Top 50 public library system worldwide in total digital circulation
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Contra Costa County Library announced today that it reached a record breaking one million digital book checkouts in 2021.
This milestone illustrates the continued growth and importance of library digital lending of eBooks and eAudiobooks, especially after a prolonged period of building closures due to the global pandemic. Contra Costa County Library is one of 121 public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million digital checkouts (complete list here).
Contra Costa County Library has been providing readers 24/7 access to eBooks and eAudiobooks for several years through the award-winning Libby app, the library reading app created by OverDrive. Reader interest and usage has grown every year.
“This accomplishment demonstrates the important role libraries continue to play in our communities,” said Alison McKee, County Librarian at Contra Costa County Library. “While the world continues to navigate the pandemic, our eBooks and eAudiobooks are an opportunity to safely connect to the Library. Many others who have not used a library in a long time have discovered the richness of our digital materials and have made a renewed connection with the library via our OverDrive collection.”
The highest-circulating title Contra Costa County Library readers borrowed in 2021 was The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. The top-circulating genre, romance, represents the most popular in a vast catalog that also includes mystery, biography & autobiography, children/young adult and more.
The top 5 eBook titles borrowed through Contra Costa County Library’s digital collection in 2021:
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
- The Midnight Libraryby Matt Haig
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
The top 5 eAudiobook titles borrowed through Contra Costa County Library’s digital collection in 2021:
- A Promised Landby Barack Obama
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- The Lost Apothecaryby Sarah Penner
Readers in Contra Costa County just need a valid library card to access digital books from Contra Costa County Library’s OverDrive-powered digital collection. You can use any major device, including Apple(R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (U.S. only). Download the Libby app or visit https://ccc.overdrive.com/ to get started borrowing eBooks and eAudiobooks anytime, anywhere.
About Contra Costa County Library
With 26 community libraries, the Contra Costa County Library prides itself on bringing people and ideas together. Its primary goal is to provide access to high-quality services for the children, teens, and adults of Contra Costa County and to provide collections that meet the variety of educational, recreational, and cultural needs of the community.
About OverDrive
OverDrive strives to create “a world enlightened by reading.” Serving a growing network of 76,000 libraries and schools in 94 countries, OverDrive delivers the industry’s largest digital catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and other content through award-winning apps. The Libby reading app for libraries is one of Popular Mechanics’ 20 Best Apps of the Decade, the Sora student reading app is one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2019, and Kanopy is the leading streaming video service for libraries and colleges. Acquired in 2021, TeachingBooks.net offers one of the largest catalogs of supplemental materials that enhance literacy outcomes. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA and was named a Certified B Corp in 2017. www.overdrive.com
