Library roundup

35,266. That’s the number of digital checkouts in 2025. For reference, the population of the Town of Goshen is about 14,500 and the population of our service area is roughly 19,000. That means we’re averaging more than one electronic checkout for every person in our area.

Over half of those electronic checkouts were for audiobooks. A quarter of all checkouts last year were for electronic items through Libby and Hoopla, the two e-content providers available to Goshen Library cardholders. E-books are booming and just about every month the record for use is broken again.

What’s the difference between Libby and Hoopla?

With Libby, libraries purchase licenses for each title in the catalog. Just like a physical book, each license can only be read by one person at a time. Libby is a shared catalog with other RCLS libraries giving our readers access to 46,000 titles. Hoopla has a set catalog of over 2,000,000 titles offered with a cost-per-circ model, meaning the library pays each time a title is checked out. The way this affects the cost of service is why there is a limit of five checkouts per month with Hoopla.

Why do I have to wait for a book? It’s digital, there should be unlimited copies, right?

It seems like everyone should be able to read the same book at the same time if it’s digital. However, publishers set rules for the terms of their licenses, which only allow one reader at a time. Some publishers put a cap of 26 checkouts on a license before the library needs to purchase a new one. Other publishers limit the license to a set time frame, usually one or two years.

What else can I borrow with Libby and Hoopla?

E-books and e-audio are the mainstays of the digital collection, but there is much more available to cardholders. Libby includes access to over 6,000 magazines. Hoopla also has magazines, as well as comics, movies, tv shows, and music. Hoopla also offers BingePass, which allows for one week of unlimited views with one borrowing credit for a variety of other online platforms. BingePasses include Great Courses, Curiosity Stream documentaries, Craftsy series, and more. The last week of each month Hoopla also features a curated collection of Bonus Borrows that don’t count against your monthly five borrows.

Are you one of the 1,598 Hoopla users or 1,587 Libby users? Would you like to join the ranks of these electronic enthusiasts? To access Libby or Hoopla, you can go through the library website goshenpubliclibrary.org under Digital Services. Or download them from your app store. If you have any questions or need assistance with these services, stop by the Reference Desk with your device and we can help you. Alternatively, and it should go without saying, if physical books are your preference, we still have them available too!