Expanding digital options
Dominianni said Mark Twain Library is rolling out RBdigital, a new streaming service that increase patrons’ access to BBC titles, documentaries, indie films and learning courses.
They’ve also added more money to the Hoopla budget to cover the increased demand since the agreement is set up based on the usage.
Both Danbury and Brookfield adjusted their budgets to build their digital collections.
“We have definitely increased our spending on those platforms that offer digital content,” Gilbertie. “We had to adjust our budget in order to meet the changing needs of our patrons and I'm very proud to say that we've done a great job of it.”
Cech said they reallocated the rest of their book money for the year to buy digital titles and will revisit traditional book purchases in the next fiscal year. One of the challenges is that e-books are so much more expensive to buy than traditional books because of how publishers price them.
The e-books can’t be read simultaneously and so patrons wait for those copies to become available, much like they would a traditional book. A traditional adult book usually costs a library about $22 to $24, with some processing to be able to put it in the catalog and on the shelf. An ebook doesn’t have that processing, but it usually costs at least $50 with some titles exceeding $100, Cech said.
“We cannot maintain a digital catalog with the same budget we have,” she said.
Cech said they will continue to offer and expand both options.
“Both are very popular,” she said. “We’re happy to offer any platform we can get our hands on.”