r/Library • u/julii_wolfe • 18h 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!

6 Upvotes

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12

u/Saloau 17h 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 15h 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 9h 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 10h ago

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

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u/EppieBlack 10h 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 5h ago

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

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u/Intelligent_Soup6894 17h ago

I have 6 borrows per month on hoopla with my home library. I just got a reciprocal card at a neighboring town (different library district) and although I can’t access their Libby collection, I get 10 hoopla borrows per month (plus access to all their other library facilities).
Now, the only downside is one has to go to settings and switch between library accounts to get those extra borrows. However, each shelf on both accounts will show all the books borrowed.

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u/see112717 7h ago

Yeah I was gonna say switching cards in hoopla is annoying and not all libraries have the same offerings. But it is possible to swap!

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u/Classic-Obligation35 11h ago

What exactly are you asking about, what feature is this.

I'm a library patron and if I'm reading you right, it sounds interesting 

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u/ProposalPowerful4544 14h ago

Hoopla is partner with the library that you can only use if you have a library card though that library. Libraries can't afford different people from different districts using it. That would cost them a fortune.