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DCPL warns of ebook licensing pressure as loan wait times stretch weeks
Summary
DCPL told the committee that ebook and eaudiobook wait times averaged roughly 46 days in FY25 and that licensing costs plus a fall in print acquisitions contributed to a circulation dip; Polaris migration also disrupted historical circulation data.
DC Public Library reported that its migration to a new catalog vendor (Polaris) and frozen carryover collection funds contributed to a decline in overall physical circulation in FY25, while demand for electronic materials continued to rise. Director Reyes Gavilan told the committee that "the average wait time for e books was 46 days in FY25," noting the high licensing costs and that DCPL has shifted more of its collections budget toward print in the short term because print purchases typically offer permanent ownership.
London Gillespie, DCPL's director of collections, said the agency front‑loads much of its electronic resource purchases early in the fiscal year and that current e‑book wait averages reflect annual budgeting constraints: if the front‑loaded purchases exhaust the fiscal allocation, wait times lengthen later in the year. The testimony underscored the tension between resident demand for digital titles and recurring budget limits that constrain license renewals and additions.
