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Trustees vote to drop Hoopla; board to consider joining systemwide OverDrive collection
Summary
The Franklin board voted to stop library's Hoopla service and signaled interest in a system-managed OverDrive expansion that would add a "lucky day" pool; trustees will review formal terms next month.
The Franklin Public Library board voted Sept. 22 to discontinue Hoopla as a library subscription and said it would take up a systemwide OverDrive purchase at a later meeting.
Trustees discussed options for digital collections and heard a presentation about a system-managed OverDrive plan that would place about $150,000 of shared purchases into a "lucky day" pool (items with no waiting lists). Jennifer told the board that central selectors tested moving extra copies of popular titles into a lucky-day bucket and "it did make a difference." She said most of the extra funds would be spent on audiobooks and ebooks.
During the discussion trustees noted that Hoopla costs the library about $18,000 annually and that Franklin currently pays about $8,000 of the proposed system's $150,000 budget; Jennifer said Franklin's per-year share could rise if Franklin patrons used OverDrive at higher per-capita rates. The board directed staff to return in October with a formal recommendation and cost details. In the meantime, trustees voted to end Hoopla service; the motion passed and the board carried the action.
Trustees discussed operational details for joining a pooled OverDrive subscription. Jennifer said OverDrive purchases would be managed centrally by selectors from multiple libraries and that each member library would pay a share based on usage and population. Trustees asked about usage caps and whether Franklin could cap its contribution; Jennifer said contributions are determined by the system formula but that the board controls how much the library budgets.
The board did not commit Franklin's OverDrive funds at the Sept. 22 meeting. Trustees approved a motion to drop Hoopla and asked staff to bring a formal OverDrive funding request to the October meeting, including options for capping Franklin's contribution if usage grows.
