Borrowing limits through Hoopla are changing. We’d like to share the reasons why.
Over the last few years, demand for digital library materials, particularly eBooks and eAudiobooks, has exploded. In 2022, circulation of our digital materials increased by 11%. In 2023, circulation increased by 20%. We expect that circulation has increased even more in 2024!
As library professionals, this is such great news! We love that our patrons are reading! We love that you are using digital resources through the library.
What’s the Catch?
Public libraries across the nation, including NCW Libraries, contract with external vendors to make digital materials available to you, our patrons. Unfortunately, the pricing models of these vendors, as well as publishers, is making it increasingly challenging for libraries to sustainably meet the rising demand for digital materials.
The increase in demand, along with the pricing models, has led to digital materials now accounting for 2/3 of our Collections budget. Wow!
One way we provide eBooks and eAudiobooks to you is through Hoopla. Hoopla is a third-party vendor that provides a platform, the Hoopla website and App, for library patrons to borrow digital materials including eBooks, eAudiobooks, digital comics, as well as music, movies, tvshows, and more.
The Cost of Hoopla
Hoopla uses a cost-per-borrow pricing model. This means they charge us a fee every time a patron borrows an item through Hoopla. The fees range from $.29 to $3.9 per item depending on the title and format. The average cost per item is $2.22.
Let’s look at an example:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling through Hoopla
eBook: $1.99/fee per every use
In the first half of the year, this title was checked out 76 times resulting in $151.24 in fees for NCW Libraries.
eAudiobook: $2.99/fee per every use
Between January and August, this title was checked out 449 times resulting in $1193.01 in fees for NCW Libraries, for this one title alone.
For context, one print paperback of this title would cost the library $7.73 for unlimited use. The physical audiobook on CD of this title is out of print.
Ways to Save
To manage these skyrocketing costs while continuing to offer Hoopla to our patrons, we must enact cost saving measures.
This year, we have already reduced the number of monthly Hoopla borrows per patron from 10 to 8. Still, by September 1, we had already spent 90% of our allotted annual budget for Hoopla.
As a result, starting December 1, we will be implementing a daily spending cap for Hoopla. Once our daily spending budget runs out, patrons will get a notification asking them to return tomorrow to use your borrows.
These measures will ensure that our Hoopla expenses remain sustainable for our library district. Thank you for understanding! We appreciate your flexibility as we navigate these hard decisions in order to responsibly steward our library budget.
Keep Reading
What does this mean for you? Should you borrow fewer items from Hoopla? No! Please keep checking out digital materials! We share this information simply for transparency – we want you to know the why behind the changes we are making.
Increased circulation of digital materials helps us demonstrate demand. Public libraries across the nation are working together to advocate for changes in how publishers and vendors make digital materials available to libraries. We’re hopeful that those advocacy efforts will make it more affordable for libraries to offer access to digital materials through vendors like Hoopla.
Stay Tuned
We will be sharing more information about our digital materials over the coming weeks. At NCW Libraries, we are committed to transparency. It is important that you, our patrons, understand how digital materials are made available to libraries.
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