Missoula Public Library book budget

Let us know your thoughts on a book budget increase for the Missoula Public Library.

This request would fund an increase to the budget for books, eBooks and audiobooks at the Missoula Public Library. Investing in eBooks presents numerous benefits for libraries, including cost-effectiveness, accessibility, flexibility, space-saving, environmental sustainability, diverse content and data-driven decision making. By increasing the eBook budget, the Missoula Public Library can better meet the evolving needs and preferences of our patrons while maximizing the impact of our resources. The Capital Library Book Budget has not increased since at least 2019, so MPL is currently not meeting the demand of our library cardholders. The current ratio of print holds is 5:1, which means for every five Missoula holds that exist, we will purchase one circulating print copy. If we were to apply the 5:1 holds ratio to the top 10 eAudio and top 10 eBooks, it would cost approximately $20,000. If we increased our eBook and eAudio budget to meet the demand and apply the 5:1 holds ratio to all holds requests, that would cost closer to $90,000. Price between eBook and eAudio vary greatly depending upon which lending model is available from a publisher. MPL recommends increasing the Capital Library Book budget by $25,000 to improve access to the top 20 most popular eBooks and eAudio books.

Department: Missoula Public Library

Cost: $25,000

Type: Ongoing

Funding source(s): Property taxes

Commissioners will discuss this item at their administrative public meeting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9. Join the meeting in Room 206 of the County Administration Building, 199 W. Pine Street. You can also join the meeting virtually via Microsoft Teams. Visit http://missoula.co/bccmeetings(External link) to find the agenda and link to join.