by Anessa Olson

The turning of the year is an invitation to consider continuity and change. What’s trending? What’s over? What’s next? At the Ames Public Library, we’re thinking not just about the latest titles going viral on social media, but also about which formats you are reading them in. 

In 2024, Ames residents borrowed 133,625 e-books and e-audiobooks from the library’s two digital media apps, Libby and Hoopla, a 14% increase over 2023. The Ames Public Library (APL) is able to provide access to these apps thanks to your funding as taxpayers, your generosity as donors, and the hard work of the Ames Public Library Friends Foundation. Together, Libby and Hoopla provide access to thousands of titles, but there are some key differences between the two that are worth sharing.

Hoopla is simple: each time you borrow something from Hoopla, the library pays a small amount. Hoopla titles are always available, but if no one borrows a particular title, the library pays nothing for it. If a title suddenly becomes very popular, everyone can read it simultaneously. 

Libby is more like a traditional library. The library purchases books to make them available, and pays whether or not they get borrowed. Only one person can borrow a copy at a time, so we purchase additional copies to reduce wait times. APL also cooperates with the State Library, so some of the titles you see in Libby were purchased by the State Library and others were purchased by APL. The copies APL purchases are only available for Ames residents. This means that Libby often overestimates your wait times. 

Libby and Hoopla are cost effective in different ways. Hoopla makes less-popular titles available without the library needing to purchase a copy, and reduces wait times by making popular titles available to many users simultaneously. Libby has larger up-front costs and longer wait times, but the price does not increase as more and more people read a book, meaning that the price per borrow decreases over time.

We encourage you to use both Libby and Hoopla. Checking both apps for the titles you want reduces wait times and balances costs. You get access to more books, more conveniently, and more cost efficiently. The Ames Public Library is proud to offer so many options to our community. As your format preferences change, we strive to change with you and continuously improve our service to the Ames community.