If you use hoopla through Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL), you will soon notice some service changes. Beginning August 1, 2024, we will reduce the number of hoopla instant borrows from fifteen to five each month.
Why is HEPL reducing hoopla instant borrows?
While free for patrons to use, hoopla’s cost-per-circulation pricing model means HEPL gets charged a fee for every item that is checked out. Check out quantities and costs can vary greatly, making the service unpredictable to budget. The hoopla cost increased by 28% in 2023, and our monthly spending has increased another 20%, this year alone. After careful consideration, we made this decision to stay within budget, while still offering hoopla to HEPL cardholders.
Some numbers…
HEPL routinely evaluates our collections and services to make sure we are providing our patrons the best of both worlds and in the most fiscally responsible manner possible. We have found that:
- Out of the Top 50 titles checked out on hoopla in 2024, all of the items are available on our other digital platform, Libby by OverDrive.
- Out of the 122 magazines available on hoopla, 65% are also available individually through Libby, as well as many more popular titles which are not on hoopla.
- The decision to reduce instant borrows will not impact three quarters of our regular users.
- The average number of hoopla borrows per user each month at HEPL has never exceeded 4.5.
How can I save my hoopla checkout history?
If you need a list of the titles you’ve checked out through hoopla, you will need to either write down the titles or take a screenshot of the items in your hoopla history.
Bonus Borrows
Hoopla offers “Bonus Borrows” the last seven days of each month! Bonus Borrows will be a way for patrons to access content at the end of the month when they may be running low on borrows. These do not count toward your monthly limit. You can find a list of titles eligible for Bonus Borrows in the carousel on the app or main page in the final week of each month.
Where can I find eBooks and eAudiobooks if I exceed my five instant hoopla borrows?
You can borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines to read on your phone or tablet using the Libby app by OverDrive. You can even send and read your borrowed ebooks to your Kindle ereader (U.S. only)! It’s free and easy to get started.
What if Libby/HEPL doesn’t have what I want?
Did you know we can add eBooks and audiobooks to our Libby collection? If you need an item that is not currently available on HEPL’s Libby listings, we are able to add it as long as it is offered for purchase. Simply follow the link in our catalog to Suggest a Purchase, and be sure to clarify the format, whether it is an eBook or eAudiobook.
Request materials here.
But there are so many holds!
By reducing hoopla instant borrows, HEPL will be able to purchase additional titles on Libby to reduce wait times in a more cost-efficient manner.
What other digital content does HEPL offer?
Browse all of our online databases here.
Freegal
Beginning August 1, 2024, Freegal will no longer be available with your HEPL card. The decision to discontinue this service is based on low usage of the service among our patrons and the increasing costs of the service. Patron usage has dropped in each of the last seven years; in fact, usage has more than halved over that time. Meanwhile, it is the most expensive database we offer, accounting for almost 6% of our digital download budget alone. In other words, this costs the same as roughly one full month of titles on Libby. We made this decision based on the sheer cost-per-use, and discontinuing this service will allow us to offer other downloadable titles.
We value our patrons
While we value providing digital content to our patrons, it’s essential to manage costs for a service where expenses are tied to each checkout and increased patron usage. Lowering the number of checkouts that individual patrons can make from hoopla will ensure that more patrons can use the service each month and will give us more flexibility to reduce waitlist times through Libby and our physical collection.
We carefully considered this decision, aiming to provide budgetary control while minimizing user inconvenience. HEPL will continue to consistently assess the impact of the new limit.