Streaming Ebooks and Audiobooks at HMCPL
Ebooks and audiobooks that you can check out are now a fundamental part of the majority of US public library services. HMCPL began its digital book journey in 2009 with the OverDrive platform. OverDrive owns what is now the Libby app, and the group of libraries that HMCPL partners with to provide ebooks and audiobooks (Guntersville Public Library, Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library, and the Oneonta Public Library) is called the Valley Digital Library consortium. The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library Foundation has generously funded this collection since its start.
In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown happened, HMCPL added Hoopla Digital to our offerings to allow our patrons quick access to ebooks and audiobooks. Thousands of library users have appreciated access to these materials over the years. As usage has increased, so too have wait times. This has resulted in understandable questions regarding title availability and extended waitlists.
This article will shed some light on the basics of digital library books and some frequently asked questions.
Before we get to the why, it's best to begin with the what and how! As mentioned above, HMCPL uses two platforms, OverDrive/Libby, and Hoopla Digital. Both platforms provide digital content in different ways.
OverDrive/Libby:
• HMCPL librarians shop the OverDrive catalog and make a selection of ebook and audiobook titles to purchase for the Valley Digital Library collection.
• Titles are typically ordered once a week.
• Titles purchased are also a "one-to-one" model, meaning that one title goes to one user at a time.
• If there is just one title available, a hold must be placed by other users, just as with a physical book.
• If HMCPL wants to shorten the holds list, it must buy additional copies (licenses) of that same title at the same full price.
• In addition to the funds spent on content/titles, HMCPL pays OverDrive an annual set platform fee.
Hoopla Digital:
• In addition to ebooks and audiobooks, Hoopla offers movies, TV shows, music, comics, and magazines for checkout.
• Whatever titles you see on Hoopla (made possible through licensing agreements with publishers) are presented as available to users for checkout and can be checked out or streamed immediately (no holds list). This is similar to the setup you see on Netflix or Hulu.
• Hoopla uses the price-per-circulation (circ) model, meaning that HMCPL is charged only for what users check out.
• If five people check out the same title at the same time, we pay for five uses instead of buying one title up front, and then waiting as the holds pile up as each user has their turn with the title.
FAQs
Why is there such a long holds list for a title on Libby? The notification says I won't get it for at least 6 months!
• Let's take the hottest hold on Libby right now - the ebook format of The Women by Kristin Hannah. Although several copies have been purchased by three of the Valley Digital Library partner libraries, there are around 230 holds. • Why aren't there more copies available? Each ebook license of The Women costs $60.00.
• This price is set by the publisher, Macmillan. In addition, that $60 does not give us a permanent license - HMCPL only has it for 24 months.
• So, we could still have demand/holds after 2 years, but all of those copies will vanish, and we will have to buy them again. If you wanted to skip the wait and buy it outright for your ereader, you would only have to pay about $14.99.
• It is common for many of the newest and most in-demand titles for purchase from OverDrive to cost anywhere from $55 to $109 per title. In order to keep adding new titles and stay within our budget, we have to forgo buying multiple licenses.
• The library digital advocacy group ReadersFirst offers this breakdown of pricing among the Big 5 publishers and what it costs to purchase in print, Kindle, Audible, and OverDrive. It is eye-opening!
• Here is an informative reel on Instagram from Andrew Limbom at NPR that illustrates libraries' ongoing struggles with digital book costs.
There are audiobooks that are bestsellers that I don't see available at all on Libby or Hoopla. Why don't you offer them?
• Some audiobooks, such as Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary and Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, are Audible Exclusives.
• In short, Amazon has made a licensing deal with these authors and publishers to distribute the audiobook exclusively in exchange for higher royalties.
• This means that these audiobooks are not available to purchase or carry via OverDrive or Hoopla.
• Here is an article from the libro.fm blog that provides more detail.
Why can I check out only five titles a month from Hoopla? The library where I moved from allowed a lot more. Also, why am I no longer seeing titles that were previously on Hoopla?
• As mentioned earlier, every time a Hoopla title is checked out, the library is billed.
• The "cost-per-circ" pricing varies for each title, and those prices are set by the publishers.
• As usage of Hoopla has boomed, the monthly bill for HMCPL kept going up.
• The cost of one checkout of one title can vary from 99¢—$3.99, depending on the publisher.
• By September 2024, HMCPL was paying $50,000 each month for Hoopla usage, which was unsustainable.
• To keep the service, we were able to leave the checkout limit at 5 titles per month, but the price cap on titles offered was lowered to $2.49 for audiobooks and $2.89 for ebooks.
I have lots of ebooks that I have purchased and read once, and I would like to pass them on. Can I donate my ebooks or audiobooks to the library?
• We are very appreciative of such a generous gesture, but unfortunately, we cannot accept ebook or audiobook donations.
• This response from the American Library Association explains why:
"Ebooks cannot be donated because their use is governed by contract rather than the copyright law…With ebooks, the contract defines what you can or cannot do with a work. In general, contracts for ebooks you acquire – from iBooks, for example –have a non-negotiable license linked to the work. This is when you click on an "I agree to these terms" button. You are bound by the contract. If you read the contract, generally, you will see terms that restrict what you can do. "Non-commercial personal use only" is the kind of language that prevents you from donating. If you violate the contract terms, you violate the license agreement, not copyright law. Sometimes the contract is enforced by digital rights management that prevents you from transferring the ebook file to another person or library."
• See also: Amazon Makes It Clear That Kindle Books Are Licensed and Not Owned.
How can I help with digital library funding?
• Consider a one-time or recurring donation to the Huntsville-Madison County Library Foundation!
• The HMCLF is the fundraising arm of the HMCPL and works tirelessly year-round to advocate for and raise funds for HMCPL's digital collection as well as other vital services.
• Contact your local representatives: Let city and county officials know that digital library services are essential to our community. Increased funding can help expand our ebook and audiobook offerings.
• You can also help by sharing this blog post and the information you have learned. So many people love our digital services but are unaware of the costs of sustaining them.
• Additionally, you can learn more from the following library digital advocacy groups and resources: