Orem library panel presses for a digital strategy as e‑collections surge and vendor costs rise

Orem — Library digital services staff told the advisory commission that digital checkouts and streaming now represent a substantial portion of circulation and that rising vendor costs and shifting pricing models require a formal strategy and public input. Julie, the library’s digital‑services staff member, told commissioners that digital platforms include databases, downloadable ebooks and audiobooks (OverDrive/Libby), and streaming services such as Hoopla and Kanopy, and that those services have different pricing models: flat annual platform fees, leased titles for limited terms, single‑copy purchases, or pay‑per‑use models. She illustrated the cost challenge by noting a recent lease price for a popular title: the ebook lease for a 24‑month term was about $70 and the audiobook lease was about $113. Julie said the library’s catalog and discovery tools (NoveList/Novelist Select) and the Beehive Library Consortium — administered through the Utah State Library with IMLS support — let Orem leverage purchasing scale but also create complexity about whose patrons get priority and how consortium funds are allocated. She noted the consortium’s total item pool at about 442,110 items and said Orem’s local Advantage collection is about 17,000 titles. The library’s current e‑resources and digital platforms budget includes vendor fees and consortium obligations; Julie cited roughly $91,000 for OverDrive/Libby access (including the consortium contribution) and about $41,000 for other database-like services. Bryce told commissioners the financial stakes are large: “If we were to do all of our spend in pay per use, we would be bankrupt,” and staff estimated that unfettered per‑use streaming could cost the library tens of thousands per month. Staff described a variety of vendor tools they already use to control spending: per‑account ticket limits on Kanopy (14 tickets per card by default), price caps on Hoopla (staff set a $1.99 cap vs. vendors’ higher list prices), and the ability to suppress certain content tiers from discovery to reduce spending. Usage and budget context presented to the commission: the library reported about 462,000 annual digital checkouts for Orem patrons and monthly ebook/audiobook checkouts in the range of 32,000–41,000; the consortium as a whole surpassed 7 million checkouts last year. For physical collections, staff reported 92,230 children’s items with a current annual children’s materials budget of $115,000; staff reminded the commission that collection budgets and circulation patterns are not directly interchangeable because physical items are durable and digital purchases often represent short‑term leases or per‑use costs. Commission members asked operational questions — how ticket limits were set, whether federal IMLS funding reductions would affect state support, and whether other vendors could replace OverDrive. Staff said Kanopy’s 14‑ticket recommendation was vendor guidance for a library of Orem’s size but can be adjusted; the state did absorb roughly a $2 million federal cut in the current year but had reserves and planned to maintain service levels for now; and staff warned that moving away from OverDrive without statewide coordination would lose scale and likely harm access. Bryce and Julie asked the commission for direction on several fronts: whether the library should invest additional local dollars into the consortium pool or prioritize on‑demand, pay‑per‑use services; whether to commission a patron survey to better understand habits and willingness to pay; and whether commissioners supported efforts to level consortium access across libraries and reduce nonresident or multi‑card advantage. Staff also flagged equity concerns if the library adopted “pay to play” options that could benefit users who can afford premium access while leaving low‑income patrons with longer waits. The commission did not take a binding funding vote at the meeting; staff said they will return with a more concrete proposal after further data gathering and consultation with the Utah State Library.