By Kathy Chouteau
Contra Costa County Library has announced it reached a record-breaking one million digital book checkouts in 2022.
The library said it was #47 of all standalone public libraries, one of 129 public library systems worldwide and seventh in California to exceed one million digital checkouts last year. It offers 24/7 access to eBooks and eAudiobooks via its Libby app, which is its reading app available via OverDrive. Reader usage has risen each year and the library serves community members of all ages and interests.
Alison McKee, County Librarian at Contra Costa County Library, said that the milestone “demonstrates the important and evolving role libraries play in our communities.” She added that the library’s eBooks and eAudiobooks offer a chance to safely and freely connect to the library wherever you are. “Many who have not used a library in a long time are reconnecting to us via the richness of our digital materials.”
Along with news of its milestone, the library shared that the highest-circulating title that local readers borrowed from it in 2022 was The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave and that its most popular genre—amid a “vast catalog”—was romance. The library also shared the top five eBooks and eAudiobooks borrowed from it last year.
The top five eBook titles/2022:
1. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
2. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
3. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
4. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
5. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The top five eAudiobook titles/2022:
1. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
2. The Guest List by Lucy Foley
3. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
4. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
5. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Contra Costa County readers require a valid library card to access digital books from the library’s Libby app. Download the app via Apple(R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (U.S. only, per the library) or click here. Learn more about Contra Costa County Library by clicking the link.
