Pierce County Library System announcement.
PIERCE COUNTY, Washington – January 13, 2022 – The Pierce County Library System announced today that it reached a record-breaking 1.9 million digital book checkouts in 2021. This milestone illustrates the continued growth and importance of library digital lending of e-books and audiobooks, especially after a prolonged period of building closures due to the global pandemic. Pierce County Library is one of 121 public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million digital checkouts (complete list here). More than 21,000 libraries provide e-books, audiobooks and other digital media through the award-winning Libby app.
Pierce County Library has been providing readers 24/7 access to e-books and audiobooks for more than a decade through Libby, the library reading app OverDrive created. Reader interest and usage has grown every year.
“Hurray to Pierce County residents for continuously downloading e-books and audiobooks more than one million times last year,” said Georgia Lomax, Executive Director at Pierce County Library. “Easily accessible reading continues to be vital during the pandemic. Reading is a perfect stress reducer and necessary relaxer, which we all know we need now more than ever.”
The most checked out title Pierce County Library readers borrowed in 2021 was “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah. The most checked out genre, romance, represents the most popular in a vast catalog, which also includes mystery, biography & autobiography, children/young adult and more.
The top five e-book titles borrowed through Pierce County Library’s digital offerings in 2021:
1. “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah
2. “Bridgerton Collection, Volume 1” by Julia Quinn
3. “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley
4. “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig
5. “A Time for Mercy” by John Grisham
The top five audiobook titles borrowed through Pierce County Library’s digital offerings in 2021:
1. “The Duke and I” by Julia Quinn
2. “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
3. “Cold Mourning” by Brenda Chapman
4. “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah
5. “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle
Readers in Pierce County just need a library card to access digital books from Pierce County Library’s OverDrive-powered digital collection. They may use any major device, including Apple(R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (U.S. only). Download the Libby app or visit https://piercecounty.overdrive.com/ to get started borrowing e-books and audiobooks anytime, anywhere.
About Pierce County Library System
The nationally acclaimed Pierce County Library System serves 634,000 people throughout Pierce County with 20 libraries and online services. The system is the fourth largest in the state and is funded primarily through property taxes. People may choose from more than one million books, e-books, audiobooks, movies and other materials. Pierce County Library is committed to directing services in three primary areas: learning, enjoyment and community connection. Its services and programs spark success for Pierce County residents. More than 2 million people visit Pierce County Libraries each year. The Library provides services and programs directly to people in adult care facilities, people who are homebound, and to children in childcare centers and schools. Pierce County Libraries are located at Anderson Island, Bonney Lake, Buckley, DuPont, Eatonville, Fife, Gig Harbor, Graham, Key Center, Lakewood, Milton/Edgewood, Orting, Parkland/Spanaway, Pierce County Library Administrative Center, South Hill, Steilacoom, Summit, Sumner, Tillicum and University Place. Pierce County Library is an independent municipal corporation and operates as a junior taxing district. piercecountylibrary.org facebook.com/PierceCoLibrary twitter.com/PierceCoLibrary
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
