North Vancouver library cardholders can now access thousands of movies, TV shows, audiobooks and music albums absolutely free.
North Vancouver City Library launched Hoopla digital in mid-March and North Vancouver District Public Library went live with the service on Monday. By downloading the free Hoopla app, library members can stream or temporarily download a virtual collection of audio-visual materials on their computers and mobile devices.
"There's more and more demand for digital and we're meeting that demand," says Jacqueline van Dyk, NVDPL's director of library services, who explains that about a third of the library's offerings are now digital.
With Hoopla, there is no wait to borrow titles and there are no late fees. Downloads are automatically returned at the end of the borrowing period (three days for movies and TV shows, seven days for music albums and three weeks for audiobooks).
"Hoopla really enables us to offer the sorts of collections and services that are on par with the big city libraries, so we're really expanding our offerings into that digital realm," van Dyk says.
To date, hoopla has approximately 12,000 video titles, 150,000 music albums, 12,000 audiobooks - and the collection is growing weekly. The company announced on Tuesday it will be adding ebooks to its catalogue later this year.
This new digital service does not replace the library's existing physical media collection, van Dyk says, but complements what is already available on the shelves.
"You don't necessarily get the same titles in both formats because some things are more accessible digitally and some things are more accessible in physical media," she explains. "Depending on what it is, we'll just make smart choices about which format things are offered in."
Since launching last summer, hoopla has partnered with more than 200 library systems across North America and is now live in 15 libraries in Canada.
"With our platform we've taken out the biggest disadvantage of the physical world, which is one user-one copy," says Jeff Jankowski, the founder of hoopla and vicepresident of parent company Midwest Tape.
All titles are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and multiple users can borrow the same title at the same time. There is a monthly per-user borrowing cap, depending on the library.
Hoopla currently has content agreements in place with Hollywood studios and record companies, but is also conscientious to focus on educational and non-fiction materials. So, in addition to The King's Speech and My Week With Marilyn, users will also find a selection of homeschooling and yoga videos. "Eighty per cent of the videos that we carry are not on Netflix," Jankowski says.
When it comes to music, hoopla carries albums on their release date, meaning users can listen to Coldplay's Ghost Stories or Sarah McLachlan's Shine On - both out this month.
"You can get the album and borrow it for a week, the same day the retail stores have it, before you decide whether you want to own it or not," Jankowski says.
Libraries do not pay a subscription fee for hoopla, but instead follow a payper-use model. According to NVDPL, charges per download range from $1.09 to $3.39, depending on the item. A benefit of this model is that the library can offer many titles to its patrons, but only pay for those being used. With physical media material, the library may buy many copies of an item to meet demand, but when that demand decreases there isn't the need for so many copies. A digital platform also means there is no need to pay for housing, processing or transporting items.
Patrons interested in learning how to use Hoopla can attend one of the following Hop into Hoopla training sessions hosted by North Vancouver District Public Library: Thursday, June 5, 2-3 p.m. at Lynn Valley library Register at 604-984-0286 x8144 Tuesday, June 24, 2-3 p.m. at Capilano library Register at 604-987-4471 x8175 Wednesday, June 25, 2-3 p.m. at Parkgate library Register at 604-929-3727 x8166
