Morgantown Public Library reports rising digital use, starts facilities study and pilots Hoopla limits
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Summary
Library staff told the City Council Committee of the Whole that digital checkouts now outpace physical loans, summer and systemwide programs are growing, a facilities feasibility study begins in March and the library will pilot limiting Hoopla content above $2.99 to control costs.
Sarah Palpreet, presenting the annual update from the Morgantown Public Library system, told the City Council’s Committee of the Whole on Feb. 25 that digital borrowing has outpaced physical circulation and program attendance remains strong across the county.
Palpreet said the library system’s combined municipal and county funding makes up about 65% of its budget and thanked the county for approving a 2024 library levy that will take effect July 1, 2025. She highlighted systemwide programs — including Reading Dragons (season 2 with 427 registrants), StoryFest (estimated 800 attendees last year) and a Big Family Book Club — and noted 650 programs drew more than 11,000 attendees in fiscal 2024.
Palpreet described several staff and outreach highlights, including Ryan Faber of the Cheat branch being accepted into an American Library Association program and the library’s partnership with WVU’s Center for Disabilities and Excellence for de-escalation and accessibility training. She said children’s circulation has held steady while adult physical circulation has declined as digital borrows rapidly increase.
On operations and costs, Palpreet said the library is launching a new email/marketing system to better reach both in-person and digital cardholders and will complete an RFP-driven facilities study of all six branches. The consultant team will begin on-site visits in March, with a final deliverable expected in July or early August, Palpreet said.
She also described a planned change to the library’s Hoopla digital service: beginning at the end of February the library will hide items on the platform priced at $2.99 and above so the library can control monthly expenditures while preserving broad access to content. The change is a pilot for several months, Palpreet said; items already checked out would not be affected.
Palpreet answered questions about “library of things” lending (board games, themed kits, birding backpacks) and said branches already lend a variety of items and the system is reviewing public survey results to guide expansion. She said a website redesign is planned and expected in the fall.
The presentation closed with an invitation to councilors to attend upcoming events and a reminder that library statistics are reported to the state and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.