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Library director reports steady e-content use, rising Wi‑Fi use and Hoopla costs
Summary
The library director reported stable e-book use at 35–37% of checkouts, rising wireless usage at the Redlands location, an open-house visitor spike and breakdowns of e-content platform costs including a $6,000 annual Hoopla contract.
The Palestine Library director presented November and December usage reports showing e-content remains a major portion of circulation and that wireless usage at the Redlands location has increased.
Staff said e-books and audio now account for about 35 to 37 percent of all checkouts, a number that has held steady. Wireless use at the Carnegie/Redlands location rose in November and reached one of the highest monthly levels observed since relocating; staff described patrons using Wi‑Fi both inside and outside the building. The library reported roughly 89 visitors during an open-house morning (9 a.m.–1 p.m.) tied to downtown activity and another local event.
On collection activity, the director said December additions and deletions reflected post-move culling: 64 items were added and 24 deleted in the December report. Staff said some children’s collection deselection during the move will cause higher numbers in later months as the collection is rebalanced.
The director outlined use and cost data for e-content platforms for calendar 2024. Key points provided in the meeting: - Total e-content checkouts reported: 33,242 for 2024 (platforms combined). - Hoopla is an on-demand platform with the library paying per checkout; staff reported a per-checkout average of about $1.48 and an annual cost to the library of approximately $6,000. Hoopla also enforces a per-patron limit (five checkouts per month for patrons) and the library uses a per-checkout cap to manage costs. - CloudLibrary is a newer platform for the library; staff reported a contract commitment amount roughly $5,000 (reported as 10% of a budget figure) and said CloudLibrary searches across the state cloud, not just the local consortium. - Libby (through the Northeast Texas Library Consortium) has a different selection and holds model; availability can require waits on popular titles. - Boundless, the state app, was described as free to the library but offering a smaller selection.
Staff attributed higher adult-program attendance in November and December to passive programming ("take-and-make" craft kits), daily game days during Thanksgiving week and an open house. The director also noted planned program changes: moving the book discussion group to a noon "brown-bag" meeting on the fourth Thursday and adjusting teen programming (reducing Dungeons & Dragons frequency and introducing monthly open art nights and printmaking projects).
The board asked clarifying questions about platform selection, checkout limits and the source of the Hoopla per-checkout charges; staff answered that Hoopla is on-demand and the highest per-checkout cost can reach $3.99 for some items but averages stated were lower. The information was presented for board awareness and ongoing budget planning.
