Trending eHelp Topics – Fall 2023

Attention all library staff and users: here are the top trending questions we receive from customers. It could happen to you too!

"Help! Help! I can’t log in to Hoopla and I need to stream this movie right away!"
Very often this happens because many moons ago, the customer signed up with a different email. Hoopla will block them from adding a library card a second time. Create an eHelp ticket and be sure to include their library card info so we can recover the lost account.

"I have a used Kindle and have no idea how to use it?"
Libby has video tutorials that cover Kindle setup. If they have a newer Kindle eReader, there's an app store where they can install Libby or Hoopla. Also point out the A-Z platform filter. That's the simple solution.

"This library app/website/database/link worked last week…but now it doesn’t?"
If are first you do not succeed, try try again. Downtime issues tend to be brief and are working again within hours. Sometimes the customer needs to do something simple like reboot their computer or check their WIFI connection. As the saying goes, "have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Still not working? Verify they're using the most up to date A-Z link. In the event of an extended outage, there will be an notice on our website and usually an email sent by the vendor.

Bonus Points: For all Overdrive products they have a status page which notes any downtime. It's extremely rare, but you can check this if you're responding to an email or call from the day before. If it's the same day, try logging in yourself!

"Will this library app or website work while I travel?"
Yes, if you have internet access it will work. None of our A-Z resources have a geography limit, but downloads can be slow. Most eLibrary apps will have a setting to download content so you can access an offline version.

"Why is this library resource asking for a credit card?"
Universally, this means something is wrong with the A-Z resource link, so please fill out an eHelp ticket and we can take a look. If more than 1 person reports the issue on the same day, we know we have a problem.

Logging into digital newspapers (Wall Street Journal, New York Times) the wrong way will do this too. Check the A-Z description for details like this. For example, Coursera accounts expire after 90 days of inactivity.