Oklahomans in search of something new to read or listen to flocked to OK Virtual Library, a public library system that allows people to borrow e-books and audiobooks, in record numbers last year.
People checked out 1.14 million digital books in 2020 through OK Virtual Library, a consortium of libraries across the state, according to a news release from the digital content distributor OverDrive.
OK Virtual Library was one of 102 public library systems around the world to surpass the 1 million mark last year, according to the news release.
“This accomplishment illustrates the continued growth and importance of library digital lending of e-books and audiobooks, especially in a year with building closures due to the global pandemic,” the company said.
OverDrive’s Libby app allows people to access the OK Virtual Library’s collection.
Lawton Public Library participates in the OK Virtual Library system, which helps the local library expand its range of titles said director Kristin Herr.
“That just allows us to pool our money and our time so we can have the biggest selection for our customers,” she said Monday.
Herr said the Lawton library also offers Hoopla, another digital media service that allows patrons to borrow movies, audiobooks, e-books and other materials.
“Between these two databases, we have over 800,000 titles to choose from,” she said.
Herr said the library is working with local schools to make Over Drive more accessible to students.
POPULAR TITLES
The hottest titles that people borrowed from OK Virtual Library’s digital collection in 2020 were: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.
Blue Moon by Lee Child. The Guardians by John Grisham.
Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich.
The highest-circulating title was the audiobook version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.
Books by well-known authors like C.J. Box, Harlan Coben and John Grisham are always in demand among Lawton patrons using the service, Herr said.
“The current hot book is The Duke and I by Julia Quinn,” she said.
Herr noted that Netflix released the first season of Bridgerton, a TV series based on Quinn’s novels, in December.