Escondido trustees hear March changes to digital lending; board to review impact next meeting

Library staff reported to the Board of Trustees that, effective March 3, the library tightened access to its digital-lending platform by requiring users to present a full Escondido library card number and placing the service under a monthly budget cap. Staff said the changes were intended to ensure downloads are directed to Escondido residents, people who work or study in Escondido, and other eligible local patrons.

The policy changes and immediate effects

A staff presenter told trustees that since March 3 only patrons with full Escondido public library cards can use the service and that library cards must be in good standing (staff described a local standard of fees below a ceiling). Staff said an exception process exists: users who present proof (digital or printed) of identity and local eligibility — for example a photo ID plus a pay stub or school registration — may receive access.

Staff said the library implemented a monthly budget cap of roughly $1,300 for the platform. The result has been a sharp reduction in monthly downloads compared with earlier months: staff reported recent monthly downloads of about 600 since the cap, compared with between 2,000 and 3,000 downloads per month when the budget cap was not in place. Staff also reported that daily download activity has shifted later in the morning (staff described a download-window change from around midnight to 8–9 a.m.).

Trustees discussed options: reduce borrows per patron, change per-item caps

Staff presented options to stretch the budget and increase unique borrowers: lowering per-patron monthly borrows from three to two, and lowering a cost threshold for visible catalog items (from $2.99 to $2.84 per item) to hide higher-cost items. Staff told trustees that the $2.84 threshold is the next common pricing tier recommended by vendor representatives and could be implemented quickly if trustees direct it.

On timing and implementation, a staff presenter said: "The reduction from $2.99 to $2.84 can happen basically overnight," and that a change from three borrows to two is similarly quick to enact.

Costs, usage and alternatives discussed

Staff said the library previously spent much more on the platform (they cited prior monthly spend near $6,000 before the cap) and that Hoopla-like services cost the library roughly $15,000 in the prior period under discussion. Staff also explained that popular new releases or highly requested series often have higher per-item costs; those titles frequently remain available to patrons through other platforms the library participates in, such as Libby/OverDrive and the Palace Project.

Board direction and next steps

Trustees discussed testing further limits to gather more data before making long-term changes. The board gave direction by consensus to continue under the current March settings and asked staff to return with updated usage data at the next meeting. Several trustees recommended running a short experiment (for example starting in April) to see the effect of reducing borrows to two and lowering the per-item threshold to $2.84, but trustees also noted that changes during a partial month can complicate analysis and some recommended testing for a full month.

A staff presenter emphasized the ability to revert changes quickly: implementation of most of the options discussed can be done overnight if the board directs it.

Ending

Trustees asked staff to bring further monthly data, and staff said they will return with a fuller data set at the next meeting so trustees can decide whether to adopt any of the proposed permanent limits.