Overdrive is the largest company operating in the digital library space the vast majority of branches do business with them. They have just announced that in 2017 there were 155 million ebook loans, which was an increase of 11% from 2016 and there was 68 million audiobook loans. There was 59 libraries that loaned out over 1 million titles, 14 that had 2 million checkouts, seven over 3 million, and two over 4 million.
OverDrive’s catalog for libraries reached record levels, topping 4 million titles in more than 100 languages. In addition, libraries continue to engage more readers with curated lists and personalized recommendations. Overdrive is basically in every major market in the world now.
Most popular audiobooks borrowed from libraries in 2017
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- The Whistler by John Grisham
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- Night School by Lee Child
Most popular eBooks borrowed from libraries in 2017
- The Whistler by John Grisham
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling and John Tiffany
- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
- Night School by Lee Child
Top digital books borrowed from libraries by genre:
- Adult nonfiction eBook: What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Adult fiction eBook: Origin by Dan Brown
- Young adult fiction eBook: The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti (an OverDrive Big Library Read selection)
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.
