Longmont Library’s consortium is on its way to reaching one million record-breaking digital checkouts this year.
The public library is part of the Flatirons Consortium with 10 other Front Range libraries, allowing residents to check out digital library materials. The milestone illustrates the continued growth of library lending ebooks, eAudiobooks and other digital media.
With more than 760,000 e-materials already checked out so far this year, the number of digital materials is expected to reach one million by the end of December, which would surpass the 971,645 digital materials checked out in 2021.
With just a library card, Longmont Public Library has provided readers with anytime access to eBooks and eAudiobooks for several years through the Libby app created by OverDrive. The large collection serves readers of all ages and interests with usage growing every year.
A 2021 Pew Research Center survey found that while the share of American print book readers and audiobook listeners remained unchanged from 2019, 30% of Americans report reading e-books, up from 25% in 2019.
The highest-circulating digital title checked out to local readers from Longmont Library this year is “Apples Never Fall” by Liane Moriarty with more than 600 checkouts so far. The New Yorker magazine has seen the second-most checkouts in the Longmont Library’s digital collection, followed by “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles, “The Last Thing He Told Me” by Laura Dave and “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
The “Great Course Collection,” a series of engaging and understandable lectures by esteemed professors, professionals and experts also received a high number of checkouts with close to 250 so far this year.
Longmont residents just need a valid library card to access the digital books and can use any major device to read, including smartphones, tablets and e-readers.
OverDrive serves more than 81,000 libraries and schools in 106 countries with the industry’s largest digital catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, video and other content.
