THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Public Library is streamlining its digital collection onto a single platform.
Library patrons will now be able to find all eBooks, audiobooks, eNews, eMagazines, eComics and streaming video and music though streaming platform Hoopla. This move offers the collections in a single spot and integrates with the library’s catalogue.
Ruth Hamlin-Douglas, head librarian, said they began the transition in mid-March.
“Patrons who use our digital collections had a two-week outage while the licenses were moved from the previous platforms into Hoopla, and started to see materials arriving on Hoopla on April 1,” Hamlin-Douglas said in a news release. “Our existing licenses have now been transferred and Hoopla has been integrated with our catalogue, so patrons can search our entire collection - physical and digital - using our website. We’re very excited to move into the next phase: responding to patron suggestions for expanding our digital collections.”
The move to Hoopla also comes with cost savings for the library, which had previously been paying to use different services to offer the digital content.
That money can now be used to invest in digital licences.
“Over the coming months, patrons will notice regular growth in the materials available through both the Instant and the Flex collections they browse on Hoopla,” said Hamlin-Douglas. “We are regularly reviewing patron suggestions submitted through the system and adding new titles. We’ll now be able to grow our digital collection faster than we would have otherwise, constantly improving our patrons’ experience without breaking the bank.”
Hoopla Digital is available for free to everyone with a full-service Thunder Bay Public Library Card in good standing.
