BLUE EARTH– In an effort to make access to public libraries even easier, the directors of the Blue Earth Community Library, the Muir Library in Winnebago and the Wells Public Library were at the Faribault County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, May 21, with a proposal to fund a digital service which would be accessible to all county library members.

“Hoopla Digital is a service that provides ebooks, audiobooks, music, comics, television shows and movies to library patrons through their public library,” Heidi Schutt, director of the Blue Earth Community Library, said. “There are millions of titles available in different languages for all ages and interests, and more are being added each month. Patrons download an app to their phone, tablet or Smart TV to check out and use the items that they choose to borrow.”

Muir Library director Nicole Krienke told the commissioners that the library in Winnebago has offered Hoopla Digital to its patrons for seven years.

“We have seen great usage and feedback from our library members,” Krienke commented. “It is a convenience factor because the library does not have to be open for people to have access to material.”

The three directors compared Hoopla Digital to another available digital provider, Libby.

“Our library in Wells just began offering Hoopla Digital at the beginning of 2024,” Wells Public Library director Betsy Bushlack added. “With Libby, there can be a wait list to get what you want. With Hoopla Digital, if you see it you can download it.”

The library directors requested that $7,000 be allocated each of the next three years, 2025, 2026 and 2027 to help cover the costs of the service.

“That amount would make it possible to offer Hoopla Digital to every library card holder in Faribault County,” Schutt explained. “We believe it would be more efficient to manage it from a county level.”

The commissioners thanked the trio for providing the board with their request ahead of the upcoming budget talks.

“I might be in favor of budgeting for this for one year,” commissioner Greg Young said. “Then we would have the opportunity to see how things were working.”

In other business, the board also:

— Approved the hiring of Kari Jacobson as the new county auditor/treasurer.

— Voted to approve the requests of Nick Bleess and Kasta Amundson of the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office to attend a Dispatch Priming training course.

— Approved Amundson to attend the Active Threats Incidents training course.