December Updates
 
The Winter Program Guidebook is here!
 
The Winter Program Guidebook is full of wonderful opportunities to connect for people of all ages. Enjoy a festive, happy winter season at your library! Available online or pick up a copy at any service desk.
 
Holiday Closures & Programming Break
 
The Library will be closed Thursday, December 4 for staff training, Thursday, December 25 for Christmas, and Thursday, January 1 for New Year's Day.
 
The Library will close early at 5 PM on Wednesday, December 24 for Christmas Eve and Wednesday, December 31 for New Year's Eve.
 
There will be a programming break Tuesday, December 23 through Sunday, January 5.
 
InterLibrary Loan Break
 
From December 1st through January 1st, no new requests will be processed due to Lending Library holiday closures, mail slowdowns, and records maintenance. All new InterLibrary Loan requests in December will be saved until January (still limited to 5). The InterLibrary Loan office will still be open and processing incoming materials, renewals, and returns during this time. Questions? Please ask at a service desk or call (406)582-2421.
 
Mobile Services Schedule Change
 
Beginning in January, Mobile Services will be trialing a new schedule. Each of the stop locations will be visited every third week instead of every two weeks. All current stops will be retained in the new schedule, but some will be changing days or times. Schedule and stop information can be found on this page. Schedules are updated monthly with new schedules being posted approximately a week before the new month. Please feel free to reach out to Mobile Services with any questions or concerns as we continue to look for the best ways to reach our community.
 
New to the Creative Labs
 
The Cricut Mug Press is now available for use in the Creative Labs! Create vibrant, professional-quality, personalized mugs- just in time for the holidays! This new equipment is made possible by support from the Bozeman Library Friends and Foundation.
 
Support Your Library
 
From storytimes that spark imaginations to technology that connects our community, many of the Library resources you love are made possible by donations. Your year-end gift helps keep these spaces free, welcoming, and full of possibility for everyone. Give.
  
 Digital Lending Models (or why eBooks make us cry)
Written by Hannah Mundt
 
Imagine with me for a moment. You wake up on the first of the month with a big, relaxing stretch. Birds are singing outside, and the world is bright and wonderful as you climb out of bed. While making a big cup of coffee or tea or other fabulous beverage you suddenly remember – the first of the month means fresh checkouts on the Hoopla app! Rushing to find your phone scattered somewhere amongst the covers, you open the app, pull up the next book in your favorites list, hit the big blue BORROW button, and find an error message:
 
 
After a good cry, lamenting that it makes no sense that a service claiming instant and simultaneous access would limit its users, you call the library immediately and explain what has happened and you and the librarian cry together as they explain the complicated, messy world of digital lending models through sobs and tears. Okay, end scenario. We know you don’t cry that much. This regretful problem happens to many of our users, and in this post I will explain three digital lending models and strategies for using our eLibrary apps to get the most out of your library card. First, a handy infographic:
 
 
Our eLibrary apps and platforms come from many different companies and require several different contracts. Part of these contracts detail how users access content, or what we can call a digital lending model. These models describe how many users can download a book for a certain amount of time, on a certain software, and how much it’s going to cost.
 
In the “One Copy One User” model, one book is provided for one reader for the checkout period. Librarians purchase and select these digital copies just like they purchase each book on our shelves. The Libby app is an example of this model. On Libby, you can place a hold on a very popular title and end up waiting weeks because there are only three copies and fifteen people want to read the book. On top of that, Libby is free to use for most anyone in Montana with a library card, and we are all sharing the same digital copies across the entire state. There are ongoing plans to improve these services and increase the number of copies for popular books, but this is one reason why you can only have 5 checkouts and 10 holds at a given time on Libby. We pay for the digital book once and many users can read it how many times they want (just not at the same time).

Now, back to our Hoopla error. Hoopla and Kanopy (our film streaming service) both provide content by the “Cost Per Circ” model. This means that all users have instant and simultaneous access to a large database of content, but each time someone checks a title out it costs a fee (typically $3.99 on hoopla). In order to provide this great instant service without breaking the bank, we need to set a budget. This budget allows for $100 to be spent by users every day on Hoopla, but that sometimes can mean the money runs out before you are able to check out your book. This is why that error pops up, and you have to try again the next day. Another way we try to make access equitable for our users is through limiting the number of checkouts per month. Your library card gives you 3 checkouts each month so that one person doesn’t spend all the money rereading the Harry Potter books for the tenth time around (we would too).

Finally, some of our favorite apps and platforms allow for unlimited streaming video, articles, and more because the library paid an annual subscription to the service that doesn’t restrict content. This is "Subscribed Access." Stream hours of courses on LinkedIn Learning, make a million crafts on Creativebug, and learn every language you can think of on Transparent Language, all for the same cost for the library.

The best strategy we recommend for using our eLibrary so that everyone can all have quicker access to materials is by shopping around. Search for titles on both Libby and Hoopla to see if it’s a book you need immediately or don’t mind waiting to become available. Take a moment to think a bit longer about whether you’ll finish that checkout on hoopla before you borrow it.

Bozeman Public Library loves providing these services but we are restricted by the reality of expensive contracts and a rapidly growing community. Our staff is dedicated to continuing these services and finding creative ways to improve your reading experience.
 
Virtual Author Talks
 
Enjoy a range of talks from bestselling authors and thought leaders through the library website!
 
Tuesday, December 2 at 12 PM: Scheming Wives and High-Stakes Hilarity with Author Sue Hincenbergs
 
Tuesday, January 13 at 12 PM: The Creative and Compassionate Art of Seeing Others Deeply with David Brooks
 
Tuesday, January 20 at 12 PM: Nature, Art, and Service as Medicine with Journalist Julia Hotz
 
Wednesday, January 28 at 5 PM: Secrets and Second Chances with Liz Moore
Media and Design Lab
 
Media and Design Lab is a program for anyone interested in making and designing. Meetings are each Monday at 10:15 AM in the Work Bench and each month there is a different topic focus. During the meeting we explore concepts, machines, and software related to the topic. The last Monday of each month is a working day where attendees can bring their own creative projects to work on or get help with. It is a great time to connect with others who share a passion for creativity and curiosity.
 
Magazine Exchange
 
Did you know the library has a magazine exchange? Donate current, undamaged magazines or pick up a magazine to take home. Located in the library lobby near the Work Bench.
 
Guidelines:
- Bring donations to the first floor Public Services desk for staff and volunteers to review.
- Materials in good condition (clean and without tears) are accepted.
- Please remove identifying information (name and address) from magazines.
- Materials cannot include explicit content.
- Materials will be recycled if they do not meet guidelines.
 
If you can't find what you are looking for at the exchange, don't forget to check out the  magazine collection on the second floor or access thousands of magazines online through the Libby app.
Work Bench Collection

The Work Bench Collection includes books about software and machines in the Work Bench such as audio recording, video editing, and vector image drawing. Get your Work Bench badge, reserve equipment and use a book to learn at your own pace!
 
Leave a Comment for Your Library
 
Do you have feedback for your library? We’d love to hear from you. Your comments are always welcome and will be carefully considered.