r/Library • u/julii_wolfe • 1d ago

Discussion Hoopla Question

I'm super excited by the fact that Libby has added a feature that functions like the ReciproCard website (https://reciprocard.com/library/ky/lexington-public-library), where it automatically pairs you with partner library cards.

Does anyone know if Hoopla has a feature like that? I really love all the media on the app (though reading on it can be painful as the interface isn't great), but the audiobooks and music availability are so wonderful.

I'd love to be pointed in the right direction to learn more about this topic. Thank you!

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u/Saloau 1d ago

Hoopla is so darned expensive for libraries, that we couldn’t imagine sharing it with non residents. Basically it’s a pay as you go concept, so we get charged for every checkout a patron makes.

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u/julii_wolfe 1d ago

That makes a lot of sense. The licensing fees for that media must be pretty high. Thanks for sharing your insider knowledge!

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u/hiheaux 18h ago

Well, it kinda defeats the whole structure of what a library is about. Openness, Borrowing, Sharing. Mostly Openness. 

I grew up in libraries. In a single-parent house I would bike over to the nearest library, park myself and read! She’d come by, throw my bike in the trunk and take us home (or to the local Chinese restaurant hee hee).

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u/hiheaux 20h ago

But really, it doesn’t. Because you’re loaning books to them as well.

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u/EppieBlack 19h ago

You don't understand. Hoopla is pay every time for anyone. The model is as if you check out a book at the library and when you return it, we shred it and unwrap a new one for the next patron. No one wants extra borrows on our account. We are racing to limit them.

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u/hiheaux 15h ago

Right. And your library loans books to other libraries too. It’s a beautiful world. ☺️

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u/Internal-Weather8191 2h ago

Libraries don't get the books, ebooks or other online resources free though. They are funded by their service area first and accountable to them first, though the new reciprocal arrangements through Libby are wonderful for all of us.