Marin County Free Library to offer streaming service

MARIN, Calif. -- Patrons at the Marin County Free Library now have a new option for checking out audio books, movies, music and television shows: streaming service, library officials said Thursday.

Deputy Director Scott Bauer said the library joined up with the streaming service Hoopla, which is similar to Netflix or Hulu, and had a soft launch of the service on Oct. 1.

Patrons with an internet-connected computer or mobile device can sign up for Hoopla and either download titles or watch them on their computers, phones or tablets, Baeur said.

"We're eager to see how well it goes over with the public," Bauer said.

So far, Bauer the library has had about 1,000 downloads. Patrons can have access to the digital materials for three days to three weeks, depending on the type of media. There is an unlimited number of copies, so patrons never have to wait for a title, Bauer said.

The library didn't look at streaming services previously because not all residents have access to high-quality Internet connections, he said.

"We want to see how well this goes for people with great pipes and those who don't," Bauer said.

The library will still offer physical copies of DVDs, CDs, and audio books, one of the library's most popular services, Bauer said. Some of the media providers are phasing out hard copies of the items though, making it difficult to get up-to-date titles, Bauer said.

"The problem we're finding is that the actual publishers are starting to market them less and less," Bauer said.

For more information, visit the Marin library website.