In the last few Library annual surveys, many of you have requested more eContent (eBooks and eAudiobooks) and shorter wait times for eContent. 

We have taken several steps toward these goals while facing many challenges in our efforts to provide the level of eContent that meets our community’s needs. In the lengthy letter below, I provide a very detailed and fully transparent explanation of these steps and challenges. So, grab a cup of tea or coffee and get comfortable!

Our eContent Collection

The Library shares eContent with our patrons using Libby. Content for Libby is purchased from the vendor Overdrive. We belong to an Overdrive consortium, North Texas Libraries on the Go, that includes 31 libraries. This allows us to pool funds to purchase shared content for the greatest possible purchasing power. 

In addition to purchasing content through the Consortium, the Library also purchases content that is available only to our patrons. Below are our current collection sizes:

• Consortium Collection: 27,588 items
• NRH Library Collection (for NRH Library cardholders only): 10,368 items
• Total Collections: 37,965 items

Increased Use of eContent

eContent checkouts have rapidly grown in recent years. Before 2020, demand was rising slowly but steadily.

In 2020, usage jumped sharply and has kept increasing, resulting in a 65.96% total increase over six years, an average of more than 10% each year.

How We Purchase eContent

When a library buys a print book or a book on CD, we pay once and can lend it out as many times as needed. If it’s damaged, we can repair it and keep using it—some copies have been checked out hundreds of times.

When we purchase eBooks and eAudiobooks, it’s not so straightforward. Libraries usually do not own them outright; we lease them under publishers' rules. Even though digital files can be shared widely, publishers place limits on this type of access. This is because digital materials do not fall under the Right of First Sale Doctrine, which allows libraries to lend physical items without restrictions.

Publishers offer several eContent models, and libraries must choose from these options:

• Unlimited simultaneous use: Many people can borrow the same title at the same time (rare and expensive).
• One copy/one user: Only one person can borrow a title at a time (most common).
• Pay-per-use: The library pays a fee each time the title is borrowed.

Costs of eContent

Publishers charge libraries much more for eContent than they charge individuals, like you or me. They also charge libraries much more for eBooks than they do for print books, and for eAudiobooks compared to CDs. The accompanying chart provides an example using a recent best-selling book.

As you can see, Libraries must pay more than 3x the cost of an eBook license than individual consumers do, and over 6x the cost for eAudiobooks. 

What We Have Done to Reduce Hold Times

For the last several years, the Library has been doing everything within our existing budget and purchasing abilities to meet our community’s eContent needs. Below is a list of some of our key efforts: 

• In fiscal year 2022/23, to focus resources on our community, Libby eContent access was limited to North Richland Hills resident cardholders.
• In fiscal year 2024/25, the library reallocated existing collection funds to increase the monthly eContent budget from $1,518 to $2,182.
• In fiscal year 2025/26, the library increased the monthly eContent budget from $2,181 to $4,680 using donation funds.
• ­We place biweekly orders, instead of monthly, to acquire items with holds more quickly.
• Library staff carefully watch for sales and work hard to buy eContent at the best possible prices.

Our most recent monthly budget reallocation to eContent has reduced the average hold time for items in Libby by 10 days!

Ways Y’all Can Help Us Reduce Hold Times

We will continue doing everything we can within our current budget to reduce hold times. If you’d like to help, here are a few easy ways:

• Return items when you’re finished so others can enjoy them
• Suspend or cancel any holds you no longer need
• Explore titles that are available now with no wait
• Consider a donation to support eContent collections
• Try the “Listen to a Sample” or “Read a Sample” feature before you check out, just to be sure you’ll enjoy the narrator and that it’s not a book you’ve already read under a different title. This will save one of the library’s 26 checkouts for that item!

Less Waiting, More Reading!

Despite our best efforts, we know there are still long wait times using Libby. While you wait, we encourage you to explore these other resources that offer books with no wait times!

• Duke Classics – a variety of classic titles that are always available
• Project Gutenberg - The original site for over 75,000 free eBooks. How to use Project Gutenberg.
• Google Books - Nearly three million eBooks from the public domain 
• LibriVox – Free public domain audiobooks read by volunteers around the world
• Standard Ebooks – Free and liberated eBooks, carefully produced for the true book lover
• Open Stax – Peer-reviewed educational content

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our eContent collection and the care that goes into providing it. We remain committed to improving access and reducing wait times so you can enjoy the books you love, when you want them.

It is truly our pleasure to serve you,

Cecilia Barham
Director of Library Services