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APL staff outline complex e-resource purchasing models, warn of rising digital costs
Summary
Library staff briefed trustees on digital-content purchasing models — including Kanopy, Hoopla and Libby/OverDrive — and explained how different pricing models, publisher pricing and statewide cooperative purchases affect access, wait lists and costs.
Library staff presented a detailed overview of electronic resources and purchasing models at the Aug. 19 board meeting, describing the range of platforms (Kanopy, Hoopla, Libby/OverDrive), how publishers and distributors set prices, and how libraries and consortia manage costs.
Why it matters: Staff said digital access is not ownership and that pricing varies widely by platform, title age and publisher terms. Sudden spikes in usage or changes in publisher pricing can sharply increase monthly invoices, straining library materials budgets.
Key points from the presentation
- Three broad categories: research databases (BadgerLink, EBSCO, New York Times), online learning platforms (Mango Languages, Gale Courses) and electronic resource collections (ebooks, e-audiobooks, streaming media and digital magazines). All access is licensed, not owned.
- Platforms and models: - Kanopy (video streaming via OverDrive/Kanopy): patrons have a monthly ticket allotment (24 tickets in the current arrangement); newer titles cost more tickets; Appleton participates in a discounted statewide arrangement that reduces per-ticket cost. - Hoopla: pay-per-use model with a per-click price set by publishers; the library limited access to titles costing $1.99 or less per borrow after invoices spiked in 2023. Hoopla borrows were capped (library set 7 borrows per patron per month). - Libby/OverDrive/WPLC (Wisconsin Public Library Consortium): holds queues and a mix of acquisition models (one-copy/one-user, metered access by time or checkouts, cost-per-use) determine wait times; the statewide consortium and local advantage purchases can shorten hold queues for local patrons.
- Cost-control approaches: Libraries can limit access or cap per-user borrows, make “advantage” purchases for local patrons, and participate in statewide cooperative buys to reduce wait times. Staff noted purchases such as metered access or cost-per-use may be appropriate for some titles but can make forecasting unpredictable.
- Examples: Staff used specific recent titles to illustrate cost trade-offs — where one-copy pricing, metered options and cost-per-use all produced different price and access outcomes — and said publishers/distributors (and not libraries) ultimately set many price points.
- Impact on budget: Overuse of high-priced digital titles previously produced invoices in the $12,000–$14,000 monthly range for Hoopla in 2023; implementing caps and selecting lower per-click thresholds reduced invoices to roughly one-third of that level for recent months.
Action taken: The briefing was informational; trustees asked questions about usage trends and procurement tools. Staff said the materials budget has been restored to preconstruction levels, giving the library more flexibility to pursue strategies such as targeted advantage purchases to reduce hold waits.
Next steps: Staff will continue to monitor usage, use cooperative purchasing and consider other measures to manage costs while trying to reduce hold waiting lists for popular titles.
