The Upper Hudson Library System is now offering free access to the New York Times. Using a unique code, users can access content including News, Cooking, Games, and more!
Accessing the New York Times
To begin, go to our landing page. Here, you’ll find a unique link that grants 24 hour access to the New York Times. To access content, you’ll need to create a free New York Times account. If you already have a free account, you can login with that account. If you currently pay for the New York Times, you will be unable to use that account.
After you’ve accessed the NYT landing page, click on the Redeem button to continue. Next, login or create an account. If you don’t already have a free account, you can use an email address to create a new account. If you prefer, you can create a NYT account with your Google, Facebook, or Apple account as well.
After you have either created an account or logged in with an existing free account, you will see a conformation screen:
Your access to the NYT lasts for 24 hours. After 24 hours, you will need access the link on our NYT landing page and login again. To proceed, click the continue button.
Next, you can choose which areas of the NYT you’d like to explore. Once you’ve made your choices, click the continue button on the bottom right.
Sections to Explore & Newsletters
On the next screen, choose which areas of the NYT you are interested in browsing and click continue.
Continuing on, you can select which NYT newsletters you would like receive via email. Note: the emails are quite frequent. If you don’t want to receive any email from the NYT, uncheck all of the pre-selected choices. Click the View All button in the bottom right of the screen to confirm that all of the boxes are unchecked. If you see a plus symbol that means the selection is unchecked. Once you have made your selection, click continue to proceed.
Next, you can choose which NYT games you may want to play. Once you have made your choices, click continue. If you are not interested in Games, click continue without making a selection.
On the next screen, there is a prompt to download the app. If you want to use your phone, scan the QR code to continue. Otherwise, click the not right now button. Note: users have reported a delay in access when using the app.
Click Explore the New York Times to continue.
From here you can explore the site for 24 hours. Once 24 hours have passed, you need to access the site via the unique link mentioned above. Each time you access the NYT with the redemption link, you will need to go through the process above to choose which sections you prefer, which newsletters you want to receive and which games you like.
If you’re a Kindle user and regularly use the Libby app, you may have noticed you can’t return your Kindle eBooks early in the same way you may be used to. In order to return a Kindle eBook loan early, you will now need to do it on the Amazon website or Amazon app.
After the eBook has been deleted, the title will still appear on your Kindle devices. Read on to learn how to return a Kindle eBook early and how to delete returned Kindle eBooks from your Kindle.
Returning a Kindle eBook
Start by going into the Libby app or to libbyapp.com from a browser. Next, go the shelf section of the app.
Go the book you would like to return early and tap Manage Loan. From there, tap on Return Early. Next, tap on Return with Kindle.
Next you’ll see an Amazon window pop up. You’ll see a message asking if you’re sure you want to return this digital loan. Tap on yes.
You’ll get a conformation from Amazon the book has been returned. When you go back to the Libby app, you can confirm you have returned the book has been returned. If you don’t complete the return process through Amazon, the book will remain on your shelf in the Libby app.
Deleting a Returned eBook from Your Kindle Library
Once you have returned the book, the title will still appear in your content library on your Kindle, but you will be unable to open it or read it. When you attempt to open it, you will see an error message prompting you to purchase the book if you want to read it:
If you would like to remove it from your library so it doesn’t appear on any of your Kindle devices, there are a couple of ways to do it, depending on if you’re on the desktop website or mobile.
On the desktop website, click on Accounts & Lists in the top right corner, and then click on Content Library:
In the mobile app, tap the three lines in the bottom corner. On the next screen, tap the account icon. In a mobile browser, tap your name in the top right and then tap the see all button next to Your Account:
Next, scroll down and then tap on Content Library, and then books:
From there, scroll down to the book you want to delete and then tap the delete button. There will be a confirmation asking if you’re sure you want to delete the title. Once you confirm, you’ll get a success message the item has been deleted. It will no longer appear on any of your Kindle devices. Please note you have to be connected to WiFi for the changes to take effect.
If you have any questions about either process, feel free to call the library or leave a comment below.
The Upper Hudson Library System has two features to help make using the library easier. These features help you track your reading history and receive timely text alerts when an item you have requested is ready for pick up.
Saving Your Reading History
If you have ever wanted to look back at previous books or items you have borrowed, there is an option to save your checkout history within your Upper Hudson Library System library account. Saving your reading history can to be turned on by logging into your library account on a computer or your device’s web browser. You cannot turn on your reading history from the UHLS app.
Go to the Upper Hudson Library System Catalog from either a desktop or mobile browser. Click on login in the top right hand corner of the screen. On a mobile browser, login is under the More heading.
To login to your account enter your library card barcode number and PIN. By default, your PIN is the last four digits of your phone number.
After logging in, click on “My Account.” Clicking on “My Account” will take you to the “Edit account” page. From there, click on “Reading History” on the left sidebar menu.
Next, click on the “Save Reading History” button.
Viewing and Editing Your History
To access your checkout history, click on “Reading History.” You will be able to see the title, author, and the date the item was checked out. You can sort items in alphabetical order by clicking on either the title or author headings.
Note: You will only see items you have checked out from this point forward. You cannot view items checked out before you turned on save reading history. If you would like to remove an item from your reading history, click the check box in the mark field, and then click the delete marked button. If you wish to clear your entire reading history, click on delete all.
You can always choose to turn your reading history off by clicking on “Opt Out.” Before you opt out you will need to delete your history.
Receiving Text Alerts from UHLS
You can receive text alerts from UHLS when you have an item available for pickup at the library. Like saving your reading history, opting in to receive text alerts from UHLS needs to be turned on by logging into your library account on either a computer or your device’s web browser.
Opting In
To add this service, login to your library account on the UHLS website. Next, click on “My Account,” then click on the “Edit account” button.
When you click on “Edit account” a new window will open. Under “Mobile Settings” there is a space to type your phone number and a box to click on to opt in to receive text messages from UHLS.
UHLS will send text alerts when your requested items are ready for pickup. Although UHLS does not charge for this service, message and data rates may apply.
To opt out from the UHLS Alerts, send a text message with one of the words: STOP, STOP ALL, END, QUIT, CANCEL or UNSUBSCRIBE to 82453 or 35143 from your mobile phone and you will no longer receive any text messages from UHLS via your mobile phone.
Supported Carriers
The phone carriers that support this program are listed below:
All West Wireless
Alltel
AT&T
Bluegrass
Boost
Cambridge Telecom
Cellcom
Cellular One
Cellular South
Centennial
Cincinatti Bell
Cricket
EKN – Appalachian Wireless
FMTC – Farmer’s Mutual Telephone Company
GCI – General Communications, Inc
Illinois Valley Cellular
Immix
Inland Cellular
Nex-Tech Wireless
Nextel Communications
NNTC – Nucla-Naturita Telephone Company
nTelos
Revol
Silver Star PCS
Snake River PCS
South Central Utah
Sprint
Syringa
T-Mobile
UBET Wireless/STRATA
United Wireless
US Cellular
Verizon Wireless
Virgin
West Central Wireless
We hope that these two features help improve your library experience. Need help with these features? Contact the library or leave a comment.
We’ve previously written about Creativebug, a great app that allows to you view 1,000+ crafting how-to videos. You can take Creativebug on the go! Visit the Google Play store or Apple App Store to download the app on your mobile device.
Getting Started on the Creativebug App
If you have an existing Creativebug account, you can login to the app two ways: enter your email and password or log in with Facebook.
If you don’t have a Creativebug account you can create a free account by tapping on “Create Account.” It’s a good idea to create your account using a desktop computer browser. This allows you full access to all the videos in the app. You can create an account using your library card on a computer by going to Creativebug’s website. To create an account in the app, tap the create account button. From there, enter your email address and a password you’d like to use. Creating an account in the app only allows access to videos marked as “free.”
Explore on the Creativebug app
The home screen of the Creativebug app has the Creativebug logo at the top. Directly below the logo is a search bar. Below the search bar is a filtering option to sort the videos that are displayed below. At the bottom of the screen are four icons.
The first icon is Explore. Classes on the Explore page can be filtered by class subject such as Jewelry, Knitting, Sewing, etc.
To filter by class subject tap on “All Classes” under the Filter by tab. Next, you’ll see a list of class types.
Within each class type, you can filter within that particular class to get more specific. You can tap on more than one subtopic. You will know it is selected when it has a check mark to the right of it.
Once you have made your selections, tap on “Apply.” Your Explore page now shows the filtered class videos. You can tap “Remove All Filters” if you want to change your results.
You can also sort class videos under the “Sort by” option. Class videos can be sorted alphabetically, by release date, and popularity. The default sort option is by release date. You can change this by tapping on any of the other options.
Class Videos
Tapping on a class video takes you to that class’s page. The first tab in the class page is the “Description” tab. On the description page you will see the class video and the class title with the playing time. The Description tab gives you the option to add the class video to your watchlist. Classes can also be shared by text, email, or on social media by tapping on “Share” in the top right hand corner.
The second tab is the “Materials” tab. Under the Materials tab you can see the complete list of materials needed for the craft.
The third tab is “Chapters.” Chapters is where you can find the download and casting options. To download the class to your device, tap the button next to download to my classes. Please note that the ability to cast to another device is only available on Android devices.
Please note that not all class videos have chapters.
The last tab is “PDFs.” This is where a PDF of the class with screenshots and descriptions can be viewed. Tapping on “View PDF” will open the class PDF. Please note that not all classes have an associated PDF.
My Classes
In “My Classes” there are two tabs you can choose from. They are “Downloads” and “Watchlist.”
Under the “Watchlist” tab there are two categories: “Watchlist” contains class videos that you have saved, and “Recently Watched” contains videos you have recently watched.
In the “Downloads” tab, you can find any classes you’ve downloaded. These classes can be watched with or without an internet connections.
Instructors
Like the website, the Creativebug app has an “Instructors” tab. Tapping on the Instructors tab at the bottom of the screen will bring up a list of Creativebug instructors.
Tapping on an instructor will bring up that instructor’s page. Each instructor’s page has a photo or introductory video for the instructor, a written profile, and a list of links for that instructor.
Scrolling down the instructor’s page will also show the instructor’s class videos and a gallery of their creations.
Settings
The final tab at the bottom of the screen is “Settings.”
In Settings you will find your profile and the app settings.
Tapping on the profile icon will open an option for you to upload or capture a photo for your profile.
Tapping on the pencil and paper next to your name will bring up an option to change your profile name. Once you have changed your name tap on “Submit” to save your changes.
Offline Storage Usage refers to how much space you want to allow Creativebug to use for downloaded class videos.
Below your profile info are the other Settings options. At the bottom of settings, you have the option to log out of Creativebug or to delete your Creativebug account.
Have you tried the Creativebug app yet? Let us know in the comments!
hoopla is a free service the library offers that has all sorts of digital content available for streaming and downloading.
There are many types of digital content on hoopla: ebooks, digital audiobooks, music, movies, TV shows, magazines and graphic novels.
hoopla is available on a variety of devices including iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, a computer, and on your TV through Roku devices, Amazon Fire sticks, and Apple TV devices.
Content on hoopla is always available. There are no wait lists. If you see a title you like, you can borrow it right away. You can borrow five titles per month. The borrow count resets at the start of each month.
hoopla is only available to East Greenbush/Schodack residents, but many libraries in the Upper Hudson Library System offer access as well. If you’re unsure, check with your home library.
Using Hoopla
Navigate to hoopla’s website or download the app from your device’s app store. If you haven’t used hoopla before, click or tap the get started button to register. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll see hoopla’s home screen. Note: the screenshots in this post are from an iOS device, but it should be fairly similar on whichever device you’re using.
The top row has featured content suggestions from hoopla. Next, you’ll see the different content categories. You can tap on any of these categories to browse the different types of content. Under the categories, you’ll see current and recently borrowed items. If you keep scrolling, there are recommendations based on borrowing history, items you’ve added to favorites and various featured content from hoopla.
Books
To browse through the content that hoopla offers, use the navigation toolbar on the home screen.
Ebooks, audiobooks, and comics are in their own categories.
Tapping on a title in any section gives you more details about that title. You can add titles to your favorites list by tapping the heart icon. Scrolling down, you’ll see related authors and published reviews. The title screen shows the lending period and if the item is downloadable.
Books, audiobooks, and comics have a 21 day borrowing period. To borrow, tap the borrow button.
Videos
hoopla offers both movies and television series. The section for each is accessible by tapping their respective buttons on the home screen. The top row of each section has featured titles. If you scroll down a bit, you can access a list of genres and collections. Movies and television titles both have a lending period of three days.
BingePasses
To navigate to BingePasses, tap the BingePasses button on the home screen.
BingePasses are entire collections of streaming content. When you borrow a BingePass, it only counts as one borrow.
Some examples of BingePasses include hoopla magazines, which include issues of magazines such as Us Weekly, Reader’s Digest, TIME, and more. Hallmark Movies Now is another BingePass that gives you unlimited access to the entire Hallmark Movies Now on-demand library for seven days. These include movies from the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, and Hallmark Mystery.
BingePasses have a seven day loan period.
Music
To navigate to music, tap the music button on the navigation bar on the home screen. Popular titles are shown first. Scroll down a bit and you’ll be able to browse through all the available genres and collections available on hoopla.
Each title’s page contains the tracks on that album and whether it is downloadable.
Music titles have a seven day lending period.
Other Content
You can access audiobooks, television, and comics by tapping their respective buttons on the home screen.
Accessing Borrowed Content
Your borrowed content can be accessed by tapping the My hoopla button on the bottom navigation bar.
Books can only be read or listened to on the hoopla app (there are no Kindle compatible books on hoopla). Ebooks and comics are automatically downloaded to your device when you borrow them. Content that hasn’t been downloaded is streamed with an internet connection. You can download content to your device by going to the item in My hoopla and tapping download to your device. If a title has been downloaded, you’ll see that as well. You can delete the download if you would like. Keep in mind, if you haven’t downloaded content (aside from ebooks and comics), it will not be accessible without an internet connection.
At the end of an item’s loan period, it will be automatically returned.
My hoopla is also where you access your favorites list.
Kids Mode
hoopla offers a mode to show only kid-friendly content. To turn it on, tap the Kids icon in the top left corner. When you turn on Kids mode, you have the option to set a pin in order to exit back to all content.
Search and Settings
Looking for a particular title, author, or series? Use the search button on the bottom navigation bar.
To change settings, tap on the settings icon on the bottom navigation bar. Here, there is the ability to turn Kids mode on, as well as other settings.
Personal settings allows you to change the email address associated with your account, change your password, hide your history, or only download titles while connected to WiFi. You also have the option to cancel your account.
In Library settings, you can change what library you use to access hoopla. You can also change your library card number.
Notification settings allows you to turn on email notifications or push notifications. Notifications include personalized recommendations and new content alerts.
Tapping on Link a streaming device allows you to link your account to another device such a Roku or Amazon Fire stick.
Conclusion
hoopla offers many types of content, available for free with your library card. If you have trouble logging in or have any questions about hoopla, please contact the library.
Have you used hoopla? Let us know in the comments.
