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!
Creativebug has thousands of award-winning arts and crafts classes taught by recognized design experts and artists. The classes cover a range of topics including quilting, paper crafts, baking, jewelry making, and more. You also have access to print patterns, coloring pages, and recipes for free. Note: this service is available only to residents of East Greenbush or Schodack. Not a resident of EG or Schodack? Anyone can use Creativebug at the library on one of our computers or on a device connected to our WiFi network.
Creating Your Account
Visit Creativebug and begin creating your free account with your library card.
After entering your library card number you will be directed to an account creation page. Fill out the required account information with your name and email address, and create a password for yourself. Creativebug will send you an email to confirm the account. Now you have access to hundreds of video classes and resources to begin your crafting adventures!
Getting Started
Once you have logged into Creativebug you can explore all the classes and resources it has to offer. Next to the Creativebug logo are different sections of Creativebug: Classes, Daily Practice, Learning Journeys, and Resources. Moving your cursor over Classes and Resources, you’ll see various drop down menus. Mousing over Classes shows the various types of crafting classes Creativebug offers. Mousing over Resources shows sections such as calendar, instructors, and more. On the home page you’ll see featured classes and recommended videos. Clicking on the Creativebug logo at the top of the screen will bring you back to the home screen from any section.
A quick menu is accessible by clicking the circle in the top right-hand corner with the first letter of your name in the center. Here you can find your recently watched, your watchlist, your gallery, and the community tab. You can also access your account and logout.
The notification icon is directly to the left of your profile and is represented by a bell. A small circle with a number in it will appear on the icon when you have a new notification. Clicking on the notification icon will open a sidebar on the right side of the screen showing more detail about each notification.
Clicking on Manage will take you to your profile where you can manage your notifications feed. The notifications feed displays updates about new classes, blog posts, and live events, as well as notifications when members leave comments or share gallery images on classes that you have watched or saved to your watchlist. Any of these notifications can be enabled or disabled to suit your preferences.
Classes
Creativebug offers 1,000+ classes on a variety of topics. You can click on Classes to display all of the classes available, or you can search for a class in the search bar at the top of the screen.
Mousing over the Classes tab displays a drop down menu that lists class topics.
Mousing over each class topic displays a drop down menu showing topics within that particular class subject.
After clicking on Classes or a class topic you will be on the page showing the video lessons. The videos have a thumbnail for the class, the name of the class, the class instructor, and rating. In the thumbnail for each class you will be able to see if the class is new or upcoming in the right-hand corner, and see the length of the video in the top left-hand corner.
Results can be filtered further to find the classes you are looking for. At the top of the results page is a drop down tab to filter results. Clicking it will display a menu where you can filter results by Category, Class Type, and Instructor.
At the top of the results page for the video classes you can sort the results by release date, popularity, and rating.
When you click on a particular video, you will see the video divided up into different sections, allowing you to easily go back or skip ahead to a particular part of the video. There is also an add to watchlist button to save for future viewing.
If you are interrupted while watching a video on Creativebug you can pick up where you left off by clicking on My Classes on the home screen. Next, click on the Recently Watched tab to see videos you have recently viewed.
Daily Practice
Creativebug also has a Daily Practice Tab that will take you to a page with longer videos that challenge crafters with 30 day prompts.
Learning Journeys
Learning Journeys are a curated experience designed to help you master new skills and guide you along in your creative practice. In each journey, you’ll follow a series of classes and techniques that build upon each other, allowing you to gain knowledge at your own pace.
Clicking on a particular Learning Journeys takes you to a page with the classes listed in order to begin your new crafting experience. At the top of the page is the curator of the Learning Journey and the total time of the classes in the list.
Resources
Creativebug provides many free resources for users. From the Resources tab, crafters can access a calendar of recent and upcoming classes, view instructor profiles, check the blog, explore Creativebug TV, access patterns & printables, and find class collections.
Calendar
The Calendar lets you look at the most recent classes as well as upcoming classes. You also have the opportunity to register for live virtual classes. You can use either a Zoom account or an email address to register for the classes.
Instructors
If you have an instructor that you have enjoyed you can find them on the Instructors page. Clicking on the Instructors tab will bring up the list of Creativebug instructors. Clicking on an instructor’s profile will bring up more information on that instructor and will have their video classes posted below.
Blog
There is also a Creativebug blog where you can catch up on all things crafting. The blog has content on crafts fairs and conventions, gives seasonal ideas, and provides more instruction for future crafts.
CBTV
CBTV lets you take a closer look into the lives, arts, and studios of your favorite artists and crafters on Creativebug. This page is also where you can look at previews of upcoming videos coming to CBTV.
Patterns & Printables
Creativebug lets you download and print knitting patterns, coloring pages, recipes, and more. Patterns & Printables can be filtered by topic and craft such as sewing or crochet.
When you click on a particular design, you will get more details on that pattern or item as well as the ability to download it as PDF. There is also a link to video instructions for certain printables and patterns.
Class Collections
Creativebug also offers class collections where classes are curated to cover one crafting topic to give you all the videos you will need to get started on a new craft. An example of a class collection offered is Adventure Begins at Your Library, which features 16 videos on that topic.
Inspiration
Share with the Creativebug community by clicking on the Inspiration tab on the homepage to share photos of your crafts and see other shared photos from fellow crafters on Creativebug.
There are three areas in the Inspiration tab. The first tab is My Gallery where you can upload photos of your crafts and projects. The second tab is Community Gallery where you can view photos that other crafters on Creativebug have shared. The third tab is Pinterest Boards where Creativebug shares link to curated Pinterest boards.
You can take Creativebug on the go. Visit the Google Play store or Apple App Store to download the app on your mobile device. Stay tuned for a post detailing the app.
Have you tried Creativebug yet? Let us know in the comments!
