PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA—The Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) has announced a significant expansion of its digital offerings, including the addition of over 150,000 non-English-language titles, through the hoopla Digital platform. With this enhancement, LBPL now offers over 1.9 million digital materials through hoopla, including over 275,500 non-English language titles, aligning with its commitment to serving its diverse community.

“This expansion of Long Beach Public Library's digital collection is a testament to our dedication to diversity and inclusion,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “By more than doubling our digital collection of non-English language titles, we are not only celebrating the rich cultural heritage of our community—we are empowering residents to learn, grow and connect in meaningful ways.”

This expansion allows patrons to instantly access a wide range of digital materials, including eBooks, audiobooks, comics and manga, movies, television shows and music with no wait times and in over 120 world languages. Library patrons can now maximize the value of their library cards by diving into this enhanced digital collection, discovering materials that span cultures, languages and genres.

“At Long Beach Public Library, our mission is to empower and enrich our community by providing resources that meet the needs of all residents,” said Library Director Cathy De Leon. “Expanding our digital collection with hoopla allows us to offer materials in over 120 world languages, ensuring that every member of our community can find something meaningful, engaging and relevant.”

In addition to its expansive multilingual content, hoopla provides users access to topics covering themes of diversity, equity and inclusion, including race, mental health and religion. The app also offers family-friendly features, with more than 152,000 titles for young learners and a Kids Mode designed for children ages 12 and under, as well as a collection of entertainment streaming content.

This expansion was made possible by a structural increase in the materials budget for City’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget, along with supplementary one-time funding to support an inclusive and diverse library collection.

Patrons can sign up for a free hoopla account by using their Long Beach Public Library card through the LBPL Digital Library or through the hoopla mobile app, available for iOS or Android. The comics, movies, TV shows and entire albums in hoopla are available for streaming or download on mobile devices and check out for three to 21 days, depending on the format. Cardholders are allowed to check out eight hoopla materials per month. For more information, please visit lbpl.org or call 562.570.7500.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. For more information about the Long Beach Public Library visit www.lbpl.org and follow @lbcitylibrary on Facebook, X and Instagram.

About hoopla Digital
hoopla Digital partners with public libraries across North America, Australia, and New Zealand to provide online and mobile access to thousands of movies, TV shows, music albums, eBooks, audiobooks, and comics. With its user-friendly platform, patrons can borrow, instantly stream, and download content using a valid library card.