MARTINEZ, CA – Contra Costa County Library announced today that its patrons reached a new milestone: 1.9 million digital books borrowed in 2023. This achievement illustrates the library’s commitment to serving all members of the community in innovative ways, including with a large catalog of ebooks, audiobooks and other digital media.
Contra Costa County Library is #50 of all standalone public libraries and one of 152 total public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million digital checkouts in the last calendar year (complete list here).
Contra Costa County Library has been providing readers 24/7 access to ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, comic books and other digital content for several years through the award-winning Libby app, the library reading app created by OverDrive. The large collection serves readers of all ages and interests, and usage has grown throughout the years.
In addition, Contra Costa County Library offers thousands of movies and TV shows available through Kanopy, the leading video streaming service for public libraries. Viewers enjoyed hundreds of hours of content ranging from documentaries, children’s TV shows, instructional series and Academy award-winning films, all for free without ads.
“In the post-pandemic world, the largest segment of our cardholders are people accessing our digital materials,” said Alison McKee, County Librarian at Contra Costa County Library. “In 2023, we doubled our collection budget in an effort to get more materials in the hands of our readers, more quickly and more often.”
The highest-circulating title Contra Costa County Library readers borrowed in 2023 was Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. The top-circulating genre, romance, represents the most popular in a vast catalog that also includes thriller, mystery, fantasy, children/young adult and more.
The top 5 ebook titles borrowed through Contra Costa County Library’s digital collection in 2023:
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- Verity by Colleen Hoover
- Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
The top 5 audiobook titles borrowed through Contra Costa County Library’s digital collection in 2023:
- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
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, audiobooks and more 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 is a mission-based company that stands with libraries. Named a Certified B Corp in 2017, OverDrive serves tens of thousands of libraries and schools in over 100 countries with the industry’s largest digital catalog of eBooks, eAudiobooks, video and other content. Award-winning apps and services include the Libby library reading app, the Sora student reading app, Kanopy, the leading video streaming app for libraries and colleges, and TeachingBooks.net, which offers one of the largest catalogs of supplemental materials that enhance literacy outcomes. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is in Cleveland, Ohio USA. www.overdrive.com
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