The short answer: Kanopy decided to change.
The longer answer: this DOES make it a little easier for libraries to manage Kanopy.
Here’s your inside scoop:
The way Kanopy works, HPLD pays them per stream. BUT, not all streams are of equal cost. So, Patron A, who uses all of their credits under the current system, might rack up a $10 dollar cost. Patron B, who has different taste, might rack up a $20 dollar cost.
Where this gets tricky is that, with the old credit system, we can’t necessarily predict what our Kanopy cost is going to be on a given month. We have a range, but it can vary quite a bit depending on the selections you make, the mood you’re in.
With this new system, we still won’t always know exactly what the bill will come out to be, but we can set a ceiling on it. By buying tickets, which have a fixed cost for us, HPLD can be sure what we’re going to spend, at most, every month.
And what’s great about that is that we don’t have to cushion that budget, just in case someone decides to go on a Cult Horror Binge this month. Just say, for the sake of argument…
Instead of needing to leave ourselves a cushion, we can use that money for other things, for other services and collections.
Like I said, I’m not a big fan of change. But when the end result of the change is “more stuff,” I can learn to live with it.
Or, in the case of Day of the Dead: I can UNlive with it.
This change will happen November 1st!