- there is limited visibility and limited reach available through these avenues.

So many of us go directly to the websites and services we are familiar with and just don't take the time to explore other options. We all lead busy lives, and we really do need to be interrupted and have new information personally shared with us to help expand our awareness to new services that might meet our needs.

Just last month, we had a library reach out to us with a predicament...

"We have a core group of loyal Overdrive users, but we want to make sure they are aware of the content instantly available to them on hoopla!"

After a bit of discussion on the topic, we resolved to assist them in crafting an e-mail designed specifically for this library's Overdrive users...simply to share with them that they can instantly access and enjoy this type of content, as well!!

As our eAudio and eBook offerings continue to grow on hoopla, I feel many of you might be curious as to how you can expand your reach with the service, to ensure your "Digitarians" know the value you provide them via hoopla!!

Could your library use a hand in reaching your digital service users?

If you are curious about how we can help, please reach out to your hoopla Customer Support Representative today.

Prince Albums on hoopla Now!

Your library has something truly unique in hoopla, and we feel that this is a great time to promote just how dynamic your digital collections are!

Please take a look at some of the national coverage hoopla digital received over the past 24 hours!