Louisville Free Public Library Tops 1 Million Digital Checkouts in 2021

The Louisville Free Public Library topped 1 million loans of e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines in 2021 for the first time. Wikimedia Commons

The Louisville Free Public Library is one of 22 public libraries worldwide to loan more than one million e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines in a year for the first time.

All in all, according to a news release from OverDrive, a total of 121 public libraries and consortia reached that level in 2021, including libraries from 37 different U.S. states, plus countries such as Canada, Ireland, Germany, New Zealand and more.

Leading the profession for the ninth consecutive year is Toronto Public Library, achieving a new record of serving readers with nearly 10 million digital titles circulated. The strongest year-over-year circulation growth (73%) was accomplished by Verbund Öffntlicher Bibliotheken (VÖBB) Berlin, Germany. Los Angeles Public Library retained the #1 public library position in the U.S. for the third year in a row.

Contributing factors to this success include curation by librarians for each local market, reader delight using the Libby app, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, simultaneous community reading events, and public library-school connections.

"Librarians continued to innovate last year to serve a record number of readers with increased access and greater availability of digital materials," said Lori Franklin, OverDrive Chief Operating Officer, in the announcement. "Utilizing OverDrive Marketplace analytics and multiple lending models, librarians and teachers circulated over 500 million ebooks, audiobooks and magazines at a lower average cost per read."

The complete list of Million+ Circulation libraries can be found here. The top circulating digital ebooks, audiobooks and magazines can be found here.