Book Beat: Westchester Library System (and patrons) reach digital milestone
The Westchester Library System has announced that its patrons reached a new milestone – 1.6 million digital books borrowed in 2023.
This achievement illustrates the library’s commitment to serving all members of the community in innovative ways, including with a large catalog of e-books, audiobooks and other digital media. Consisting of more than 38 libraries in Westchester County, the library system is number 32 among all public library consortia and one of 152 total public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million checkouts last calendar year (See the complete list here.)
Westchester Library System member libraries have been providing readers 24/7 access to e-books, audiobooks, magazines, comic books and other digital content for several years through the award-winning Libby app, the library reading app created by OverDrive. The large collection serves readers of all ages and interests, with usage growing through the years.
The library system also offers thousands of movies and TV shows through Kanopy, the leading video streaming service for public libraries. Viewers have enjoyed hundreds/thousands of hours of content ranging from documentaries to children’s TV shows, instructional series and Oscar-winning films, all for free without ads.
“We are thrilled and overjoyed to have achieved the remarkable milestone of 1 million checkouts through OverDrive,” said Terry Kirchner, executive director of Westchester Library System. “This achievement holds particular significance as it allows us to stay current with the changing times and extend access to our digital services to patrons who might not have had this opportunity otherwise.”
The highest-circulating title library system readers borrowed in 2023 was “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus. The top-circulating genre, thriller, represents the most popular in a vast catalog that also includes romance, suspense, mystery, children/young adult and more.
The top five e-book titles borrowed through Westchester Library System’s digital collection in 2023 were:
1. “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
2. “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin
3. “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano
4. “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver
5. “Verity” by Colleen Hoover
The top five audiobook titles borrowed through Westchester Library System’s digital collection in 2023 were:
1. “Pretty Girls” by Karin Slaughter
2. “The Hotel Nantucket” by Elin Hilderbrand
3. “The Giver of Stars” by Jojo Moyes
4. “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5. “After That Night” by Karin Slaughter
Individuals who live, work, go to school or own property in Westchester County just need a valid library card to access digital books from Westchester Library System’s OverDrive-powered digital collection. Readers can use any major device, including Apple, Android, Chromebook and Kindle (U.S. only). Download the Libby app or visit https://westchester.overdrive.com/ to get started borrowing e-books, audiobooks and more anytime, anywhere.