Overdrive is the undisputed leader in facilitating e-Book and audiobook loans in libraries all over the world. The company has just announced that 105 million e-Books were loaned out globally, which is a 32% increase from 2013.
Libraries that do business with Overdrive loaned out 137 million digital assets in 2014, which is a 33% increase from 2013. This not only includes e-Books but audiobooks have been doing quite well with 32 million checkouts in 2014, a 38% increase from the same time last year.
Overdrive also shed some light on what devices proved to be the most popular when accessing content from the public library. The company facilitated a total of 401 million connections, which is a staggering figure. 43% were made on tablets, 36% on desktop and 21% on smartphones. Tablets and smartphones now account for 52% of all checkouts and 64% of all traffic in 2014.
When it comes to libraries purchasing digital content to loan out to patrons, Overdrive certainly isn’t the only game in town. 3M Cloud Library and Baker and Taylor are also forces to be reckoned with, but Overdrive has the largest market share. Smaller companies have disclosed to Good e-Reader over the years that they have an easier time pitching their content distribution system to libraries, if they already do business with Overdrive.
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.