Five years ago if you’d mentioned Hoopla, my mind would have jumped to the provincial basketball tournament that our high school athletes compete in. Teaching in Kamsack allowed me to be a part of one senior girls team that competed at the event that brings the top four teams in each classification together to battle for supremacy.
Knowing this, you hopefully won’t fault me for being confused when my wife mentioned she was looking at Hoopla on her phone this past week. I remembered the tournament happening in March; must’ve been a short basketball season this year I guess.
After I continued to pry a bit more, I learned she was looking at the latest in the evolution of libraries, the Kindle of the Parkland, otherwise known as Hoopla.
Libraries are changing, I’m aware there is a trend toward technology. For some, nothing replaces the tactile feel of fingers flipping a page as we read through a novel, newspaper or other medium for information. There is a huge demand for convenience and thankfully our local library has found a way to evolve and fill that demand.
Nearly around the same time as the expansion of ebooks and other digital media, libraries faced massive budget cuts. The vital services of a library are sometimes seen as less-important and certain groups talk about the end of libraries on the horizon. Although it is true that governments have attempted, and somewhat managed to slash budgets for our local libraries, they are evolving and their need is as great as ever.
Upon downloading the app named Hoopla, users unlock thousands of titles that they can read page-by-page, or listen to the author read to them in audiobook format; there are even movies and audio tracks for users to sign out for designated time periods.
I, embarrassingly enough, have not had a library card since my early years going to school at Sidney Street Elementary School in Maple Creek.
To utilize the Hoopla app one must sign up for a library card first, in-person, at the library.
The brilliance of making users come into the library to sign up for a card first draws them into a facility where they may realize they’re strangers to.
Once in the building, patrons may find themselves drawn to return after rekindling their love affair with the abundance of knowledge a library presents.
Libraries previously drew on technology to bring people in through the front doors. Computers were installed decades ago as a way to encourage library traffic, and the idea was a success.
Nowadays, the majority of local residents have access to the internet through computers or other devices. On-site access to the internet isn’t the attraction it once was.
How else can libraries draw in citizens through their doors?
Libraries outside of our area have a few ideas. Some libraries are hosting self-publishing and print-on-demand technologies, such as the Expresso Book Machine, that print books from all around the world right in front of the user.
Looking for a book from the Library of Alexandria? The Edmonton Public Library is also accessible if you’re wanting something a bit more local.
A press release from SelfEspress states “The site’s powerful writing and cover creation tools enable authors to collaborate with people as they write, and turn their finished work into a professional looking paperback or eBook with just a few clicks of the mouse. Once published, the author can print copies immediately at any of our retail partner locations, taking the complexity out of the publication process.”
Blogging and writing is an activity many take part in to occupy their free time. Libraries around the world are now evolving to allow authors to print their work, or any book they want that is found in a library (for the most part).
In order to move with the trend, Parkland area libraries offer programs such as Toddler Time, arts & crafts, after school programs, movie days and guest entertainers. Certain libaries are offering yoga classes and other un-common activities for a library (at least yoga is a quiet activity!).
Part of the Parkland Valley’s mission statement reads that they’re working “to reduce barriers to information posed by geography, demography, technology, institutional mandates, and physical facilities.”
Their libraries located in Bredenbury, Calder, Churchbridge, Esterhazy, Langenburg, MacNutt, Melville, Saltcoats, Spy Hill, Stockholm, Yorkton, as well as more further out.
Municipal residents care about their libraries.
Not too long ago, the Saskatchewan government slashed library funding 58%. After much public outrage, they returned operating funding to $11.1 million for libraries in its 2018-19 budget which matched the total spent prior to the cut.
People are willing to speak their opinion about the importance of libraries. In a new day and age, the library, the reflection of the community’s heart, is transitioning with society to stay relevant.
The public showed libraries that they are appreciated. Continue that show of appreciation by wandering in through your local book hub’s front doors.
Maybe you’ll find a book. Maybe you’ll be like myself and find you need that library card to register for the Hoopla app.
Whatever you find wandering through the doors of your local library, keep your eyes posted for the evolution that is underway.