Changes to hoopla:
Thank you to those who completed our hoopla poll. The unanimous selection was to remove the cap for audiobooks and to reduce monthly borrows from 8 to 5. This change will take place on August 1, 2025.
Cost-Per-Borrow Model
Unlike traditional library materials, hoopla operates on a cost-per-borrow model. The library pays a fee each time an item is checked out, typically between $0.99 and $3.99 per borrow. Audiobooks—which are the most popular format—are also the most expensive. Because of this pricing structure, hoopla costs are unpredictable and hard to budget for.
To keep hoopla available to everyone, we’ve introduced a daily spending cap as well as price caps for audiobooks and eBooks.
How Caps Will Affect Usage:
You may find that some titles are unavailable. Once the library reaches its daily spending limit, no more hoopla items can be borrowed until the next day. The daily budget resets at midnight, and any unspent funds roll over to the following day.
Libby vs hoopla:
Libby (OverDrive) works differently. On Libby, items are purchased and “owned” by a consortium of over 200 libraries. These digital licenses expire after a certain number of checkouts or a set time period (usually two years) and must be repurchased at full price.
hoopla, on the other hand, offers simultaneous use, which means unlimited users can borrow the same title at the same time (within monthly limits and the library’s daily budget). hoopla also has no hold lists—if it’s available, it’s yours instantly.
How Patrons Can Help:
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. Here’s how you can help us stretch the budget:
- Use the “Favorite” feature in hoopla to save titles and borrow them when you’re ready to read, watch, or listen.
- Check Libby first for the title you’re looking for. In addition to eBooks and audiobooks, Libby also offers magazines and Great Courses videos—many with instant availability. While hold times can be long on audio and eBooks, the consortium is increasing funding for Libby starting July 1 to reduce wait times.
- For children’s content, don’t forget to explore BookFlix, available through our website:
https://stillwatercountylibrary.org/services-and-resources/
Thank You
Thank you for being a library user and for your understanding as we adjust hoopla usage to stay within budget. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please reach out with your feedback, questions, or suggestions—we’d love to hear from you.
