33% Growth for Digital Books from Public Libraries and Schools in 2020 Sets Records

CLEVELAND, Jan. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Librarians and educators achieved record levels of digital book circulation in 2020. Readers worldwide borrowed 430 million ebooks, audiobooks and digital magazines in the past 12 months, a 33% increase over 2019. This significant growth was influenced by the pandemic, social justice and remote learning. Data was reported by OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for 65,000 libraries and schools worldwide. Social unrest and widespread civil protests had a profound impact on the world and libraries expertly responded. Digital books about social justice and those written by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) or by a member of the marginalized community from which it depicts (Own Voices) experienced 165% YoY circulation growth. White Fragility, So You Want to Talk about Race, The Hate U Give and others became top 10 titles checked out during 2020. The most significant genre growth in 2020 was children's and YA fiction and nonfiction because of remote and hybrid learning. In addition, more than 2 million checkouts occurred through Public Library CONNECT partnerships and the Sora student reading app. More public library and school partnerships than ever enabled students to use their school credentials to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from both their school and local public library. 2020 digital book lending records from the OverDrive global network: