Good e-Reader - Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at 12:29 PM
2018 Set New Records for Library eBook Lending
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If you haven’t borrowed an ebook from your local public library, it’s time to
catch up with the trend. For those readers who have borrowed an ebook,
especially in the past year, you’re part of a record-setting number of digital
adoptees who are accessing new content and keeping their local communities
supported with library usage.
OverDrive, the leading supplies of digital content to more than 43,000
libraries, released its findings for last year’s content consumption. For the
first time ever, 65 different library systems each loaned out more than one
million titles in the space of a year; one system, Harris County Public Library
in Texas, loaned out more than two million ebooks.
According to a statement from OverDrive, “A record 65 public library systems
each loaned over 1 million digital books to readers in 2018. Achieving this
level of reader engagement: 44 city or county library systems and 21 regional
or state consortiums. Seven libraries reached this million book milestone for
the first time. Notable prolific digital libraries for 2018 include Toronto
Public Library (5.6 million loans, an all-time high for any library) and the
National Library Board of Singapore, the top digital library outside North
America, with growth of 113% over 2017. The fastest growing digital library of
these 65 systems was Washington County Cooperative Library Services (OR), which
saw usage of their collection grow 146%.”
The benefits to digital lending are obvious. Increased access by a broader
range of users, convenience at touch-of-a-button checkouts, no late fees for
users or missing titles for libraries… the list goes on. More importantly,
ebook lending and other digital content have continued to keep libraries
relevant in the 21st century. These institutions have faced chopping
block-levels of budget constraints and patron decline for decades, and ebook
lending is one of many ways that libraries are meeting new tech needs in their
communities.
For a look at what titles were most popular among library patrons last year,
see OverDrive’s list of top ebook
checkouts<https://company.overdrive.com/2018/12/19/overdrive-announces-2018s-most-popular-ebooks-and-audiobooks-from-the-library/>.
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Mercy Pilkington<https://plus.google.com/101374221075515545414> is a Senior
Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid
publishing and consulting company.
https://goodereader.com/blog/digital-publishing/2018-set-new-records-for-library-ebook-lending
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info<http://WWW.DavidGoldfield.info>
