Use of library digital resources slowly growing, along with costs
Libraries in the Butler County Federated Library System, or BCFLS, have offered e-books and other online resources for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic increased the number of people getting books virtually.
“That was a godsend during COVID when we were doing story times from home,” said Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services librarian for the Butler Area Public Library. “I think that’s when we started to see an increase in its use.”
BCFLS offers online resources including Hoopla, which offers audio books, e-books, movies, music and more, but at a cost to libraries that subscribe. Krista Conway, system manager of BCFLS, said the library system is charged for every use of a resource, and the use grew almost every month last year, costing BCFLS a little more than $12,100 in 2023.
According to Conway, the unofficial tally for 2023 showed there are 56,376 library cardholders among the nine libraries under BCFLS, and they used virtual resources 19,226 times throughout 2023.
“We are seeing that our Hoopla expenses are increasing. More people are checking out more materials,” Conway said. “So the system gets an invoice each month depending on how many items were checked out the month prior.”
Libraries get some funding from their local municipalities, and library systems and districts get money from the state budget each year under the Pennsylvania Department of Education. BCFLS is within the New Castle Library District, which oversees some of the service subscriptions used by the libraries under the district’s umbrella.
A person with a library card from one of the nine libraries in the county system can get access to online resources including Ancestry.com and Consumer Reports. Conway said the system recently also got Libby, an application with e-books, audio books and magazines, which is the mobile-friendly library reading app by OverDrive — an application also available through the district.
“The New Castle Library District purchases the collection for OverDrive,” Conway said. “OverDrive does not cost the system anything.”
The apps available through the library system don’t have every digital book, movie, show or audio book, but Conway said people can contact their local library to ask about getting a title onto one of the applications.
“People watch movies and TV shows on Hoopla, but they're not Hulu or Netflix quality,” Conway said. “My favorite part is (Hoopla has) all the Ken Burns PBS documentaries.”
Conway also said resources available physically at a library are not always available virtually, and vice versa.
“Patrons can request whatever they want,” Conway said. “Ultimately, Hoopla or the directors who choose the OverDrive collection will make a final decision based on popularity in the community and other factors.”
The online resources available through BCFLS also change from time to time, but the system sometimes gets new applications. Conway said the system recently dropped Flipster, an electronic subscription for magazines, because other applications have similar offerings. Ancestry.com is also a more recent addition to the virtual offerings, according to Conway.
With usage of virtual resources growing across the Butler County library system, Conway said it could prompt a request for more funding as well.
“If our budget is open to it, we can add another subscription; it's really up to the budget and what our patrons would want and would use,” Conway said.
