Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library

Reading digitally with BHML
Tue, 03/17/2020 - 8:00am

I know, I know. You like paper books, not eBooks. And because we care, we’re working on a system to keep you supplied with real books. But until then, let’s talk about Hoopla.

Hoopla is the subscription eBook provider that BHML uses to supply our patrons with eBooks, eAudiobooks, and streaming music, movies, and TV shows.

You can access Hoopla with both your computer and your smartphone. To access Hoopla on a computer, go to hoopladigital.com. You’ll have to create an account to begin, by clicking the blue “Get Started Today” button in the middle of your screen. This requires you to enter a valid email address and password (twice). Then you’ll have to agree to the terms of service and privacy policy by clicking “agree.”

On the next page, you’ll select your library (that’s us!) from a drop-down list or by name. The internet knows where you are, so Skidompha, BHML, and Gardner Library will most likely be your first three choices.

You’ll select Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, then scroll to the bottom of the page to click “next.”

Then, you’ll be prompted to enter your library card number. If you use one of our old three or four digit barcodes, remember that your library card number actually starts with “bbh.” So if you’ve been coming to the library and checking out books with card number 9876, you’ll enter bbh9876.

If you have one of our new, 14-digit barcode library cards, you’ll enter those 14 numbers.

If you don’t have a library card, you can click on a link that will take you to our website. Call or email, and we’ll set you up over the phone (we have call ID, so don’t try to pull a fast one!).

Click “Sign Me Up,” and hopefully you’re in!

If you get any kind of error message, call us. It could be that your library card has expired, or some other business on our end that we can take care of.

To sign up via your phone, open up the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play app (Android). Search for the Hoopla Digital App (it’s produced by Midwest Tape LLC). Download, install, open, and either log in (if you have an account already) or sign up.

From this point on, the steps are the same as for computer users.

One great thing about Hoopla is that if you’re logged in on both your computer and your smartphone, the two devices will synch automatically. So eBooks or audiobooks you’re reading or listening to on your phone will also appear on your computer.

For the latest information about the library, and how we’ll be adapting our services while we all hunker down, visit us at bbhlibrary.org

Until we see you again, keep reading!