Software - Tech Tips

A New UHLS App Has Arrived

The Upper Hudson Library System (UHLS) has released a new version of their app.

The previous app was called UHLS Mobile App. The new app is called UHLS Libraries and has a new look and several new features. The old version of the app will continue to work until August 13, 2025. After that, the old app will no longer work. The new app is available for download in the iOS App Store for Apple Devices and in the Google Play Store for Android Devices.

Home Screen

After downloading the app, you will see the main UHLS interface.

In order to use any features of the app, you will need to login with your library card. You cannot use any features other than Nearest Libraries without logging in. To login, tap on the My Account button. Enter your full library barcode number with no spaces. Your PIN is the last four digits of your phone number unless you have changed it.

Search

Once logged in, you will see the interface for your home library.

To search the UHLS catalog, tap in the search box in the top center and enter your search term. Next, you will see a list of items that match your search term. Tap on the name of the item to see more information. On the item information screen by default, you will see a place hold button. This does not indicate if an item is currently available for checkout. To see an item’s availability, scroll down to see a list of which libraries own the item and whether or not it is currently checked out. You can tap on the Available Only button to only show items that are currently available.

gif showing an item page scrolling down to reveal where a book is available in the library's catalog.

Notification Area & My Barcode

Under the search icon is the notification area. Here, you will see if you have any requests available for pickup or any items that are overdue.

Underneath your notification area is My Barcode. You can enter your library barcode for easy access while checking out items at the library. If you have any cards linked to your account (more on that later!), swipe left to use them as a digital library card.

Underneath My Barcode is a book carousel featuring new and upcoming book titles available and soon-to-be available at the library. You can tap on a book cover to see more information on that title or on more to see more book lists.

My Account

Tapping on My Account shows a list with checkouts, holds, and fines. Next to checkouts and holds, there is a number containing your current number of each. The number next to holds is the total number of items on hold, including items not yet ready for pickup.

Checkouts

Tapping on Checkouts brings up a list of currently checked out items, including items from hoopla. Checkouts are grouped by overdue, due soon, and general.

To view your checkout history (formerly called My Reading History), tap on your name under the Checkout History header. If you have linked accounts, the names on the accounts are listed under Checkout History as well. To renew an item, tap on select, choose the item(s) to renew, and then tap on renew selected.

screenshot of checkouts screen showing two buttons that read select and renew all, a drop down box labeled account, and a sample list of books.

Holds

Tapping on Holds will show your current lists of holds. They are grouped by ready for pickup and on hold. On hold is a list of all holds placed that are not yet ready to pickup. For items ready to be picked up, their pickup location is shown. For other items, your queue position is shown.

Linked Accounts

Linked Accounts is on the My Accounts screen. If you have any linked accounts there will be a number next to the Linked Accounts header. You can add a additional accounts by tapping on Linked Accounts and then on the Add button in the top right corner. Once additional accounts have been added, you can access the barcode(s) on the home screen.

To view checkouts and holds on linked accounts, go to either of those sections and tap on the account button. You can select which account holder’s checkouts or holds you would like to view.

screenshot showing a drop down account box with two names you can select.

Other Home Screen Buttons

The home screen includes other buttons as well. Library Calendar shows a list of upcoming events at the library. eBooks & eAudiobooks gives you quick shortcuts to access the Libby and hoopla apps. Digital Library has shortcuts to our digital resources.

screenshot of a list of our digital resources showing times union acess, new york times access, novelist and mango.

Wireless Printing is a quick shortcut you can use to print items from your phone or tablet for pickup at the library. Scan ISBN allows you to scan a book or item’s barcode to see if the library owns a copy. The other buttons include Hours & Contact, a link to our social media pages, and Nearby Libraries to see location and contact information for other libraries in UHLS.

Learn a New Craft With the Creativebug App

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.

Screenshot of the tabs at the bottom of the screen of the Creativebug app.

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.

Screenshot of the Filter by options on the Explore page in the Creativebug app.

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.

Screenshot list of class subjects that can be filtered.

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.

Screenshot of the filtered results showing class videos that fit the chosen criteria.

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.

Screenshot of the Sort by option on the Explore page in the Creativebug app.

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.

Screenshot of the Materials tab on the class page in the Creativebug app.

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.

Screenshot of the Chapters tab in the class page in the Creativebug app.

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.

Screenshot of the PDFs tab on the class page in the Creativebug app.

My Classes

In “My Classes” there are two tabs you can choose from. They are “Downloads” and “Watchlist.”

Screenshot of the My Classes page with the Downloads and Watchlist options in the Creativebug app.

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.

Screenshot of the Watchlist in the My Classes tab in the Creativebug app.

Screenshot of the Recently Watched in the My Classes tab in the Creativebug app.

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.

Screenshot of the Instructors page in the Creativebug app.

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.

Screenshot of the instructor's class videos and gallery on their instructor page in the Creativebug app.

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.

Screenshot of the Settings in the Creativebug app.

Have you tried the Creativebug app yet? Let us know in the comments!

Try out hoopla for Great Free Digital Content on Demand

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.

screenshot of a title screen, showing the borrow button, loan period, and favorites icon.

Videos

screenshot showing movies section of hoopla. Titles shown include Talk to Me, The Whale, and Everything Everywhere All at Once.

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.

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.

screen shot of a borrowed item showing that the title has been downloaded.

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.

A New Way to Print from Any Device with Princh

Starting March 11, the library will offer a new service called Princh for wireless printing. In the past, we had used a service called PrinterOn.

Princh is accessible on any device including your computer, smartphone, or tablet.

Selecting an Item to Print

To begin, visit our printing portal.

Click/tap “click here to select and upload a file” to choose the item you are printing. Accepted file types include Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc), Apple’s iWork (Pages, Numbers, etc), images/screenshots and more. Check out the full list of accepted file types here.

After selecting the item you are printing, there are more options.

Screenshot showing the file name of what is being printed. The settings button is next to the file name.

Changing Print Settings

To change the displayed language, tap English in the top right corner for over 10 language options. If you would like to change the number of copies, the color settings, the paper size, or more print settings, click/tap on the blue and white gear icon next to the file name of what you are printing.

Screenshot showing the settings screen, allowing settings such as black and white or color, number of copies, page range and duplex options to be changed.

There are a variety of options available to change including paper size, color or black white white, page range and more. You can also preview the document or remove it if you change your mind about printing it. Also displayed is the total number of pages and cost of the print job. After you have made your changes, click/tap on the green accept button.

Next, click/tap on Accept Terms and Conditions check box and click/tap on the continue button.

Enter your email address to continue. You will get a conformation email once the job has been processed. Use the same email address at the print release station at the library to pay for and release your print job.

After the job has been processed successfully, a status of ready is displayed in the print queue next to the file name.

Screenshot showing item has successfully submitted to be printed.

Once you’ve received the ready conformation, head on over to the print release station at the library, located next to the Reference Desk.

Our printing prices remain the same:

Black & White, single-sided: 15¢ per page
Black & White, double-sided: 30¢ per sheet
Color, single-sided: 50¢ per page

Have you tried out Princh yet? Let us know in the comments.

Learn a New Language with Mango!

The library now offers access to a new language learning program called Mango. Mango can be accessed on a computer or through an app on a mobile device. Note: this service is available only to residents of East Greenbush or Schodack. Not a resident of EG or Schodack? Anyone can use Mango at the library!

There are two different ways to start using Mango. The first is by visiting the library’s landing page on a computer or in a mobile browser:
https://connect.mangolanguages.com/eastgreenbushlibrary/start

Visit the Google Play store or Apple App Store to download the app on your mobile device.

Start Using Mango

When using Mango for the first time, there is a prompt to either login or sign up for an account. Click sign up to proceed.

If accessing Mango from outside of the library, you will also have to enter your library card number. Once you have created your account, choose a language to learn.

Screenshot showing language list, starting with popular languages.

The most popular languages are first. To see a complete list of languages, scroll down. There are many languages to choose from, including both Latin American and Castilian Spanish, Italian, Korean, Russian, Urdu, Greek, Japanese, American Sign Language, and many more.

Navigating the App

Once you have made your language choice, you have the option to access the main learning section, which contains a placement test to gauge your familiarity the language. The learn tab contains the main units, which have five sections: introductions, connections, community, lifestyle, and ambitions.

Screen shot showing a Mango lesson with Italian. There are main units shown: introductions, connections, community, lifestyle, ambitions

To begin, tap on one of the lesson headings. The first time you access this section within the app, there is a tutorial about Mango and the different features it offers. Also in the learn section are specialty units specific to the chosen language.

Lessons and Chapters

Once you’ve gone through the tutorial, you’ll see the lessons within that chapter. Tap each number to get to that section of the lesson. To pick up where you left off, tap the blue triangle icon in the bottom right corner. When you open a chapter, the lessons are downloaded automatically and can be accessed with or without an internet connection. The number displayed next to the downloaded lessons label shows the amount of data the downloaded lessons take up on your device with the option to delete the data. Deleting the data does not remove your progress.

Lessons that have not been downloaded yet will have a black down arrow next to the lesson number. There are also sections with only listening lessons and only reading lessons.

Screenshot showing Chapter 1, divided into lessons.

In the Vocabulary tab, there are Mango curated vocabulary cards or create your own cards for particular words or phrases.

The Review tab contains a personalized review to catch up on your lessons.

To change which language you’re learning, tap on languages in the top left corner. The progress made with previously chosen languages is automatically saved. To access previously chosen languages swipe left or right.

To access more features, tap on the three lines in the top right corner. Here, there are options to edit your profile, change the language you are learning, an option to set up study reminders, and more.

Desktop Version and Mango Movies

The desktop version of Mango is only slightly different from the app. There are still Learn and Vocabulary tabs. The review tab is within the Learn and Vocabulary tabs. On the Explore tab, there is also a feature that is exclusive to the website called Mango Movies.

Mango Movies are videos that contain culture-packed content to help you learn a language. Once you click on play on a title, you can choose if you would like movie mode, which contains interactive content and no interruptions, or engage mode, which allows you to learn more about the dialogue with short lessons and interactive content throughout the movie.

On the subtitles screen, choose whether you want to see no subtitles, English subtitles, the subtitles of the language you’re learning, or both.

In the immersive mode, each scene starts with an introduction to the scene. Next you can view the scene, after that there is a follow up section, and then the option to view the scene again.

Screen shot of Mango movies showing an Italian movie with subtitles in English and Italian.

Another feature exclusive to the website is the translate section. You can access the translator by clicking on tools in the top navigation bar.

Screen shot showing translator on Mango's website.

To change the learning language on the desktop website, click on the name of the language in the top left corner.

Family Profiles

In both the app and the desktop site, Mango offers a feature called Family Profiles. You can add up to five family profiles. This may come in handy if you have children or other members of your household that want to learn different languages (or even the same language at a different pace). In the app, Family Profiles is accessed by tapping on the three lines button in the top right corner and then tapping on Family Profiles. On the desktop site,

Little Pim

In both the Mango app and on the desktop website, there is a section of Mango for younger language learners. Little Pim is especially designed for children aged one to five years old. To access Little Pim on the app, scroll to the left on the bottom black navigation bar. On the desktop website, click on Explore, then click on Little Pim.

Little Pim features videos in the language you have previously chosen when you started using Mango.

Adios, Ciao, Au Revoir

Mango is a language learning program. Mango can be accessed either through a computer or a mobile device. With Mango, you can learn a variety of languages through interactive lessons, movies, flash cards, and more.

Mango is for all levels of learners, from beginner to advanced.

Have you tried Mango yet? Let us know in the comments!

Category: Software