Summer reading is just around the corner! It’s always one of the best times of the year at the library, and this year it takes on added significance. Due to COVID-19, the school year was interrupted for kids everywhere, and summer reading can help to fill in the gaps and prepare them for resuming school activities when fall rolls around. hoopla is pleased to offer collections that are perfect for summer reading—in audiobook, eBook, comics, and even video! You can let your patrons know about digital summer reading collections from hoopla with downloadable assets available on our Resource Center.
What's New
Bonus Borrows Extended Through May
Due to the overwhelmingly positive response and the continued need of our library partners and their communities, we have extended the availability of the hoopla Bonus Borrows collection through May 31! We have changed some of the titles and increased the overall size of the collection to help patrons have even more choices. hoopla’s Bonus Borrows collection now includes more than 1,500 titles—including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in both audiobook and eBook!
As a reminder, each circulation of a Bonus Borrows title is complimentary to libraries, and does not count against a patron’s monthly borrow limit. Let your patrons know—this collection is free to libraries and patrons through May 31!
Introducing the Graphic Novel Book Club!
hoopla is excited to announce the first-ever edition of the Graphic Novel Book Club! Taking a page from the popularity of our regular Book Club, the Graphic Novel Book Club is designed to engage patrons of all ages, just in time for summer reading. Our Spotlight Selection is Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy, written by Brian K. Vaughan and with artwork by Adrian Alphona. This acclaimed graphic novel follows six teens as they discover their parents are super-villains and strive to turn the tables. You’ll find the assets you need to spread the word on our Resource Center, and more Graphic Novel Book Club info on our Book Club Hub, including four additional recommended titles. We hope you and your patrons will read along with us, and share your thoughts on social media with #hooplaGNBC!
Celebrate National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month, and there’s still time to celebrate! Poetry as an art form has taken on so many forms, and few things stir the soul quite like the beauty of the written or spoken word. And now is a perfect time to celebrate it, with so many exploring or discovering poetry as a balm for our trying times. hoopla has wonderful poetry collections for patrons to explore, in eBook for those who like to experience the words on the page, and in audiobook to hear the rhythm of the words read aloud. And you can find the assets you need to let your patrons know about National Poetry Month and hoopla’s collections on our Resource Center.
Happy National Library Week!
We’d like to take this as an opportunity to say thank you. As we’re seeing now more than ever, libraries fill a vital role within their communities. The COVID-19 pandemic means that physical library locations may be closed, but we’re so inspired by all the creative ways you’ve found to continue to serve your patrons in these days of social distancing. With hoopla Digital, we’re proud to be a part of that. Our commitment is to serving our library partners, both in the continuing days of the pandemic and beyond, as restrictions ease and we begin working toward a new normal. We celebrate National Library Week by again saying thank you for all that you do.
Protecting Our Planet on hoopla
As we keep up our social distancing and other practices to help take care of ourselves and each other, Earth Day is a reminder that we must also take care of our environment. This year’s celebration on April 22 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day in 1970. While COVID-19 may make it difficult this year to gather for mass actions, there are plenty of activities we can do in our own neighborhoods and backyards that will make a positive difference. Patrons who are interested in learning more about sustainable actions they can take to help make the world a little greener will find plenty of interesting materials in hoopla’s curated Earth Day collections of audiobooks, eBooks, and videos, and you can find assets on our hoopla Resource Center to spread the word.
Harry Potter Comes to hoopla!
Big news! We are so pleased to announce that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling is available on hoopla for a limited time! Now through April 30, patrons can check out and enjoy the first book in the beloved series in eBook or audiobook. Since its initial release in 1997, the story of the boy wizard has brought joy to millions of readers worldwide. It’s one of our favorites, and we’re happy to be able to share it with libraries and their patrons.
As part of our Bonus Borrows collection, each borrow is complimentary to libraries, and will not count against a patron’s monthly borrow limit. You can spread the word to your patrons that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is available through April 30, along with the rest of our Bonus Borrow titles, with materials you can find on the hoopla Resource Center.
Our New hoopla Book Club Spotlight Selection
The new Spotlight Selection is now live for the hoopla Book Club! Our choice for Spring 2020 is The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. Known for her poetry and journalism, this is her first novel in English. A beautiful and haunting tale of the Trần family, it explores the Vietnam War and other historical events and how their effects ripple across generations. The Mountains Sing is available now in both eBook and audiobook, so your book club members can all borrow and enjoy the book in the format of their choice.
With social distancing measures in place and many libraries closed, it may seem like a challenging time to hold a book club. Librarians are coming up with creative new ways to engage with their patrons and communities, and we’re happy to be a small part of that. hoopla makes it easy to manage your book club remotely, with resources including a discussion guide and an author Q&A available on our Book Club Hub. Members can take place in online discussion using the hashtag #hooplabookclub, and you can use a custom hashtag for your library’s own group if you like. We have promotional materials on our Resource Center that you can use on your social media outlets to let patrons know about the new Spotlight Selection and encourage them to participate.
Include us in your discussions @hoopladigital—we would love to hear what you and your patrons think about the book, as well as any creative ways you think of to meet and keep in touch remotely. Happy reading!
Kids Can Find Easter Treats on hoopla!
Easter celebrations may look a little different this year. There may be no church services, no big family gatherings, and no free-for-all egg hunts in the yard or the park. But different doesn’t have to be a bad thing. hoopla’s content experts have put together collections of audiobooks, eBooks, and videos for children that celebrate Easter, allowing them to explore both the fun of the holiday and the meaning behind it. Kids can borrow these titles on Easter Sunday or anytime and enjoy them on phones, tablets, computers, or TVs with a hoopla-connected device.
And just as a reminder, hoopla has plenty of other kid-friendly content that’s perfect for homeschooling activities and all sorts of crafting and industrious fun. Be sure to let patrons know that hoopla is always available during this time of social distancing with social media assets you can access on our Resource Center. And with our Bonus Borrows collection, a number of top hoopla titles are available at no cost to libraries and with no borrow cost to patrons.
Feed a Reading Habit with Bestsellers
With so many library locations closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, we know you are relying on your digital collections more than ever. We want to assure you that hoopla Digital is up to the challenge. Our modern infrastructure was purposefully engineered with a cloud-based, redundant server stack, and it is maintained by a geographically spread, remote support team. So please, make sure your patrons know that hoopla is one of the ways you continue to serve them during these difficult times, and we’ll all get through this together.
While current circumstances certainly aren’t optimal, one tiny bright spot is that forced downtime and isolation provide a good opportunity for patrons to feed, get back into, or cultivate a reading habit. Reading (or listening to an audiobook) is a wonderful way to give your mind a break by slipping into a fictional world or learning about an interesting topic. Since 1931, the New York Times Best Seller List has been the authority on trending and popular books, and hoopla has a wide selection of titles that have appeared there. With fiction, nonfiction, and children’s titles available in both eBook and audiobook, readers of all ages and interest will be able to find plenty to keep them occupied.