Board weighs request to allow non‑resident business owners full digital access; staff cites cost concerns for Hoopla

Board members discussed whether to allow non‑Duchesne residents who own Duchesne businesses to obtain full library accounts. The request, raised by an individual business owner, prompted staff to examine what additional digital resources a new account would provide and the fiscal implications for the library.

Staff told the board that the principal incremental benefit for non‑resident business account holders would be access to Mango Languages and certain EBSCO databases, resources the Duchesne system already subscribes to and which would not materially increase recurring costs. By contrast, staff said the Hoopla streaming platform charges the library per checkout and represented a substantial and growing expense: staff reported the library spent about $17,000 on Hoopla checkouts by local patrons in the prior year and expected the total to rise.

Board members said opening accounts to additional users could increase Hoopla usage or require reducing per‑patron allotments; staff described internal policy changes already used to limit costs in Libby (OverDrive), such as not purchasing titles unless demand meets an internal threshold of multiple holds. Given the uncertainty about how many non‑resident business owners would apply and the per‑checkout cost model of Hoopla, board members said a systemwide change to allow guaranteed Hoopla access for non‑residents would be inequitable without offsetting revenue.

Ending: The board did not approve a policy change at the meeting; members asked staff to track usage and costs and to report back if demand from businesses increases.