Over the last three years, ebooks, audiobooks, and digital reading have skyrocketed! In 2023, a record number of 152 libraries across the continent exceeded 1M digital checkouts.This is a testament to peoples willingness to download digital content to their e-readers, tablets and smartphones via the Overdrive website or the Libby app for Android and iOS.
For the second year, Los Angeles Public Library topped the global list, achieving a new record of serving readers with more than 12 million digital titles circulated. MELSA: Twin Cities Metro eLibrary in Minnesota remains the highest circulating consortium. Houston Public Library in Texas experienced the highest year-over-year circulation growth (+57%). At the same time, Öffntlicher Bibliotheken (VÖBB) (Berlin, Germany) held the strongest growth for a library outside North America (+46%) for the third consecutive year.
23 library systems joined the million+ circulation status for the first time in 2023. These include Fresno County Public Library, Christchurch City Libraries (, Kent County Council and Vancouver Island Regional Library. In addition, students from four K-12 school systems in 2023 accessed more than one million digital books with Sora, OverDrive’s student reading platform.
The complete list of million+ circulation libraries can be found here. The top circulating digital ebooks, audiobooks and magazines can be found here.
Top 10 library systems circulating ebooks, audiobooks and digital magazines in 2023:
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- Los Angeles Public Library
- Toronto Public Library
- King County Library System (WA)
- National Library Board Singapore
- Harris County Public Library (TX)
- New York Public Library
- Multnomah County Library (OR)
- Seattle Public Library
- San Diego County Library
- Mid-Continent Public Library (MO)
Top 5 consortia circulating ebooks, audiobooks and digital magazines in 2023:
- MELSA: Twin Cities Metro eLibrary (MN)
- The Ohio Digital Library
- Wisconsin Public Library Consortium
- Tennessee READS
- Indiana Digital Library
Top digital-circulating library system by country in 2023:
- United States: Los Angeles Public Library
- Canada: Toronto Public Library
- Australia: South Australian Public Library Network
- New Zealand: Auckland Libraries
- United Kingdom: The Libraries Consortium
- Germany: Öffntlicher Bibliotheken (VÖBB)
- Singapore: National Library Board Singapore
23 library systems for the first time achieving million+ digital book circulation:
- Fresno County Public Library (CA)
- Marmot Library Network (CO)
- Library Connection, Inc. (CT)
- Alachua County Library District (FL)
- Fulton County Library System (GA)
- Media On Demand (IL)
- Lexington Public Library (KY)
- SAILS Library Network (MA)
- St. Charles City-County Library District (MO)
- Omaha Public Library (NE)
- Christchurch City Libraries (New Zealand)
- Kent County Council (United Kingdom)
- Monroe County Library System (NY)
- Chester County Library System (PA)
- Arlington Public Library (VA)
- Alameda County Library (CA)
- Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (Canada)
- Virtual Library of Wyoming
- Charleston County Public Library System (SC)
- Vancouver Island Regional Library (Canada)
- Surrey Libraries (Canada)
- Greater Victoria Public Library (Canada)
- Johnson County Library and Olathe Public Library (KS)
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.