# What's good on Hoopla \[free library service\] and more bonus borrows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2020, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232 "2020-05-21T11:48:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/1 "2020-05-21T11:48:42Z")
A while ago, I posted a [thread on library services](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=859615). In that thread, I learned about services like [Hoopla](https://www.hoopladigital.com/browse/audiobook/popular?page=1) and Kanopy that had TV series and movies to borrow for free with a library card. Hoopla also has ebooks, audiobooks and comics. Now that many libraries are shut down, these services are a good way to get books without having to buy them. Since then, I’ve been using those services a lot. I’ve found that many of the TV series on Hoopla, particularly the ones I watch, are British and are from Acorn TV, but there’s a pretty big diversity of stuff. I’ve been enjoying _Murdoch Mysteries_, _A Place to Call Home_, _The Outpost,_ _Striking Out_, _The Librarians_ and _Humans_, just to name a few. For the months of April and May 2020, because of Covid-19, Hoopla is allowing people to borrow certain items without using their credits from the library. I found a new TV series I’m liking called \*Still Standing \*by Jonny Harris. It’s about small towns in Canada where he goes to meet the people in the town and does a stand-up comedy performance at the end. Only the first of 4 seasons is free until the end of May. To find the bonus borrows, type in ‘more bonus borrows’ in the search bar. I’m guessing everyone has the same list since I can see it when I’m logged out. For me, [the list](https://www.hoopladigital.com/search?page=1&q=more+bonus+borrows&scope=everything&type=direct)has 1,658 items. Before you borrow anything, be sure that it says in the description that this is one of the items you can borrow without using a credit. Each item that qualifies will say that. Otherwise, it will subtract from your monthly credit total. What’s your favorite Hoopla items? I’m partial to TV series and movies, so I’d be most interested about those. But if you have a favorite item on Hoopla, please share. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/2 "2020-05-21T18:55:30Z")
Kanopy had Memento and it looks like Hoopla has it now. Great early Nolan film. Otherwise, lots of documentaries and indie films. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/3 "2020-05-21T18:57:15Z")
You need to watch _Line of Duty._ The best and I mean THE BEST police procedural (for lack of a better term) ever. British, of course. Only series 1 is on Hoopla and there are 5 series in total. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/4 "2020-05-21T20:13:06Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Kanopy had Memento and it looks like Hoopla has it now. Great early Nolan film. Looks interesting. Thanks! I’ll add it to my list. In case anyone doesn’t have Hoopla or Kanopy, it’s also on TubiTV, PlutoTV and the Roku Channel, all with ads. > [@peedin](#): > > You need to watch _Line of Duty._ The best and I mean THE BEST police procedural (for lack of a better term) ever. British, of course. Only series 1 is on Hoopla and there are 5 series in total. Thanks! I just looked it up on Hoopla. There are all 5 seasons on Hoopla. I’ve been considering getting Acorn TV, and it’s on there as well. I’ll check out the first episode on Hoopla. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/5 "2020-05-21T22:04:45Z")
> [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](#): > > Looks interesting. Thanks! I’ll add it to my list. In case anyone doesn’t have Hoopla or Kanopy, it’s also on TubiTV, PlutoTV and the Roku Channel, all with ads. Yup, looks like pretty recently. I use [justwatch.com](http://justwatch.com) to look this stuff up, there’s other sites as well. And don’t feel bad if you need to watch Memento twice. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/6 "2020-05-22T00:09:00Z")
Hoopla is awesome I read watch & listen on my iPhone. They upped our limit to 10 recently then added the free borrows. I’m hooked. So many in the last several weeks can’t recall and they don’t keep your history. I do ❤ what I like. Just listened to Harry Potter book I, and dramatizations of LOTR trilogy. Voice Actors along with Audio special effects it was a lot of fun to listen to. Highly recommend for any one say ages 8 and up. Not a bonus borrow but listening g also to Call the Midwives by Memoirsnof Jennifer Worth, it’s unabridged and read so sweetly so was a little explicit at times and uh wow still a wonderful series as well 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/7 "2020-05-22T00:58:50Z")
I will recommend the following from Hoopla: \*\*Imprint \*\*- an episode of Masters of Horror that you will never forget. **Supersize Me 2** - from Morgan Spurlock, follow up to the original **Loving Vincent** - all frames of this movie are painted instead of shot on film ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/8 "2020-05-22T03:47:30Z")
It sucks that neither Hoopla or Kanopy are available for the NYPL. I used to be able to use Kanopy and then last summer they stopped their affiliation with NYC. Great timing. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/9 "2020-05-22T07:42:18Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Yup, looks like pretty recently. I use [justwatch.com](http://justwatch.com) to look this stuff up, there’s other sites as well. Me too! 🙂 I’ve been really having a great time with [justwatch.com](http://justwatch.com). I look for shows on the Roku Channel that I can get for free. There’s also an option to look up all the shows from free providers (with ads) when I created an account. I don’t use that much, but I do like picking all the services I have, highlighting them and then finding out what I can watch. I don’t need to log in for that. > [@chela](#): > > They upped our limit to 10 recently then added the free borrows. Lucky! 🙂 I have about that many borrows but I had to string together a couple library cards to get it. > [@chela](#): > > Just listened to Harry Potter book I, and dramatizations of LOTR trilogy. Voice Actors along with Audio special effects it was a lot of fun to listen to. Highly recommend for any one say ages 8 and up. Nice! Harry Potter book 1 is also available on Overdrive, no waiting, for this month. > [@chela](#): > > Not a bonus borrow but listening g also to Call the Midwives by Memoirsnof Jennifer Worth, it’s unabridged and read so sweetly so was a little explicit at times and uh wow still a wonderful series as well 😁 It looks good. I’m adding it to my list. Thank you for the suggestion. Hoopla has both an audiobook version and a TV show version. I might go for the TV shows. I wonder how different they are. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/10 "2020-05-22T07:49:26Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I will recommend the following from Hoopla: > > \*\*Imprint \*\*- an episode of Masters of Horror that you will never forget. Thanks for the suggestions. 🙂 Wow, Imprint looks just wow. Here’s a snip of the description on Hoopla. > [@](#): > > Imprint: Takashi Miike > episode 1360 min. > > In 19th-century Japan, an American journalist (Billy Drago of THE HILLS HAVE EYES) searches for the prostitute he’d loved and left behind years earlier. But on an island where demons and whores rule the night, a deformed courtesan awaits with a tale of extreme cruelty and perverse vengeance. What follows is an unspeakable orgy of torment and depravity, where the lusts of the damned will inflict wounds that remain forever. Yowza. It’s also available on TubiTV for free with ads for people who don’t have Hoopla. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > **Supersize Me 2** - from Morgan Spurlock, follow up to the original > > **Loving Vincent** - all frames of this movie are painted instead of shot on film They’re now on my list. Both of these are on Kanopy. I don’t use my Kanopy credits as fast as my Hoopla credits, so I’ll probably watch it there. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/11 "2020-05-22T07:55:30Z")
Midnight Cowboy a classic staring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/12 "2020-05-22T08:16:32Z")
And 1945. Its a brilliant Hungarian film about guilt and madness. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/13 "2020-05-22T08:26:31Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > It sucks that neither Hoopla or Kanopy are available for the NYPL. I used to be able to use Kanopy and then last summer they stopped their affiliation with NYC. Great timing. That’s a bummer. I’m infuriated on your behalf (even if you aren’t ;)). I think library media services should be available to everyone because it’s generally the wealthier neighborhoods that have the most services, and I don’t think that’s fair. I wrote a thread about it. There were some exceptions to the rule in that thread. [How’s your Overdrive? [library ebook service and wealth inequality]](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=872826) In post 36 of that thread, **Bleach23** says that NYC public library is constrained by budgets. I get that, but I don’t think that’s how it should work. Maybe you’ve already looked into this, but here’s a map of Hoopla participating libraries. [Hoopla participating libraries.](https://www.zeemaps.com/view?group=661471) If you live or work in one of those areas, you might be able to get a card from that library. For instance, Westchester library has Hoopla, Kanopy and Overdrive. If you don’t live or work in Westchester, you still might be able to get their services if you’re a member of their [participating member list of libraries](https://www.westchesterlibraries.org/about-wls/member-libraries/list-of-member-libraries/). Or you could pay for a [yearly membership](https://www.westchesterlibraries.org/get-a-library-card/) for $75 or $35 for seniors. (it’s suspended for the moment because of Covid-19) But that sort of negates the whole point of having a free library card. Anyone could subscribe to Scribd and Netflix for that price. I just picked Westchester literally at random. There might be libraries closer to you on the Hoopla map. [New York State library](http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/reference/borrowers/residents.htm) offers a free card to all NY state residents, but I don’t know if that gives you much. In some states, you can get a free card for any library in the state. It doesn’t look like New York is one of those states. Good luck finding more resources. It took me a year and 9 phone calls to get the library card I wanted. But now I use it every day, so it was worth it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-on-hoopla-free-library-service-and-more-bonus-borrows/854232/14 "2020-05-22T08:33:13Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Midnight Cowboy a classic staring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight > [@madsircool](#): > > And 1945. Its a brilliant Hungarian film about guilt and madness. Classics! Thanks! They’re on the list now. 🙂 1945 is also on Kanopy, so I’ll probably watch it there. The synopsis in [justwatch.com](http://justwatch.com) makes it look good.