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Port Washington library limits Hoopla access as subscription costs climb
Summary
Library director told the Port Washington Library Board that the digital media service Hoopla costs about $1,200 per month and the library is limiting access to three titles per month for Port Washington cardholders while it evaluates longer-term options.
At a Port Washington Library Board meeting, the library director announced changes to the library’s Hoopla digital-content access after reviewing monthly bills and systemwide practices. The director said the Hoopla account costs roughly $1,200 per month and that the library will limit Hoopla loans to three titles per month and restrict access to cardholders from the City of Port Washington.
The director said the library will use remaining ARPA funds to cover Hoopla for the rest of the year but that continuing the service in 2026 will depend on decisions at the city finance committee and on systemwide negotiations. “We gotta change some things,” the director said, describing the urgency after reviewing the monthly billing. The director added, “No. It's monthly. So roughly the bill is about $1,200 a month.”
The director and board discussed the Monarch Library System’s Advantage program as one potential mitigation. Under a compensation model being discussed, the system could share revenue when non–Port Washington patrons use the library’s digital resources; the director said the system would pay roughly $5.50 when a non-library-community patron checks out a paid digital title, similar to how a physical interlibrary loan might be accounted for.
Board members heard that many libraries across the state are reducing or dropping Hoopla because of cost, and that the state budget provided no new funding for digital resources. The director said library directors are pursuing system-level solutions and that additional system money may be used on the Advantage program to broaden access to popular titles for members of the Monarch Library System.
The director said the library has received calls from patrons in neighboring communities who could no longer access Hoopla and that, when explained, those callers generally understood the access limits because they are not Port Washington cardholders. The director said the library will revisit the subscription early next year, after the director presents the library’s budget to the city’s finance committee.
The board did not take a formal vote on Hoopla during the meeting. The director said she had not yet negotiated new terms with Hoopla and that other libraries have not been successful in securing lower prices.
