San Jose Public Library drops Hoopla, its only app for free movies and music
The service ended Nov. 1. Libby still has eBooks and audiobooks, and county residents can get a free Santa Clara County Library card with Hoopla and Kanopy.
San Jose Public Library (SJPL) stopped offering Hoopla on Nov. 1, according to a service-change notice on the library's online resources page. Hoopla is an app that lets library cardholders borrow eBooks, audiobooks, comics, music, movies and TV shows instantly, with no waiting lists.
The loss is bigger than one app. SJPL's own help page calls Hoopla the only library service where patrons could get movies and music online. Unlike Libby, where a library buys a set number of copies and readers wait their turn, Hoopla charges the library each time someone borrows a title. SJPL said that pay-per-use model is why it capped each patron at six Hoopla checkouts a month.
The library's notice does not give a reason for the change. It is the latest in a series of cuts to SJPL's digital shelf: the library dropped the CloudLibrary eBook service on Aug. 31, citing budget reductions, and no longer subscribes to Total Boox. When CloudLibrary ended, SJPL said checkouts and borrowing history could not be moved to another app.
What SJPL still offers: eBooks, audiobooks and magazines through Libby and OverDrive; more than 250 streaming video courses through Libby's Great Courses collection; and the Palace app, which pulls eBooks from several vendors.
Residents who want streaming back have a free option. The Santa Clara County Library District, a separate system that serves cities such as Cupertino, Milpitas and Gilroy, issues instant eCards online to anyone living in Santa Clara County, including San Jose. Its Hoopla allows up to 10 titles a month, and its Kanopy film service gives 30 viewing tickets a month, resetting on the 1st. A full-use card requires photo ID and proof of address at a branch.
Source: San Jose Public Library online resources page, eBooks and eMedia FAQ and eBooks page; Santa Clara County Library District Hoopla, Kanopy and library card pages, checked Nov. 2, 2026.