Hoopla is limited to 5 books a day for the entire county!

[Rainger99]

I was on the Sumter County Library website and was trying to check a book out on Hoopla which is a digital library - books, videos, etc.

However, when I tried to check a book out, I got the following message.

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.

I called the library to find out what the library's daily borrowing limit is and they told me that it is 5 books for the entire county. Not five books per patron - five for the county!!

According to Wikipedia, the population of the county was 129,752 in 2020. Assuming that 25% of the people have library cards, that would be 32,500 people having access to just five books a day on Hoopla.

[Stu from NYC]

Its 5 books per patron. Been using it for some time now.

5 books for entire county makes no sense at all

[Rainger99]

Its 5 books per patron. Been using it for some time now.

5 books for entire county makes no sense at all

I agree that it doesn't make any sense. But that is what the woman told me. I specifically asked if that was per person or for the entire library and she said it was for the entire library. I hope she is wrong.

See if you can check a book out now.

[fdpaq0580]

I was on the Sumter County Library website and was trying to check a book out on Hoopla which is a digital library - books, videos, etc.

However, I when I tried to check a book out, I got the following message.

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.

I called the library to find out what the library's daily borrowing limit is and they told me that it is 5 books for the entire county. Not five books per patron - five for the county!!

According to Wikipedia, the population of the county was 129,752 in 2020. Assuming that 25% of the people have library cards, that would be 32,500 people having access to just five books a day on Hoopla.

Use it all the time. 5 books for the "county" is incorrect.

[retiredguy123]

As I understand it, each patron can only borrow 5 books per month on Hoopla, not per day.

[Rainger99]

Use it all the time. 5 books for the "county" is incorrect.

See if you can check a book out right now. I checked out one book this month so far and tried to check a second one out an hour ago and was told that the library had reached its daily limit.

[retiredguy123]

There is a 5 books per month per patron limit.

But, there is also a collective daily limit for the county, but it is higher than 5 books.

Personally, I can't read a book before it expires, so I usually just buy the book and download it to my Kindle.

[Rainger99]

But, there is also a collective daily limit for the county, but it is higher than 5 books.

What is the collective daily limit?

I called the library and they told me that it was 5 a day.

[Stu from NYC]

Actually according to my reader it is called Boundless.

I have never seen a reason to take out more than a couple of books at a time but do know for a fact maximum books on reserve is 5.

That is annoying to me as depending upon how far back the books I have on reserve can take months before I get them so often 5 is too little but that is the max.

[Kenswing]

Have you considered Kindle Unlimited? Although it costs a few bucks a month you can borrow up to 20 books at a time and they don’t expire.

[retiredguy123]

What is the collective daily limit?

I called the library and they told me that it was 5 a day.
I don't know. The county would know, but I'm not sure they will tell you.

[retiredguy123]

Actually according to my reader it is called Boundless.

I have never seen a reason to take out more than a couple of books at a time but do know for a fact maximum books on reserve is 5.

That is annoying to me as depending upon how far back the books I have on reserve can take months before I get them so often 5 is too little but that is the max.
Hoopla and Boundless are 2 different apps. I think one is for ebooks and one is for other media. If you download the Sumter County app entitled "library2go" you will have access to both Boundless and Hoopla.

[Stu from NYC]

Hoopla and Boundless are 2 different apps. I think one is for ebooks and one is for other media. If you download the Sumter County app entitled "library2go" you will have access to both Boundless and Hoopla.

I just use Boundless. The contract with that provider only allows users to put 5 books on hold at any time. I have learned that I can take out a book with no waiting time even when having 5 on hold.

[retiredguy123]

Have you considered Kindle Unlimited? Although it costs a few bucks a month you can borrow up to 20 books at a time and they don’t expire.
Kindle Unlimited is great if you read a lot of books and don't care about the new release best sellers. But, I don't think it will give you access to the latest book releases. For example, the latest James Patterson book, "Hard to Kill" is not available on Kindle Unlimited.

[Stu from NYC]

Just got boundless notification that a book I have had on hold can be downloaded. Since I have 2 books right now will wait till weekend to check it out.

[Rainger99]

Hoopla and Boundless are 2 different apps. I think one is for ebooks and one is for other media. If you download the Sumter County app entitled "library2go" you will have access to both Boundless and Hoopla.

Boundless is ebooks and audio books. I don’t think it has videos.

Hoopla has ebooks, videos, and music.

I wish the library had Libby.

[retiredguy123]

Boundless is ebooks and audio books. I don’t think it has videos.

Hoopla has ebooks, videos, and music.

I wish the library had Libby.
Even the Lake County system is phasing out Libby and replacing it with cloudLibrary. Although the Lake County librarian told me that they will still have Libby for another 2 years but the book selection may be limited. The biggest problem with not having Libby is that Libby allows ebooks to be downloaded directly to a Kindle in the Kindle format.

[retiredguy123]

Personally, I think the Sumter County library has become a waste of taxpayer money. The library is operated by a private company, there is no security for the books and DVDs, and the children's section is now used as a daycare place where kids come and play games, but do not read books. I have seen people walk out with 10 or more DVD movies without checking them out, basically stealing them for resale. Why should taxpayers pay for apps where wealthy people can borrow ebooks for free? Why do you need computers to surf the web when almost everyone has a smart phone? And, the Belvedere branch is really only accessible to Villagers who can well afford to buy their own books. Also, there are a lot of independent libraries where you can borrow books for free that don't cost any taxpayer money. In my opinion, they should close the Sumter County library system. End of rant.

[Bogie Shooter]

Personally, I think the Sumter County library has become a waste of taxpayer money. The library is operated by a private company, there is no security for the books and DVDs, and the children's section is now used as a daycare place where kids come and play games, but do not read books. I have seen people walk out with 10 or more DVD movies without checking them out, basically stealing them for resale. Why should taxpayers pay for apps where wealthy people can borrow ebooks for free? Why do you need computers to surf the web when almost everyone has a smart phone? And, the Belvedere branch is really only accessible to Villagers who can well afford to buy their own books. Also, there are a lot of independent libraries where you can borrow books for free that don't cost any taxpayer money. In my opinion, they should close the Sumter County library system. End of rant.

Here’s your opportunity.

The Sumter County Public Library Advisory Board’s (SCPLAB) purpose will be to formulate recommendations to the Library Single Administrative Head (LSAH), County Administrator (CA) and the Sumter County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for improving technology services. SCPLAB Membership shall be comprised of 5 at-large voting members with 2 year terms commencing October 1, 2013 and 1 ex-officio member. The bylaws specify that SCPLAB meetings will take place on the first Thursday of May and November.

Become a Member
If you would like to apply to become a member of one of the County boards or committees, please fill out the online application. For questions please email or call 352-689-4400.

[Stu from NYC]

Personally, I think the Sumter County library has become a waste of taxpayer money. The library is operated by a private company, there is no security for the books and DVDs, and the children's section is now used as a daycare place where kids come and play games, but do not read books. I have seen people walk out with 10 or more DVD movies without checking them out, basically stealing them for resale. Why should taxpayers pay for apps where wealthy people can borrow ebooks for free? Why do you need computers to surf the web when almost everyone has a smart phone? And, the Belvedere branch is really only accessible to Villagers who can well afford to buy their own books. Also, there are a lot of independent libraries where you can borrow books for free that don't cost any taxpayer money. In my opinion, they should close the Sumter County library system. End of rant.

We deal with the Pinellas branch and happy with what they do.

Wish the branch had older books though. Seems like they started their collection just before the branch opened. As a result series that I would like to read can not be started from the beginning. As a result use kindle for that.

Have not noticed any theft.

[retiredguy123]

We deal with the Pinellas branch and happy with what they do.

Wish the branch had older books though. Seems like they started their collection just before the branch opened. As a result series that I would like to read can not be started from the beginning. As a result use kindle for that.

Have not noticed any theft.
The DVDs are in boxes with no locks. So, you can just remove a disc and put it in your pocket. I remember when there was an alarm that would sound if you tried to remove a book or DVD. Now there is no security system whatsoever.

[Stu from NYC]

The DVDs are in boxes with no locks. So, you can just remove a disc and put it in your pocket. I remember when there was an alarm that would sound if you tried to remove a book or DVD. Now there is no security system whatsoever.

Truth of the matter people could walk out with books if they choose just run the risk of an employee seeing it and siccing the cops on them.

Should have better security

[retiredguy123]

Truth of the matter people could walk out with books if they choose just run the risk of an employee seeing it and siccing the cops on them.

Should have better security
They won't call the cops because they don't care. They are not even County employees. Also, Sumter County will provide a free library card to surrounding County residents to use Hoopla and Boundless, but Lake County charges Sumter County residents a fee to get a Lake County library card.

Note that I live in Lake County, but I have a Sumter County library card that was free, even though I pay no Sumter County taxes.

[Rainger99]

Also, Sumter County will provide a free library card to surrounding County residents to use Hoopla and Boundless, but Lake County charges Sumter County residents a fee to get a Lake County library card.

I didn’t know that. I wouldn’t mind it if there were reciprocity between counties but if we have to pay to use their library, we shouldn’t give them free access to our library! No wonder the Hoopla books are maxed out early in the day!

This should be a question for our county commissioners before the election!

[retiredguy123]

I didn’t know that. I wouldn’t mind it if there were reciprocity between counties but if we have to pay to use their library, we shouldn’t give them free access to our library! No wonder the Hoopla books are maxed out early in the day!

This should be a question for our county commissioners before the election!
I agree. There is no logical reason why Sumter County provides free library services to Lake County residents with no reciprocity. It is also a taxpayer ripoff.

[Stu from NYC]

I agree. There is no logical reason why Sumter County provides free library services to Lake County residents with no reciprocity. It is also a taxpayer ripoff.

Wonder why the board of Sumter accepts this?

[Two Bills]

The problems noted on this thread are one of the reasons my wife and I still go to the library, and still check out good old paper books.
We have tried it, but neither of us ever felt right reading a book from a screen. Just love the feel of the book and turning the pages.
We are a pair of old Library Dinosaurs!

[Rainger99]

The problems noted on this thread are one of the reasons my wife and I still go to the library, and still check out good old paper books.
We have tried it, but neither of us ever felt right reading a book from a screen. Just love the feel of the book and turning the pages.
We are a pair of old Library Dinosaurs!

I prefer reading a physical book. Probably because I have been doing it for about 60 years. However, if I can’t get the physical book and the choice comes down to not reading the physical book or reading the digital book, I have no problem going digital.

And I love being able to define a word by clicking on it. No going to a dictionary and looking up the definition with digital books!

I have checked out many physical books that often have mysterious stains, etc. I am always reminded of the Seinfeld episode The Bookstore.

Also, I have hundreds of books on my iPad. Complete works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Doyle, etc., and many other books. Makes it easier to travel with books.

When digital books first came out, I thought it would revolutionize libraries. You could have a digital library and not have to pay for shelf space. Unfortunately, digital books are almost as expensive as physical books.

[Two Bills]

I prefer reading a physical book. Probably because I have been doing it for about 60 years. However, if I can’t get the physical book and the choice comes down to not reading the physical book or reading the digital book, I have no problem going digital.

And I love being able to define a word by clicking on it. No going to a dictionary and looking up the definition with digital books!

I have checked out many physical books that often have mysterious stains, etc. I am always reminded of the Seinfeld episode The Bookstore.

Also, I have hundreds of books on my iPad. Complete works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Doyle, etc., and many other books. Makes it easier to travel with books.

When digital books first came out, I thought it would revolutionize libraries. You could have a digital library and not have to pay for shelf space. Unfortunately, digital books are almost as expensive as physical books.

Many of my friends are into the digital format, but I just cannot get on with it.
My formal education practically stopped from the age of 12 after my father died.
I became the man of the house, the local odd job kid, paperboy, greengrocers help, and bunked off school a lot, just to earn a few bob, and help put food on the table.
Post-war Britain was not the place to be poor, unlike today, when not having the latest iPhone is classed as being near the poverty line.
Our local library became my main source of education, and escape.
I devoured books, and still do.

[Stu from NYC]

I have asked Don Wiley whether this can be changed.

[virtualcynthia]

I would like to see a National digital library. Other states allow any resident of the state to have a library card.
I used to pay an annual fee to the Brooklyn library but they stopped the service. I now pay $38 annually to Broward. Orange County is $125 and there are other states that will lend out of state but it would be so much easier if we had a national library. I wouldn’t have so many apps on my phone and have to search Each library separately.

[ChicagoNative]

This makes no sense to me.

I just borrowed 5 books to test and was able to download all of them. You mean to tell me I’m the only person in Sumter county downloading books today?

Btw, just in the unlikely event that this is true. I returned them all just now.

[golfing eagles]

Libraries still exist?????

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I get to pick one free e-book a month with Amazon First Reads program. Costs me nothing to sign up, and I've been using it since before I started subscribing to Amazon Prime. Each month you can select one book from a list of 5-6 books, each of a different genre. Some months you can select two books, sometimes you can get a book and a free short-story compilation.

[MsPCGenius]

From time to time, I download an audio book. Based on time walking or in the car, it may take 30-60 days before I finish listening to a lengthy book. The first time my D/L expired, I panicked thinking I'd have to "find" the spot where I left off. I was pleasantly surprised to find that upon re-D/L'ing, the bookmark was automatic and the audio knew exactly where I had left off. Nice feature.

[Rainger99]

This makes no sense to me.

I just borrowed 5 books to test and was able to download a of them. You mean to tell me I’m the only person in Sumter county downloading books today?

Btw, just in the in like event that this is true. I returned them all just now.

Please note that returning them does not change the daily borrowing limit. Once they are checked out, that counts against the daily borrowing limit.

I just tried to borrow a book and I got the following message.

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.

Have you tried to borrow a sixth book?

[Pugchief]

Libraries still exist?????

Yes. It is located right next to the Daily Sun distribution center. :1rotfl:

[AZ SLIM]

Hoopla and Boundless are 2 different apps. I think one is for ebooks and one is for other media. If you download the Sumter County app entitled "library2go" you will have access to both Boundless and Hoopla.

I go through 2-3 e-novels a week, both eBooks and audio books. I use Sumter's Boundless and Hoopla platforms. The limits on Hoopla are correct and sometimes frustrating. My observations are that Libby, which I used at a different library, is the best platform, but I have been told that it is the most expensive and Sumpter won't use it. Boundless is the worst (and the cheapest). It's sluggish, doesn't sync well between devices, doesn't track pages or paragraphs well, plus other annoying problems. Hoopla's platform is good but has those limits described by the OP. I have complained both on the Boundless site and to one of the Advisory Committee members. The selection is also frustrating on both sites. I prefer the style and pace of male authors, even in the same genre. The selection of books on both sites seems to be about 80% female authors, and at 74 years old I have read most of the books by the male authors. If you are also frustrated with Sumter's platforms maybe more comments to the Advisory Committee will help us.

[Two Bills]

I prefer the style and pace of male authors, even in the same genre. The selection of books on both sites seems to be about 80% female authors, and at 74 years old I have read most of the books by the male authors. If you are also frustrated with Sumter's platforms maybe more comments to the Advisory Committee will help us.

And the majority of the 80% female writers, write murders!


Be very careful out there. :22yikes:

[Rainger99]

My observations are that Libby, which I used at a different library, is the best platform, but I have been told that it is the most expensive and Sumpter won't use it. Boundless is the worst (and the cheapest).

I have been doing some research on the various apps. I think Libby is cheaper than Hoopla - which is why Hoopla limits the county to 5 books a day. I am still trying to verify that number. For some reason the library seems reluctant to give me that information.

I have looked at their website and I can find nothing on their budget! I would like to know how much is budgeted yearly for hoopla, boundless, etc.

[Deckboat234]

I wish they would offer Libby. Boundless does not work with Kindle paperwhite and Hoopla only works with newer Kindle paperwhite. Libby works with all.

[Rainger99]

I wish they would offer Libby. Boundless does not work with Kindle paperwhite and Hoopla only works with newer Kindle paperwhite. Libby works with all.

Most people agree with you on Libby.

It would be nice if the library or the county commissioners could explain their decisions on what apps they buy and the costs involved.

[Stu from NYC]

Most people agree with you on Libby.

It would be nice if the library or the county commissioners could explain their decisions on what apps they buy and the costs involved.

Asked Don Wiley a question on the library a few days ago and hope he will get back to me with info.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I am not really understanding why this daily limit is a problem. Are you all trying to read five books in a single day? Or even five in a single month? Some books I can easily read in a couple of days. The Harry Potter Books I soared through in two weeks. The entire series. Most books take me at least a couple of weeks each though. A couple - mostly books by Neil Stephenson, can easily take me a few months to get through, because they're very complicated books. Stephen Hawking's "A brief history of time" I had to stop after the first chapter and do a bunch of google searches for specific words to understand. I re-read that chapter a couple of times until the information clicked for me, and that took me a total of two months. Just to get through one chapter of one book. But when you're learning about Quantum Physics for the first time in your life and you don't have a background involving complex mathematics, it's to be expected.

Anyway - if you're not needing to actually read five books a month and just want to line something up for when you finish the one you're on, why not just take out one book, and a second one when you're halfway through the first?

[Stu from NYC]

I am not really understanding why this daily limit is a problem. Are you all trying to read five books in a single day? Or even five in a single month? Some books I can easily read in a couple of days. The Harry Potter Books I soared through in two weeks. The entire series. Most books take me at least a couple of weeks each though. A couple - mostly books by Neil Stephenson, can easily take me a few months to get through, because they're very complicated books. Stephen Hawking's "A brief history of time" I had to stop after the first chapter and do a bunch of google searches for specific words to understand. I re-read that chapter a couple of times until the information clicked for me, and that took me a total of two months. Just to get through one chapter of one book. But when you're learning about Quantum Physics for the first time in your life and you don't have a background involving complex mathematics, it's to be expected.

Anyway - if you're not needing to actually read five books a month and just want to line something up for when you finish the one you're on, why not just take out one book, and a second one when you're halfway through the first?

The problem to me is how many books can be put on reserve. Very often I have to remove books from reserve as I am up to 5 and would prioritize another book over what is on reserve.

Do not understand why we are limited to books on reserve.

[Rainger99]

I am not really understanding why this daily limit is a problem. Are you all trying to read five books in a single day? Or even five in a single month? Some books I can easily read in a couple of days. The Harry Potter Books I soared through in two weeks. The entire series. Most books take me at least a couple of weeks each though. A couple - mostly books by Neil Stephenson, can easily take me a few months to get through, because they're very complicated books. Stephen Hawking's "A brief history of time" I had to stop after the first chapter and do a bunch of google searches for specific words to understand. I re-read that chapter a couple of times until the information clicked for me, and that took me a total of two months. Just to get through one chapter of one book. But when you're learning about Quantum Physics for the first time in your life and you don't have a background involving complex mathematics, it's to be expected.

Anyway - if you're not needing to actually read five books a month and just want to line something up for when you finish the one you're on, why not just take out one book, and a second one when you're halfway through the first?

I am not reading five books a day. I don’t think anyone is.

People are limited to five books a month.

The problem is that the entire county is limited to 5 books a day. So if five people check out one book before 9 am, no one else in the entire county can check out a book or movie on Hoopla that day! That seems like a low amount of books available when there are 5 separate library buildings in the county.

There are more than 100,000 people in the county but those 100,000 people can only check out 5 Hoopla books in a day - which means that 99,995 people cannot use it. That is 5 books - not 500,000.

[KatieRN]

I was on the Sumter County Library website and was trying to check a book out on Hoopla which is a digital library - books, videos, etc.

However, when I tried to check a book out, I got the following message.

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.

I called the library to find out what the library's daily borrowing limit is and they told me that it is 5 books for the entire county. Not five books per patron - five for the county!!

According to Wikipedia, the population of the county was 129,752 in 2020. Assuming that 25% of the people have library cards, that would be 32,500 people having access to just five books a day on Hoopla.

This just happened to me the other day also. I called the library and spoke with a lady about it. She told me that Hoopla only allows a certain number of electronic check outs per library district and that when you get that message it means they have met the limit for the day. She told me it resets at midnight. The next morning I went in and checked out the book with no problem. I know it has nothing to do with limits per person because this is the only time I tried to check out a book electronically so I certainly had not used up any "5 per person or per month" limit.

[retiredguy123]

I am not reading five books a day. I don’t think anyone is.

People are limited to five books a month.

The problem is that the entire county is limited to 5 books a day. So if five people check out one book before 9 am, no one else in the entire county can check out a book or movie on Hoopla! That seems like a low amount of books available when there are 5 separate library buildings in the county.

There are more than 100,000 people in the county but those 100,000 people can only check out 5 Hoopla books in a day. That is 5 books - not 500,000.
Don't forget about the 425,000 people in Lake County. I live in Lake County, but Sumter County gave me a free library card, so I also have access to the Hoopla books.

[Rainger99]

Don't forget about the 425,000 people in Lake County. I live in Lake County, but Sumter County gave me a free library card, so I also have access to the Hoopla books.

No wonder we hit our daily limit earlier and earlier each day!

And I had no idea that Lake has over 400,000 people!

[Rainger99]

This just happened to me the other day also. I called the library and spoke with a lady about it. She told me that Hoopla only allows a certain number of electronic check outs per library district and that when you get that message it means they have met the limit for the day. She told me it resets at midnight. The next morning I went in and checked out the book with no problem. I know it has nothing to do with limits per person because this is the only time I tried to check out a book electronically so I certainly had not used up any "5 per person or per month" limit.

Did she tell you what the daily limit was? I sent an email to the library. And they told me that the monthly limit per cardholder is 5 - which I already knew. I then sent another email asking if the daily limit was 5 books but they didn't give me an answer. I am not sure why they won't tell us - it is a public library paid for with our tax dollars.

[Rainger99]

If people have concerns about the library, the Sumter County Public Library Advisory Board meets
twice a year. I believe the meetings are open to the public.

The bylaws specify that meetings will take place on the first Thursday of May and November. However, that seems optional as the May meeting was apparently held on May 28, 2024.

The first Thursday in November is November 7.

I believe the meetings are held at the Pinellas location.

[Rainger99]

I finally got an answer from the library.

Sumter County has allotted specific funds for Hoopla checkouts for the fiscal year. Those funds are divided by 12 months and then by the number of days in the month to create a Daily Spending Limit. This process allows equitable access to Hoopla for Library cardholders. Reaching the Daily Spending Limit is based upon the cost of each checkout. Hoopla, and the publishers selling to Hoopla, set the costs of each checkout. The costs vary among publishers and formats (eAudio, eBooks, eComics, eVideo, and eMusic). The Library's average daily spending limit averages $280 per day.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I finally got an answer from the library.

Sumter County has allotted specific funds for Hoopla checkouts for the fiscal year. Those funds are divided by 12 months and then by the number of days in the month to create a Daily Spending Limit. This process allows equitable access to Hoopla for Library cardholders. Reaching the Daily Spending Limit is based upon the cost of each checkout. Hoopla, and the publishers selling to Hoopla, set the costs of each checkout. The costs vary among publishers and formats (eAudio, eBooks, eComics, eVideo, and eMusic). The Library's average daily spending limit averages $280 per day.

Five books per day is costing the library $280 per day? That's $56 per book. Maybe you should all get together and petition the County to discontinue the Hoopla service entirely. That's a lot of taxpayer dollars wasted. You can BUY an e-book from Amazon or Google Books for less than $20 and in most cases, less than $10, and when you're done reading it, it's still yours. No limits, daily or monthly. No need to reserve it - you buy it, it's downloaded to your device, and you can read it whenever you feel like it.

[Rainger99]

Five books per day is costing the library $280 per day? That's $56 per book. Maybe you should all get together and petition the County to discontinue the Hoopla service entirely. That's a lot of taxpayer dollars wasted. You can BUY an e-book from Amazon or Google Books for less than $20 and in most cases, less than $10, and when you're done reading it, it's still yours. No limits, daily or monthly. No need to reserve it - you buy it, it's downloaded to your device, and you can read it whenever you feel like it.

When I originally called the library, I was told over the phone that Hoopla was limited to five books a day for the entire county. This did not seem right so I sent several emails to the library and finally got the answer that the budget is $280 a day.

(I expect that the person who answered the phone did not know the hoopla budget. I was at the pinellas library last week and asked the librarian about the hoopla budget and she had no information on it.)

$280 a day is a little over $100,000 a year. The cost seems to vary depending on whether it is a movie, an ebook, or an audio book. And some publishers appear to charge different rates per item so it is impossible to calculate how many items can be checked out per day. If everyone checked out books, we could probably get more books per day than movies.

I doubt that the library is paying $56 a book. At least I hope they aren’t!

As for buying a book, how often do you read books more than once?

[Stu from NYC]

When I originally called the library, I was told over the phone that Hoopla was limited to five books a day for the entire county. This did not seem right so I sent several emails to the library and finally got the answer that the budget is $280 a day.

(I expect that the person who answered the phone did not know the hoopla budget. I was at the pinellas library last week and asked the librarian about the hoopla budget and she had no information on it.)

$280 a day is a little over $100,000 a year. The cost seems to vary depending on whether it is a movie, an ebook, or an audio book. And some publishers appear to charge different rates per item so it is impossible to calculate how many items can be checked out per day. If everyone checked out books, we could probably get more books per day than movies.

I doubt that the library is paying $56 a book. At least I hope they aren’t!

As for buying a book, how often do you read books more than once?

I had a problem with my reader yesterday and went to the library today for help.

Local expert helped me and asked her about this.

We can individually take out 5 books at one time and have 5 books on reserve.

She was not aware of daily limit for county so no help there.

Asked her why Lake and Marion have access to Sumter but we do not. She had no idea why and agrees it makes no sense.

[retiredguy123]

When I originally called the library, I was told over the phone that Hoopla was limited to five books a day for the entire county. This did not seem right so I sent several emails to the library and finally got the answer that the budget is $280 a day.

(I expect that the person who answered the phone did not know the hoopla budget. I was at the pinellas library last week and asked the librarian about the hoopla budget and she had no information on it.)

$280 a day is a little over $100,000 a year. The cost seems to vary depending on whether it is a movie, an ebook, or an audio book. And some publishers appear to charge different rates per item so it is impossible to calculate how many items can be checked out per day. If everyone checked out books, we could probably get more books per day than movies.

I doubt that the library is paying $56 a book. At least I hope they aren’t!

As for buying a book, how often do you read books more than once?
When you buy an ebook from Amazon, you can download it to as many Kindle ereaders as you want, although only about 6 people can read it simultaneously. My problem with borrowing ebooks from the library is that I usually have trouble finishing the book before it is due to be returned. Also, if you like to read the new best sellers, there is always a long waitlist for the book.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

When I originally called the library, I was told over the phone that Hoopla was limited to five books a day for the entire county. This did not seem right so I sent several emails to the library and finally got the answer that the budget is $280 a day.

(I expect that the person who answered the phone did not know the hoopla budget. I was at the pinellas library last week and asked the librarian about the hoopla budget and she had no information on it.)

$280 a day is a little over $100,000 a year. The cost seems to vary depending on whether it is a movie, an ebook, or an audio book. And some publishers appear to charge different rates per item so it is impossible to calculate how many items can be checked out per day. If everyone checked out books, we could probably get more books per day than movies.

I doubt that the library is paying $56 a book. At least I hope they aren’t!

As for buying a book, how often do you read books more than once?

It depends on the book. But that's irrelevant. At $280 per day expense for "product" - and a 5-book-per-day limit for the entire county to download books, that comes to an average of $56 per book. You are saying everyone /can't/ check out books, because there's a 5 per day limit for the entire county.

If we are to go by what you are being told, the daily cost divides into the per-book cost by $56 per book. Unless you're saying the $280 per day is the total cost for the library to be open and in business, including all downloads, e-whatevers, electricity, maintenance, toilet paper for the rest rooms, internet service, employees, and purchase of physical product for their shelves? Or is that $280 for all online services, including internet service, a server, subscription to Hoopla, all other subscriptions, and all internet activities within the building as well?

I mean, this thread is about one specific service, and you toss in that $280/day factoid. If you mean that the $280/day covers anything OTHER than the 5 books per day per county, it's a good idea to say so. But if we are to go by ONLY what we read here - it comes to an average of $56 per book, at 5 books per day, divided into a total of $280 per day allotment.

[Pairadocs]

I was on the Sumter County Library website and was trying to check a book out on Hoopla which is a digital library - books, videos, etc.

However, when I tried to check a book out, I got the following message.

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.

I called the library to find out what the library's daily borrowing limit is and they told me that it is 5 books for the entire county. Not five books per patron - five for the county!!

According to Wikipedia, the population of the county was 129,752 in 2020. Assuming that 25% of the people have library cards, that would be 32,500 people having access to just five books a day on Hoopla.

That just seems to "crazy" to believe; not that I doubt you were told that, but, at least try calling one more time. You will surely get a different employee who will explain the policy much more CLEARLY.... think the person you talked to just not tops in communication.

[Pairadocs]

Most people agree with you on Libby.

It would be nice if the library or the county commissioners could explain their decisions on what apps they buy and the costs involved.

Oh how nice that would be, I agree, what do you think are the chances that any politician is going to tell you the truth ? ? Surely they KNOW what their constituent's prefer... but I highly doubt that what constituent's want enters into the formula for politicians of EITHER party !

[Pairadocs]

I finally got an answer from the library.

Sumter County has allotted specific funds for Hoopla checkouts for the fiscal year. Those funds are divided by 12 months and then by the number of days in the month to create a Daily Spending Limit. This process allows equitable access to Hoopla for Library cardholders. Reaching the Daily Spending Limit is based upon the cost of each checkout. Hoopla, and the publishers selling to Hoopla, set the costs of each checkout. The costs vary among publishers and formats (eAudio, eBooks, eComics, eVideo, and eMusic). The Library's average daily spending limit averages $280 per day.

Thank you for taking the time and doing the research ! Often too much "guessing" goes on on social media sites like this !

[Rainger99]

At $280 per day expense for "product" - and a 5-book-per-day limit for the entire county to download books, that comes to an average of $56 per book. You are saying everyone /can't/ check out books, because there's a 5 per day limit for the entire county.

If we are to go by what you are being told, the daily cost divides into the per-book cost by $56 per book. Unless you're saying the $280 per day is the total cost for the library to be open and in business, including all downloads, e-whatevers, electricity, maintenance, toilet paper for the rest rooms, internet service, employees, and purchase of physical product for their shelves? Or is that $280 for all online services, including internet service, a server, subscription to Hoopla, all other subscriptions, and all internet activities within the building as well?

I mean, this thread is about one specific service, and you toss in that $280/day factoid. If you mean that the $280/day covers anything OTHER than the 5 books per day per county, it's a good idea to say so. But if we are to go by ONLY what we read here - it comes to an average of $56 per book, at 5 books per day, divided into a total of $280 per day allotment.

I was originally told that the library - not each patron - is limited to 5 Hoopla items a day. That seemed incredibly low so I sent an email to the library and I got the response that Hoopla has a budget of $280 day. I am positive that the 5 Hoopla items a day is wrong.

Instead, the library has a Hoopla budget of $280 a day. From what I was told, the Hoopla budget does not include internet service, a server, subscription to Hoopla, all other subscriptions, and all internet activities within the building as well. It is just for Hoopla.

I went online and it appears that Hoopla charges libraries anywhere from $1 per checkout to $3 per checkout. I don't have the numbers for Sumter but I would expect that our numbers are similar to that. If that is the case, the library is allowed anywhere from 280 items a day to 93 items a day. We are not spending $56 for each book.

I am still trying to get exact numbers for these services. I would love to know how much it would cost to use Libby and what Hoopla charges per item.

[Rainger99]

That just seems to "crazy" to believe; not that I doubt you were told that, but, at least try calling one more time. You will surely get a different employee who will explain the policy much more CLEARLY.... think the person you talked to just not tops in communication.

I didn't call because I thought the information was incorrect. Instead, I sent an email. I think I got the correct answer. See post #52.

[Rainger99]

Thread on how Hoopla works.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Libraries/comments/7wvtga/how_does_hoopla_work_from_the_libraries_end/

And Ebooks may be more expensive than hard copies!!

Libraries say costs for e-books are high (https://www.wmur.com/article/libraries-ebooks-e-books-publishers-costs/60190720#:~:text=While%20one%20hardcover%20copy%20 of,26%20checkouts%2C%20whichever%20comes%20first)

The Real Costs of Digital Content: eBook and Digital Audiobooks | Timberland Regional Library (https://trl.org/blogs/post/the-real-costs-of-digital-content-ebook-and-digital-audiobooks/)

[Tom52]

Interesting topic. We live in Sumter County and use Boundless and occasionally Hoopla for ebooks. We also pay $40 per year for a library card in Lake County. I did not know that Lake County residents could get a Sumter County library card for no charge yet we have to to pay for Lake County library card. This makes no sense to me and something should be changed to make it fair for both county residents.

I read about 1 book every week to 10 days so I check out a lot. I find that Boundless has a better selection than Hoopla. I also don't like the daily check out limits with Hoopla. I am a bit frustrated by all three, Boundless, Hoopla, and Cloud Library (replacing Libby), as none seem to have available the entire series of books by one author, or they will have a combination of ebooks and audio books for a series. I do not like to listen to audio books.

[Rainger99]

I am a bit frustrated by all three, Boundless, Hoopla, and Cloud Library (replacing Libby).

What is cloud library? I looked at Sumter’s website and couldn’t find it.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Interesting topic. We live in Sumter County and use Boundless and occasionally Hoopla for ebooks. We also pay $40 per year for a library card in Lake County. I did not know that Lake County residents could get a Sumter County library card for no charge yet we have to to pay for Lake County library card. This makes no sense to me and something should be changed to make it fair for both county residents.

I read about 1 book every week to 10 days so I check out a lot. I find that Boundless has a better selection than Hoopla. I also don't like the daily check out limits with Hoopla. I am a bit frustrated by all three, Boundless, Hoopla, and Cloud Library (replacing Libby), as none seem to have available the entire series of books by one author, or they will have a combination of ebooks and audio books for a series. I do not like to listen to audio books.

Why do you pay $40/year for a library card? Anyone can go into the Lady Lake library, fill out a form, get a card and a slip with the web address and login instructions on it. It's 100% free.

[retiredguy123]

Why do you pay $40/year for a library card? Anyone can go into the Lady Lake library, fill out a form, get a card and a slip with the web address and login instructions on it. It's 100% free.
Not true when I applied. They verify your address to see what county you live in.

When I applied for a Lake County library card, I told the librarian that I lived in Lake County and wanted a card. She said that you live in Sumter County in The Villages and had to pay for a card. I corrected her and she then looked up my address on a map to verify that I did live in Lake County. Only then would she give me a free card.

Note that the Lake County Library System has reciprocal borrowing agreements with Marion, Seminole, and Volusia Counties, but not Sumter County. Sumter County residents must pay $40 per year for a library card. All card applicants must provide proof of residence.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Not true when I applied. They verify your address to see what county you live in.

When I applied for a Lake County library card, I told the librarian that I lived in Lake County and wanted a card. She said that you live in Sumter County in The Villages and had to pay for a card. I corrected her and she then looked up my address on a map to verify that I did live in Lake County. Only then would she give me a free card.

Note that the Lake County Library System has reciprocal borrowing agreements with Marion, Seminole, and Volusia Counties, but not Sumter County. Sumter County residents must pay $40 per year for a library card. All card applicants must provide proof of residence.

Ah. I can understand that. Not all library systems have reciprocal borrowing agreements. I just assumed it was someone getting a card from their own territory's system. I live in Lady Lake, in Lake County. Maybe the confusion happens when someone says they live in The Villages - since that phrase - "The Villages" is used primarily within Sumter County?

It's a good thing the clerk double checked for you though.

[Rainger99]

Ah. I can understand that. Not all library systems have reciprocal borrowing agreements. I just assumed it was someone getting a card from their own territory's system. I live in Lady Lake, in Lake County. Maybe the confusion happens when someone says they live in The Villages - since that phrase - "The Villages" is used primarily within Sumter County?

The issue is why does Sumter County give cards to Lake County residents without getting reciprocity. I would like to know who negotiated that deal!!

[retiredguy123]

What is cloud library? I looked at Sumter’s website and couldn’t find it.
"Cloudlibrary" is an app used by the Lake County library, but not Sumter County.

[Rainger99]

"Cloudlibrary" is an app used by the Lake County library, but not Sumter County.

If we get reciprocity with Lake, we might get access to Cloud Library.

[Rainger99]

Asked Don Wiley a question on the library a few days ago and hope he will get back to me with info.

I assume that he hasn't gotten back to you???