Hoopla is a digital service that allows library cardholders to borrow eBooks, audiobooks, comics, movies, television shows, and music with phones, tablets or computers instantly. Unlike many of our other digital resources, Hoopla charges the library each time an item is borrowed, meaning every checkout has a direct impact on the library’s budget.
Over the past nine years, Hoopla has ballooned in popularity. In 2017, 259 users borrowed items. In 2025, 1,089 users borrowed items. We are thrilled that so many patrons have discovered and embraced the convenience of borrowing materials anytime, anywhere.
Unfortunately, that growing popularity has also been accompanied by an increase in low-quality, AI-generated “mockbuster” titles and other content that closely imitates popular books and media (see an example below from the Hoopla collection). These materials can be difficult to distinguish from legitimate works and have contributed to increased borrowing costs without providing the level of quality our community expects from its library collection.
As Hoopla usage has continued to grow, the pay-per-borrow model has become financially unsustainable at current levels. To ensure that we can continue providing a wide range of high-quality library collections while remaining responsible stewards of public funding, the library is making a necessary adjustment to how Hoopla is offered.
Beginning on August 1, the library will be defining the budget available each month to cover Hoopla borrowing costs. There is no limit set currently so this will change messaging for users of this service. We will also continue to evaluate our collection settings and borrowing limits to help prioritize high-quality materials while maintaining broad access to digital content.
The funds saved through these changes will be redirected toward library collections that benefit our entire community, including reducing holds wait times on resources in the shared digital collection, Libby. By reallocating these resources, we can invest in additional digital resources, and support other services that receive consistent, widespread use and that are more sustainable long-term.
For patrons, this means Hoopla will remain available, but with updated funding limits designed to help the service remain viable for everyone. We encourage you to make thoughtful borrowing decisions and select titles you genuinely plan to enjoy. Because every Hoopla checkout represents a direct cost to the library, we ask that you borrow only the items you can realistically read, watch, or listen to. Thoughtful borrowing helps stretch library dollars and ensures the service can continue serving as many patrons as possible.
Starting in August, Hoopla users may see the following message when attempting to borrow an item:
The collective daily borrow limit set by your library has been reached and will reset at midnight. Please browse and add titles to favorites so you can easily access them after midnight.
Users will receive this message when the library’s Daily Lending Budget Limit has been expended. According to Hoopla, The daily lending budget is something your library put in place in order to control their spending and budgetary needs. When a patron borrows a title their library is charged X amount for the title, once the library lends enough titles out to reach their spending limit, borrowing is turned off for the rest of the day for all patrons even if that patron has not borrowed today. The limit resets after midnight each day.
We remain committed to monitoring Hoopla usage, evaluating community needs, and adjusting our approach as necessary. Our goal is to provide the best possible balance between convenient digital access and responsible management of taxpayer and donor resources.
We welcome your feedback. If you have comments, questions, or concerns about these changes, please contact the library. Your input helps us make informed decisions that best serve our community.