hoopla Service to be Discontinued October 31, 2025

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After thoughtful consideration, and passing of a balanced budget for fiscal year 2026, Joplin Public Library has made the difficult decision to discontinue our hoopla service effective October 31, 2025. 

Why is Joplin Public Library (JPL) discontinuing hoopla?

Like many libraries across the country, we’ve found that hoopla’s pay-per-use model is no longer sustainable, especially as demand grows. Although it is free for patrons to use, hoopla’s pricing model means JPL is charged a fee for every item that is checked out.  Because of this, to stay within budget we have had to restrict monthly and daily usage of the hoopla service.  This has severely impacted the number of patrons able to use hoopla.

We remain committed to providing robust and sustainable digital services. JPL believes that our resources are better used for other digital content such as OverDrive/Libby (eBooks, eAudiobooks, comics, magazines) and Kanopy (streaming movies and television).  These more affordable services allow JPL to stay within budget while still providing patrons with the digital materials they need and want.

 Additionally, we strive to keep our physical collection up to date and accessible. 

To give you an idea of the numbers…

JPL routinely evaluates our collections and services to make sure we are providing our patrons beneficial collections in the most cost-efficient manner possible.  We have found that:

  • Only 4% of our active cardholders are able to use hoopla per month;
  • hoopla accounts for 15% of our digitally circulated materials (such as ebooks, audiobooks, and other entertainment)
  • hoopla consumes approximately 78% of the library system’s budget for digitally circulated materials.

In contrast, 3 times the number of patrons use OverDrive/Libby per month and accounts for 80% of our digitally circulated materials, with only 15% of the budget.

I’m a hoopla user – what do I need to do?

If you need a list of the titles you’ve checked out through hoopla, you will need to either write down the titles or take a screenshot of the items in your hoopla history.  Because of Missouri privacy laws, JPL does not have access to this information.  Find your checkout history by going to the hoopla app; select “My hoopla”; select “History”; write down or take a screenshot of the information.

Hoopla access will end on October 31, 2025. After that date, users cannot check out new titles. However, any content borrowed before that date will remain accessible until the normal lending period expires.

Where can I find eBooks and eAudiobooks?

MissouriLibraries2Go – Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, comics, and magazines to read on your phone or tablet using the Libby app by OverDrive. You can even send and read your borrowed eBooks to your Kindle eReader (U.S. only)! It’s free and easy to get started for new users!

But the wait time is so long on Libby!

We understand the major appeal of hoopla is being able to get the title you want immediately.  As part of the MissouriLibraries2Go consortium on OverDrive/Libby, we are one of many Missouri libraries that pool our money to purchase titles for our patrons. 

By discontinuing hoopla, JPL will be able to reallocate funds to purchase additional titles on OverDrive/Libby for just our patrons or move our patrons to the top of the holds list to reduce wait time. We feel this will be a more efficient use of these funds to help our patrons get the materials they want.  It’s important to note that putting books on hold through Libby will help staff know where we should be directing these funds!

We encourage our patrons to take advantage of the “Available Now” feature on Libby to browse books and audiobooks that are available for immediate checkout, or the selection of “Always Available” titles under Guides. 

What if MissouriLibraries2Go doesn’t have what I want?

Use “Notify Me” to tell us about eBooks, eAudiobooks, and comics not in MissouriLibraries2Go.  If the item is purchased, the system will place you on hold.

Where can I stream movies and television?

Kanopy – Kanopy is a video-streaming platform dedicated to thoughtful and thought-provoking films. 

How can I watch Kanopy?

You can stream Kanopy on any of your favorite devices! Kanopy is accessible via mobile and tablet apps for iPhone and Android. You can also access Kanopy on your Desktop, and SmartTV apps like Roku, Apple TV, and Fire Stick.

How to create an account

  • To get started, visit Kanopy and select the “Add Library Card” button on the lower left
  • Enter your library card credentials
  • Create an account using your preferred email
  • Begin streaming!

What other digital content does JPL offer?

Flipster – Flipster is a next-generation digital magazine distribution service which lets users access their favorite magazines from a variety of publishers through their local libraries. Accessible via a web browser or custom apps made specifically for Apple devices, Android devices, and the Kindle Fire tablet, with Flipster users can download magazines to read offline, anytime, anywhere.

How can I get help with digital resources?  

As you switch from using hoopla to Libby and/or Kanopy, please do not hesitate to contact the Library’s Reference Department at (417) 624-5465 if you find you have questions or concerns.