Digital Services Update
Public libraries across the country contract with outside vendors to make digital materials available to you, our patrons. As of this writing, CCL receives services from Overdrive (Libby), Biblio+, and Hoopla Digital.
Our library’s participation in Overdrive is through our membership in the Green Mountain Library Consortium (GMLC). We pay a membership subscription based on our number of borrowers and usage. Patrons can download the Libby app and borrow both eBooks and eAudiobooks from a shared collection of over 50,000 items. The average cost per borrow is about 30 cents.
A trial year of Biblio+ was also contracted through GMLC. Biblio+ provides unlimited access to an ad-free video streaming service. This trial year ends on September 1, 2025.
Hoopla membership is purchased by CCL through a third-party vendor that provides eBooks, eAudiobooks, digital comics, music, movies, TV shows, and more through a cost-per-borrow pricing model. This means they charge the library a fee whenever a patron borrows an item through the Hoopla app or website. The fees range from $0.65 to $3.49 per item, depending on the title and format. The average cost per item is $2.27.
Unfortunately, despite our efforts to find affordable options, the high prices and lending restrictions of these materials are making it increasingly challenging for CCL to sustainably meet the demand. These services account for a greater portion of our budget each year.
We must enact cost-saving measures if we are to manage these quickly rising costs while also continuing to offer digital services to our patrons. Steps we are taking as of September 1, 2025 include:
Ending our trial of Biblio+ without renewing the service. Users of Biblio+ will have access through the month of August.
Reducing Hoopla borrows per month to 2 per patron. We hope this change allows Hoopla access to reach more patrons while reducing some of the wait times that are currently being experienced.
Continuing to occasionally purchase licenses to create CCL-only items in Libby; this helps reduce wait times for high-demand eAudiobooks.
We know that these decisions may disappoint some of our patrons, but we greatly appreciate your flexibility as we navigate these and other hard decisions to responsibly steward our budget into the future. Thank you for understanding.