Tom, the library director, told the board the county approved an agreement with Sheboygan County that will require county reimbursement for digital-resource use by communities that do not operate a local library, with implementation expected to begin in 2027. "They will start paying the use of digital resources for libraries that don't, for communities that don't have a library," Tom said, adding that the arrangement will take time to work out and relies on an "elaborate formula."

Why it matters: the change could restore access to digital content for residents who lost it when their municipalities did not pay for subscriptions. Tom said that earlier in the year the library had to cut off digital-resource access to some nearby communities because those communities were not paying for the content; county reimbursement will be treated "just like books."

Costs and vendor concerns: Tom highlighted heavy usage and rising costs for some digital vendors, in particular the Hoopla platform. "You can see the cost and the use, and it's still heavy usage of digital books," he said. He told the board Monarch (the regional library system) is negotiating with vendors and exploring adjustable usage limits; Monarch directors also agreed to add at least $100,000 systemwide toward the digital collection.

Tom said the library will continue offering Hoopla while watching costs and system-level changes. He cautioned that a system "Advantage" program intended to expand access can be difficult for users to navigate and recommended the library monitor how that program performs before making a local investment.

Next steps: the board did not take formal action on a local policy change at this meeting; Tom said the county-level agreement will take time to implement and the library will continue to report back on system decisions and costs.