Q. What is Hoopla and how do I use it?

Hoopla's items are always available.  If an item is returned before its due date, this will not give you an extra space for an additional item to be borrowed during that calendar month.  (Hoopla's 10-item check-out limit refreshes on the first of each month.)

Hoopla is one of our eBook providers and offers eBooks, eAudiobooks, comics, movies, TV shows, and music. (For information on the other eBook services we offer, please view the FAQ page titled, "Does the Sarasota County Libraries have ebooks and downloadable audiobooks and how do I get started?").

Hoopla can be accessed from the Digital Library page on our website under the eBooks tab or at www.hoopladigital.com. It's also available as an app for smartphones and tablets from the App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon App Store.

Hoopla can be used on a computer through the website or on a smartphone or tablet by downloading the app. Hoopla does not offer Kindle-formatted books, but if you have a Kindle Fire you can download the app from Amazon's app store.

Getting Started

The first time you use Hoopla you'll need to set up your account with your library card number.  

    Logging In For The First Time

On the website, click the blue Get Started Today button. On the app, tap the blue Don't have an account? Sign Up text. Enter your email and create a password, and then follow the prompts to find the Sarasota County Library System and add your library card number. Once your account has been set up you'll then use your email address and password to log into Hoopla. 

Borrowing Items

Every time you open Hoopla you'll automatically be taken    to your My Hoopla screen. On the website (the first photo),  at the top are some of Hoopla's featured items and if you scroll down you'll see what you currently have checked out, items Hoopla recommends for you based on your borrowing history, settings, and your favorites list (for more information on what each of these are and how you can customize them, please see below). In the app (the second photo), you'll just see what you currently have out and some of the most recent titles you've borrowed. 

Browsing and searching for items works a little differently from the website to the app. On the website you can search for something on any page by clicking in the big white box at the top of the page and entering your search terms. The default search setting is to search the entire Hoopla collection for the terms you type in the box. If you'd just like to see a certain type of item (eBook, eAudiobook, movie, etc.) or if you'd like to search for a certain author, category, publisher, or series, click the little arrow next to "Everything" and select what you'd like to search for. If you'd just like to browse, click on the Browse button at the top of the screen and select the type of item you'd like to browse.

This is the page for eBooks: 

You'll automatically see the current Popular items for item type you selected, but you can also browse the Recommend section (which are items recommended for you based on what you've borrowed before), Featured items, or Categories, which will show you other categories of items that you can select to browse. Simply click one of these sections to view it. To see more information about an item, including the summary, click on the cover. There are also additional filters you can use in each section to narrow your results further. To apply a filter, select the arrow next to the option you'd like to filter and then choose one of the options. 

If you're using the app, look at the row of icons on the bottom of your screen: 

To search for an item, select the magnifying glass on the far right side of the screen, then enter your search terms in the box at the top of the search screen. To browse items, first select the type of item you'd like to see: Video, Music, or Books. eBooks, eAudiobooks, and comic books will all be found under the Books tab, while movies and television shows will all be under the Video tab. The Books tab will automatically default to showing eAudiobooks, and you can switch to comics or eBooks by selecting one of the options at the top of the screen. The Video tab defaults to Movies, but you can switch to Television by tapping the option at the top of the screen.

Just like the website, you can browse the Popular section, Recommended section, and Featured section of each type of item. To see more information about an item, tap on the cover. 

Once you've found an item you'd like to borrow, click or tap on the cover to bring up the item details and then select the blue Borrow button. This item will now appear in the Borrowed section on your My Hoopla page. 

Hoopla works a little differently than cloudLibrary and OverDrive/Libby in that there are no holds or wait lists. If you see something you'd like to check out you can check it out right then regardless of how many others have checked it out at the same time.

The checkout limits are also a little different. You can borrow up to 10 items per month in Hoopla, and the lending period varies depending on what kind of item it is. eBooks, eAudiobooks, and comics are checked out for 21 days, movies and TV show episodes for three days, and music for 7 days. Borrowed items can be read, listened to, or viewed on both the website and the mobile app, and on the app they can be downloaded for use offline.

Items borrowed in Hoopla cannot be renewed. However, since Hoopla doesn't have hold lists, if an item you've not finished is returned you can check it out again right away. 

Finding Borrowed Items

All items you have borrowed can be found in the Currently Borrowed section of Hoopla. On the website, this page will automatically be opened when you first load the website. You can also find it by selecting My Hoopla and then choosing Currently Borrowed from the dropdown menu.

On the app, select My Hoopla from the icons at the bottom of your screen. It's the one on the far left that looks like a little house.

To read, listen to, or watch any of the items you have checked out, click or tap on the item and then click/tap on the blue Read button below the cover (if you've already started the item, the button will say Resume instead).

Returning Items

Items in Hoopla are automatically returned at the end of their lending period. However, just like with our physical items, you can choose to return anything you've borrowed early. First, go the Currently Borrowed section of your My Hoopla page and tap on the cover of the item you'd like to return.

Then locate and select the Return button. This button can be found below the item's due date. On the website it will be grey, and on the app it will be blue. Once you click/tap on this button your item will be returned. 

Favorite Items

Hoopla gives you the option to add items to your Favorites list. These can be items you might want to read/watch/listen to later or items that you've already borrowed and loved. You can add individual items, authors, or series to your Favorites, and as many as you want of each. To add an item to your Favorites, look for the heart-shaped button and click/tap it. On the website, it will be to the right of the Borrow button. In the app, it will be to the left of the Borrow button. 

Once it's been added to your list the heart will turn pink (website) or red (app).

To remove an item from your Favorites, click or tap on the heart button again, and the color in the heart button should disappear.

To view your Favorites list on the website, select My Hoopla at the top of the screen and choose Favorites from the dropdown menu.

On the app, first select My Hoopla from the icons at the bottom of your screen. 

Your My Hoopla page will automatically load with your currently borrowed items. Look at the bar below the blue heading, where it says Borrowed and Favorites. Tap Favorites to go to your Favorites page. You can always go back to the Borrowed page by tapping the Borrowed option.

History

Hoopla automatically saves items you've borrowed in your History. You can turn this off in your settings if you'd prefer (see Settings below). To view your history on the website, select My Hoopla at the top of the screen and choose History from the dropdown menu.

From this page you'll see the items you've previously borrowed. If you'd like to remove an item from your borrowed history, click the blue Hide button next to the item you'd like to hide. 

On the app, first select My Hoopla from the icons at the bottom of your screen. 

Your My Hoopla page will automatically load with your currently borrowed items, and below that will be some of your recently borrowed items (depending on how many items you currently have borrowed, you may have to scroll down before you see the list). 

To see a complete list of your history, scroll to the bottom of the list and tap the blue Show complete history button.

Settings

The Settings section of your Hoopla account allows you change and adjust several items in your account, including your email/password, email preferences, borrowing history, and favorite genres. To access Settings on the website, click on the little gear on the right side of the blue bar at the top of the screen. 

In the app, first go to your My Hoopla page, and then tap on the gear in the upper right corner.

Settings has a few different areas in this section where you can change different items. The names of the areas and the items they control on the website is different from the app. First we'll cover the website, and then below that the app. 

When you open the Settings section on the website you'll automatically be taken to the Account area. To see a different area, click on its name. 

In the Account area you can adjust if you receive emails from Hoopla, if you only see kid-appropriate content, and if Hoopla saves your borrowing history. The current selections are highlighted in blue. To change this, select the white option next to the item you'd like to change. 

The Library area is where you can change the library system connected to your account and your library card number. If you get a new Sarasota County library card number, you can replace your old library card number with your new number here (your old number will no longer work). Click the blue Save button to save any changes you make here. 

The Recommendations area allows you to select genres for each type of item in Hoopla's collection that you're interested in. Hoopla uses these to help recommend items for you. You can choose as many or as few as you want for each type (or none at all), and the genres you've selected will appear in a blue bubble. Click on a genre to add or remove it. 

Email allows you to change the email address you use for your Hoopla account. Changing your email address here will also change the email you use to log in to your account. To change your email, erase the text in the box, type your new email, and then click the blue Save Email button.

The final area is the Password area. Here you can change your password. First type your current password in the first box, then type your new password in the second box, and click the blue Save Password button to save it. If you can't remember your current password, click the white Reset Password button and follow the prompts to reset your password. 

The app allows you to change the same settings, but in different places. From the home screen of the Settings page you can turn Kids Mode on or off by tapping the little button to the left of the text. The button turns blue when Kids Mode is turned on. To view any of the other settings areas, click on the name.

The Recommendations area allows you to select the genres you're interested in for each item. Genres in blue are ones you've selected, and genres in white you haven't selected. Tap on a genre to select it or deselect it. 

The Personal area is where you can change your email and password for your Hoopla account, as well as hide your history and restrict downloading items to only when you're connected to WiFi. The default for both these options is off, but you can turn either one on by tapping the button next to it. The button will be blue if it is turned on. 

The Library area is where you can change your library system and library card number. If you get a new Sarasota County library card number, you will need to replace your old number in your Hoopla account with the new number. Click the blue Save Library Settings button to save your settings if you make any changes here.

Hoopla will sometimes send you new recommendations or new content alerts to your email or as a push notification on your device. You can choose to opt out of one or both notification methods; the default is for both to be turned on. To turn the notifications on or off press the button next to the notification method you'd like to turn off. The button is blue when the item is turned on. 

The final area, Link, allows you to connect certain streaming devices to your Hoopla account. This is optional and only applies if you'd like to watch movies and tv shows you borrow from Hoopla on a TV using a streaming device. Hoopla supports several streaming devices, including Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku. For more information, please visit Hoopla's FAQ on using Hoopla on your TV. If you'd like to watch on a computer or tablet you would just need to sign into your Hoopla account on that device.