Public library hold lists & Hoopla for audiobooks

[Anonymous]

P.S. Audible is $14.95/month and you get a credit for one book each month. If you haven't signed up before, you might be able to get a trial deal for your first few months. I just came off a deal of $0.99/mo. to try it for 3 months, and I canceled it after the 3rd month.

[Anonymous]

Librarian here.

Hoopla is crazy expensive because it’s a pay-per-use model. So the library pays every time you check out a book. This was somewhat manageable for library budgets when e-books (and audio) were newer and less popular, but has become unsustainable. Many libraries across the country are dropping Hoopla.

For Libby, I do what people here have already recommended:

1) I have multiple cards and place the max holds on each.

2) When I have no holds in, I just search what’s available and listen to something random.

This works for me because I’m not in a rush to read any particular thing and go through 3+ audiobooks a week.

[Anonymous]

We use Hoopla a lot. I got my three kids their own library cards (they are little) and we just switch between the four accounts during the month.

[Anonymous]

I've done a bit of a time shift. I look for the best reviews books of 2019 or 2020 and can get them straight away. File away current reviews on your wishlist list and read them in a year or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can get a library card with multiple jurisdictions, all of them utilize Libby, so it exponentially expands the quantity of copies available for holds and check-outs.

MoCo - has their own collection
Maryland's Digital Library - does not include MoCo, so you will need a card from Frederick, Howard, Anne Arundel counties
Prince George - has their own collection
DC - has their own collection
Fairfax - has their own collection
Arlington
Alexandria

Also search by genre, audiobook, available now. I can find books that are highly rated, but just past their huge hold stage that way.

Thank you for the summary!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Audiobooks are outrageously expensive for libraries. Once they purchase the license, it is only good for a certain amount of time and then they have to pay again to renew it. It's terrible. That's why libraries don't have dozens of copies available. I usually try to load up my holds list and then I always have something available.

If you have Spotify premium you get 15 hours of audiobooks per month (but it's 15 hours based on listening at regular speed. I often listen at 2.0 speed so I'm only listening for 7.5 hours, but it still counts as 15 hours.

Thanks! I have Spotify and didn’t know this.

[Anonymous]

Yes, Montgomery county until recently was a little stingy with other maryland counties and even with people who had a second address - lots of counties let you have a digital card if you live in Maryland. The wait lists can be long too. But I have gotten used to using libby and searching for available now...I can always find something to listen to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Librarian here.

Hoopla is crazy expensive because it’s a pay-per-use model. So the library pays every time you check out a book. This was somewhat manageable for library budgets when e-books (and audio) were newer and less popular, but has become unsustainable. Many libraries across the country are dropping Hoopla.

For Libby, I do what people here have already recommended:

1) I have multiple cards and place the max holds on each.

2) When I have no holds in, I just search what’s available and listen to something random.

This works for me because I’m not in a rush to read any particular thing and go through 3+ audiobooks a week.

Thank you for your informative comments. I’ve really enjoyed having access through Hoopla. Going forward I’ll try to be more careful about checking out books — to minimize fees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've gotten into audiobooks in the past few years. I usually get them from the Montgomery County library or Hoopla. But MCPL just switched our Hoopla book limit to 5 per month (which I hit after about 2 weeks) and the hold list for audiobooks at the county is insane. Like I'm #733 on one list, #256 on another and so on. I honestly think that the 10 hold limit is too high because we can all go on there as soon as a book is coming out and get in line, times 10.[b] Waiting 26 weeks for a book is ridiculous. Even the librarians' list of recommended audiobooks is full of books with long wait lists! (There are about 4 books on that list that can be checked out now, but at least 3 of them are part of a series and are not book 1 in that series.)

Do other libraries in this area have a lower hold allowance? What do they allow on Hoopla?

If anyone can tell me how Audible works out in terms of the cost per book, I might consider signing up. I'm interested in any other sources for borrowing audiobooks. I read them on my long commute and while I do mundane chores, so I burn through them pretty quickly.

Listen to older books. Focus less on new releases.

[Anonymous]

I wish Hoopla had the sample feature like Libby so I can decide if it’s something I really want to read of listen to before borrowing it.

I was surprised when Hoopla for Montgomery County libraries recently cut the number of monthly borrows in half. I didn’t realize the library was paying for each time something was borrowed. I thought maybe the library systems paid a flat monthly fee since it everything they have is immediately available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish Hoopla had the sample feature like Libby so I can decide if it’s something I really want to read of listen to before borrowing it.

I was surprised when Hoopla for Montgomery County libraries recently cut the number of monthly borrows in half. I didn’t realize the library was paying for each time something was borrowed. I thought maybe the library systems paid a flat monthly fee since it everything they have is immediately available.

Librarian here again. Copying e-books is essentially free and instantaneous, so publishers have created assorted strategies for making money.

OverDrive (the company that provides Libby) is mainly a flat fee, with a one-user-per-copy limit - basically treating e-books like print. That’s why you have to put things on hold and wait for copies. There are also some other limits, like books that need to be repurchased after a certain amount of time or certain number of checkouts, but mostly it’s easy for libraries to set an annual budget for OverDrive.

Hoopla charges per checkout. Each item can be simultaneously checked out by many users, so you don’t have to wait. To make it predictable for budgeting purposes, libraries can restrict some combination of monthly use per person and total expenditure per month. Libraries that do the latter can blow through their budget on the first day of the month, which is obviously not great for patrons.

[Anonymous]

Question for the Librarian ~ does the library not see any value at all in books on CD? I still use these.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for the Librarian ~ does the library not see any value at all in books on CD? I still use these.

Depends on the library system. Books on CD are really expensive, tend to scratch easily, and are decreasing in popularity as CD players are harder to find. At the same time, downloadables are increasing in popularity.

My system is keeping the existing CD audiobook collection but not adding new titles. At some point, I’m sure we’ll eliminate them entirely. Other systems may make different choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish Hoopla had the sample feature like Libby so I can decide if it’s something I really want to read of listen to before borrowing it.

I was surprised when Hoopla for Montgomery County libraries recently cut the number of monthly borrows in half. I didn’t realize the library was paying for each time something was borrowed. I thought maybe the library systems paid a flat monthly fee since it everything they have is immediately available.

Librarian here again. Copying e-books is essentially free and instantaneous, so publishers have created assorted strategies for making money.

OverDrive (the company that provides Libby) is mainly a flat fee, with a one-user-per-copy limit - basically treating e-books like print. That’s why you have to put things on hold and wait for copies. There are also some other limits, like books that need to be repurchased after a certain amount of time or certain number of checkouts, but mostly it’s easy for libraries to set an annual budget for OverDrive.

Hoopla charges per checkout. Each item can be simultaneously checked out by many users, so you don’t have to wait. To make it predictable for budgeting purposes, libraries can restrict some combination of monthly use per person and total expenditure per month. Libraries that do the latter can blow through their budget on the first day of the month, which is obviously not great for patrons.

How much is the charge to the library per checkout?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish Hoopla had the sample feature like Libby so I can decide if it’s something I really want to read of listen to before borrowing it.

I was surprised when Hoopla for Montgomery County libraries recently cut the number of monthly borrows in half. I didn’t realize the library was paying for each time something was borrowed. I thought maybe the library systems paid a flat monthly fee since it everything they have is immediately available.

Librarian here again. Copying e-books is essentially free and instantaneous, so publishers have created assorted strategies for making money.

OverDrive (the company that provides Libby) is mainly a flat fee, with a one-user-per-copy limit - basically treating e-books like print. That’s why you have to put things on hold and wait for copies. There are also some other limits, like books that need to be repurchased after a certain amount of time or certain number of checkouts, but mostly it’s easy for libraries to set an annual budget for OverDrive.

Hoopla charges per checkout. Each item can be simultaneously checked out by many users, so you don’t have to wait. To make it predictable for budgeting purposes, libraries can restrict some combination of monthly use per person and total expenditure per month. Libraries that do the latter can blow through their budget on the first day of the month, which is obviously not great for patrons.

How much is the charge to the library per checkout?

Depends on the item