Libraries are feeling the pinch of audiobook and ebook lending, especially for the largest branches. This has resulted in dozens of libraries to lower the number of titles a user can make. Earlier in the year, Seattle Public Library lowered the number of holds from 25 to 10. This past week, the Toronto Public Library has lowered the maximum number of holds that a reader can place in its digital reading platform, OverDrive and Libby, from 30 to 15.

The Toronto Public Library is one of the largest in Canada. Over the course of the past six years digital checkouts  have increased to more than 11 million from five million. The move to lower the number of hold was primarily due to the library observing an increase in holds placed and wait times for books.

Matt Abbott, the senior manager of collection development at Toronto Public Library said the average wait time after a reader places a hold on an ebook is two months and he hopes it can be shorter with the new limit in place. “We felt this was the best way to ensure customers get their ebooks in a reasonable amount of time,” Abbott said. He explained that an ebook license is modelled after a physical book — only one person can borrow it at a time. The library will purchase more copies of the ebooks if they see many holds placed on one copy. Abbott added that the library tries to keep the ratio to six holds for one copy but sometimes may not be able to meet the goal if it’s an expensive book.  “It was getting very difficult for us to keep those holds to copies ratios reasonable, which is why we put it down to 15.”

A couple of months ago Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County libraries also reduced the number of holds for audiobooks and ebooks from Libby from 20 to 10 and they reduced Hoopla borrows from 15 to 5 per month.

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