As digital library lending continues to take root in public and school libraries, digital content solutions provider OverDrive has seen tremendous forward growth in the number of patron checkouts through libraries. Whereas it took the platform ten years to reach 100 million total checkouts, that number grew to 102 million checkouts in 2013 alone. This represents a 44% increase over last year alone.
OverDrive provided some key findings from data compiled over 2013:
- A 46% increase over 2012 in eBook checkouts (79 million)
- A 37% increase over 2012 in audiobook checkouts (22.9 million)
- A 147% increase over 2012 in mobile checkouts (49.5 million)
- More than 4.3 billion page views on OverDrive-powered library and school websites
- Mobile platforms now account for nearly 1/2 of all checkouts and 2/3 of all traffic
- Six of OverDrive’s standalone libraries facilitated more than one million digital checkouts from their individual collections
- Library and school websites had 193 million visits to their OverDrive digital catalog, 1 million more than 2012
- Discoverability increased to 1.8 billion in 2013, up from over 1 billion cover image impressions in 2012, giving readers countless options for “what to read next”
2014 will see OverDrive bring on support for enhanced ebook checkouts and other new features.
“This past year was a breakthrough year for OverDrive,” said Shannon Lichty, Director of Partner Services at OverDrive. “Through innovation and exemplary partner performance, digital reading is now more accessible and more prolific than ever. We are looking forward to additional enhancements in 2014 to create the ultimate streamlined experience and enhanced interactivity for users.”
UPDATE: The statistic “Library and school websites had 193 million visits to their OverDrive digital catalog, 1 million more than 2012” is incorrect. The correct statistic is, “Library and school websites had 193 million visits to their OverDrive digital catalog, up 107% from 2012.”
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.