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Orange County library system reaches 1.7M ebook and audiobook checkouts in 2020

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“An educated community is an empowered community, and I can't think of a better way for people to empower themselves than through reading." - Mary A. Hodel

From the Orange County Library System

Orange County Library System (OCLS) announced this month that it reached a record-breaking 1.7 million digital book checkouts in 2020. This accomplishment illustrates the continued growth and importance of library digital lending of ebooks and audiobooks, especially in a year with building closures due to the global pandemic. OCLS is one of 102 public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million checkouts (complete list here).

OCLS has been providing readers 24/7 access to ebooks and audiobooks for several years through OverDrive and its award-winning Libby reading app. Reader interest and usage has grown every year.

"It's such an honor to be part of this list once again,” said Mary Anne Hodel, Library Director and CEO of Orange County Library System. “An educated community is an empowered community, and I can't think of a better way for people to empower themselves than through reading. Thank you to the dedicated ebook and audiobook lovers in our community who helped us reach this milestone."

The highest-circulating title OCLS readers borrowed through OverDrive in 2020 was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. The top-circulating genre, romance, represents the most popular in a vast catalog that also includes thrillers, biographies and children/young adult.

The top 5 ebook titles borrowed through Orange County Library System’s digital collection in 2020:

1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

2. The Guardians by John Grisham

3. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

4. Becoming by Michelle Obama

5. Educated by Tara Westover

The top 5 audiobook titles borrowed through Orange County Library System’s digital collection in 2020:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

3. Becoming by Michelle Obama

4. Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

Readers in Orange County just need a valid library card to access digital books from OCLS’s OverDrive-powered digital collection. Readers can use any major device, including Apple(R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (US only).

Visit https://ocls.overdrive.com/ or download the Libby app to get started and borrow ebooks and audiobooks anytime, anywhere.

The Orange County Library System is a public library system that operates 15 locations in Orange County, Florida. Its mission is to add to the quality of life in the community by creating a learning environment and experiences that foster personal growth and development, so people can learn, explore and become the best that they can be. For more information about the Orange County Library system, visit ocls.info.

OverDrive strives to create “a world enlightened by reading.” Serving a growing network of 65,000 libraries and schools in 84 countries, OverDrive delivers the industry’s largest digital catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and other content through award-winning apps. The Libby reading app for libraries is one of Popular Mechanics’ 20 Best Apps of the Decade, while the student reading app Sora is one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2019. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA and was named a Certified B Corp in 2017. www.overdrive.com

Access, audiobooks, Books, ebooks, Orange County Public Library System, Top 5

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