Library Hoopla

Library has had Hoopla for years. This month, however, I have a few patrons asking about what the nature of this e-resource and how to use it, mainly on watching movies.

To better understand the resource and the devices that can access the content, I have learned some tricks and would like to share them with anyone who is interested in using Hoopla.

1. Hoopla covers more than just videos, it includes feature titles, television programs, music albums, and audio-books as well.

2. Hoopla can be accessed from various browsers. In other words, mobile devices such as tablet, smartphones, laptops, and pcs are all applicable.

3. There is a one time only registration requirement at https://www.hoopladigital.com/; simply enter your email address and select a password at Sign Up tab to complete the registration process.

4. From Library's main page, www.lapl.org, select Collections & Resources tab, click on e-Media and then select  Hoopla, your device will prompt you to Hoopla's homepage. Click on Sign In tab since you already have an account with Hoopla.

5. Use Browse tab and choose either Movies, Music, Audiobook, or Television to select media type. Or you can click Search tab to look for any items.

6. One patron was confused about the ownership of Hoopla. He thought Los Angeles Public Library owns the digital property, and library would have owned at least one physical dvd copy of the same title on Hoopla. That is not the case. LAPL does have much more physical dvds than Hoopla; but some of Hoopla's titles are not in library's dvd collection at all.

7. Final note. When you have a Hoopla account, you can also access other library systems' Hoopla e-collection. For example, I have library cards from three different libraries, when I click the Hoopla app icon on my ipad, my ipad will ask me to select the library system first. Once I choose the library system, my ipad will link to the designated library's hoopla page.

If I am not confusing you enough, call me at 323-224-0039. Using e-devices and contents are a mutual learning experience.

KCRW Journalist Lisa Napoli to speak at Cypress Park

On Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at 6pm, author and KCRW journalist Lisa Napoli will read selections and discuss her book, Radio Shangri-La: What I learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth.

Napoli visited Bhutan in 2007 to help start a radio station in the formerly radio-free country. Modern inventions such as roads, electricity, and hard currency came very late to Bhutan.

Television was first allowed in 1999, and foreigners were only allowed to visit shortly before that. The nation has had a long-standing commitment to "Gross National Happiness," of which key components are balance, wellness, environmental preservation, and trust in government leaders.

Napoli's experience illustrates firsthand how Western media can rapidly influence a very isolated country. In the process of getting to know the people and culture of Bhutan, Napoli learns more about herself as she received what she describes as a "crash course in happiness" during her visit. Her presentation will include stories from this little-known country as she discusses the concept of "Gross National Happiness."

Please join us!

The Organized Mind by Daniel J. Levitin

Possibly another best seller by Daniel J. Levitin, PhD, has just arrived at the New Nonfiction Shelf at Cypress Park Branch Library today.

The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, will definitely get your attention once you pick up the book and start reading the very first page. Professor Levitin who teaches Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at McGill University and is the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the Minerva Schools at KGI.

Many people had no idea how frustrating when one needs to look for his or her pair of eyeglasses at home or office. I have been wearing my near sighted glasses for almost 50 years. In the last few years, I start to have problem remembering where I left the pair. But when I heard that my friend who never wear glasses also has the problem of remembering where he left his car keys. I realize my problem is not just vision; rather, it is my brain.

Our brain, functioned exactly like the C drive of a computer, has enormous capacity of information storage space. For most ordinary people, the question is not how to learn new information. The question is to remember/find the information when needed. If you have 1000 files in your personal computer, you understand the difficulty to organize and retrieve each and every file. (emails too!)

Livitin's book not only presents most current study in brain science, but also delivers a complex discipline into easy language so that both scholar and general public could understand. Whether you are a astrophysicist or a homemaker, the book will help you to find the Italian herb container you purchased last Christmas. I did find my key this afternoon.

This book will be popular. So reserve your copy online  at www.lapl.org; or call library for assistance.