The John P. Holt Brentwood Library has historically offered a minimum of two vendors to provide electronic books and/or audiobooks as well as a minimum of one streaming video site. These vendors develop contracts with multiple publishing companies and movie studios, thus providing different content and pricing depending on the contracts they negotiate. Overdrive is the Library's main source of eBook and eAudiobook content, and RB Digital was the secondary vendor because they offered different pricing, and because they also offered eMagazine subscription services and video streaming services thanks to an agreement with streaming service AcornTV.
These two databases were a good match because of the different pricing structures. For example, Overdrive’s contract with the publishers gave libraries a choice. Libraries could either purchase one electronic copy of a book that is kept, but it can only be checked out to one person at a time (One Copy One Use, or OCOU for short), or libraries could allow up to 20 people at the same time for 30 days access to check out an electronic copy (Metered Access, or MA for short). Another way to think of it is when a company will charge to either buy a DVD or download the movie 20 times in one month. The library will usually buy one or two OCOU items to keep and will buy several MA items for very popular authors such as James Patterson. The downside to the second pricing structure is that the Library is charged the same even if it is only checked out once or twice out of 20 times. RB Digital’s pricing structure on eAudiobooks was more similar to a gym membership where the Library was charged an annual fee for unlimited access.
In the late summer of 2020 Overdrive announced that they would acquire RB Digital and would incorporate all products previously offered from RB Digital. In April 2021, Overdrive announced that they would not extend their contract with Acorn TV and would terminate our sole video-streaming platform offered to the public. The library began to research replacement vendors and ultimately chose the platform called Hoopla.
Hoopla is the only source on the market that currently offers American video streaming outside documentaries. Since OverDrive decided to not renew the subscription to Acorn TV, Hoopla is now the only vendor offering Acorn TV as well as MGM, NBC Universal, National Geographic, Bold and Beautiful, Miramax, A&E, Warner Music, Universal Music, DC Comics, Lionsgate, Viacom, Sesame Workshop, and RLJ entertainment. Hoopla also offers electronic books, audiobooks, and magazines to compete with OverDrive; however, Hoopla is the only vendor to offer the written materials and video materials in one platform. Please see the attached sole source justification letter for more information.
Its pricing structure is one charge per use, meaning that the Library only pays for what is checked out. The Library also has the ability to set a maximum monthly cap on individual checkouts and charges, meaning that the Library can control and adjust the cost as necessary. This would help to save the library money on popular new releases because we would only be charged for what is checked out and would help us to increase the amount of titles available.
The Library would like to allocate $12,000 to acquire Hoopla. This is in anticipation on the popularity of AcornTV in previous years, as well as the amount of popular eBook and audiobook content available on its platform.
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