If you are an avid hoopla user, you might have experienced some difficulties in the past few months. Attempting to check something out has probably resulted in the following message:
Many of you have called the library with questions about your account. Be assured that there is nothing wrong with your account if you are getting this message. It is definitely a hoopla specific issue and is affecting all patrons.
The problem arises from the hoopla lending mode which is basically a pay-per-view model for borrowing materials. The library pays a specific amount each time an item is checked out. While hoopla’s pay-per-use model is appealing, it becomes more expensive as more patrons utilize the service. Users of LCO’s digital services have increased 70% since the library became public in 2024.
As more people use hoopla, the costs have quickly escalated, exceeding the library’s allocated budget, which forced us to place a cap on the monthly costs. Like all of you, Library Center of the Ozarks operates on a budget. The amount budgeted for hoopla each month is $3,000. Hoopla takes that amount and divides it by the number of days in a month and that is how much budgeted for each day. For instance, November has 30 days, so the daily budget is $100.00. Once that budget limit is reached no more checkouts can occur that day.
You may think that $100 a day is a lot of money. So why are we running out before noon each day?
The majority of our Hoopla checkouts are adult audiobooks and those are the most expensive items on Hoopla. The average cost for adult audiobooks is $2.78 each, which means we’re hitting our budgeted limit after 35 checkouts.
What can you do?
If you are a dedicated Hoopla user and don’t want to switch to another platform you need to check out materials very early in the day. The reset happens at midnight each day and we generally run out of funds by noon. So, the early bird truly does get the worm as far as hoopla is concerned.
We also recommend you check out the Libby platform.
Libby has a different lending model, similar to physical items at the library; you can check out items that are “in” immediately, and if the item is “out”, you can place it on hold (up to 15 at a time) and be notified when it’s available. Unlike hoopla, you are not limited to only 3 checkouts per month, and we do not reach budget caps like hoopla.
If you’d like help accessing Libby, please use our new service, Book-a-Librarian, to help set up an account. This service is free to cardholders. Visit the website (LCOzarks.com) or call the library (417-334-141) to schedule one-on-one time with a librarian.
You are also encouraged to check the library catalog for books you’re interested in reading. We often have shorter waits (or none at all) on books that may have long holds on Libby. While this requires a trip to the Library, our library staff will pull any items that you place on hold so you can check them out as quickly as possible.
Hoopla and Libby are just two of the many services provided by the library. The amount of money spent on digital titles has increased to meet demand. As the demand continues to rise, so will the costs.
Due to the e-Book business model and high cost of digital material, it can be challenging to keep up with the demand. LCO strives to maintain a balanced collection (which includes the format of all materials), meet patrons requests, and be responsible financial stewards of the taxpayer’s money. Thank you for your patience and understanding!