Mendocino County library patrons who utilize the library’s free services to stream movie classics or learn how to speak another language will soon lose access to those services, county library officials said this week.
The Mendocino County Library, which manages six locations and a bookmobile, in July will end subscriptions to streaming services Hoopla and Kanopy, which offer access to e-books, movies, music, comics, audiobooks and television shows.
Patrons wanting to learn a foreign language will have to look elsewhere when the library ends its subscription to Pronunciator and ProCitizen in November.
And nonprofits and artists that use the GrantFinder tool to find grant opportunities to support their work will also be out of luck — the library will end access to that tool also in November.
Library officials said they will stop offering these services due to an anticipated decrease in revenue.
The cost of operating continues to increase, while Measure O revenue is expected to decrease. Measure O passed in 2022 to provide the library funding via a countywide quarter-cent sales tax.
“Please know that that decision was not made lightly,” said county librarian Mellisa Hannum, “It was deemed necessary to ensure that the library continue to be a good steward of taxpayer funds and can maintain other essential service and resources for our community.”
Patrons can access myriad free services through their library cards, including digital books and media. These digital services can especially benefit low-income and homebound patrons, who may have limited access to pricey steaming services or inability to visit the library to rent books and movies.
According to the library, e-Book and audiobook providers Libby, Enki, and The Palace Project; children’s educational service Capstone Interactive; and dance, music and theater media service Alexander Street will continue to be offered.
More information about the digital services currently offered by Mendocino County Library is available on the library’s website.
This story originally appeared in The Mendocino Voice.