MARTINEZ, Calif. – Contra Costa County Library announced today that it reached a record-breaking one million digital book checkouts in 2020. This accomplishment illustrates the continued growth and importance of library digital lending of ebooks and audiobooks, especially in a year with building closures due to the global pandemic. Contra Costa County Library is one of 102 public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million checkouts (complete list here).
Contra Costa County Library has been providing readers 24/7 access to ebooks and audiobooks for several years through OverDrive and its award-winning Libby reading app. Reader interest and usage has grown every year.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating this reading milestone with our patrons,” said Alison McKee, Interim County Librarian at Contra Costa County Library. “We are eager to serve members of the community wherever they are, and in these unique and challenging times we are proud to be able to expand our digital collection to do just that.”
The highest-circulating title Contra Costa County Library readers borrowed through OverDrive in 2020 was White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. The top-circulating genre, thrillers, represents the most popular in a vast catalog that also includes biographies, romance and children/young adult.
The top 5 ebook titles borrowed through Contra Costa County Library’s digital collection in 2020:
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
The top 5 audiobook titles borrowed through Contra Costa County Library’s digital collection in 2020:
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
Readers in Contra Costa County just need a valid library card to access digital books from the Library’s OverDrive-powered digital collection. Readers can use any major device, including Apple(R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (US only). Visit https://ccc.overdrive.com/ or download the Libby app to get started and borrow ebooks and audiobooks 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 65,000 libraries and schools in 84 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, while the student reading app Sora is one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2019. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA and was named a Certified B Corp in 2017. www.overdrive.com
