In 2020, Wisconsin’s Digital Library, provided by a collaboration of all 16 of the state’s public library systems, broke records by lending nearly 7 million digital books and audiobooks. For each of the last six years, Wisconsin’s Digital Library has seen steady usage growth between 10% and 20%, highlighting the value of public library lending of ebooks and digital audiobooks. This year, with access to physical library buildings limited throughout the state and many school districts teaching students virtually due to the pandemic, the digital library’s importance to the residents of Wisconsin was even more clear. New users of the library jumped 30% and checkouts increased nearly 20% over 2019. Of the more than 100,000 titles in the collection, the digital audiobook of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling was the one that readers borrowed the most in 2020.
Readers in Wisconsin just need a valid library card to access digital books from Wisconsin’s Digital Library, powered by OverDrive, using any major device, mobile or desktop. Visit https://wplc.overdrive.com/, download the Libby app, or call West Bend Library to get started borrowing ebooks and audiobooks anytime, anywhere, for free.
Overdrive is now offering popular digital magazines. Because of the company’s acquisition of RBdigital, magazines supplied by ZINIO are now available through the OverDrive platform in the Libby app. All magazines are available for unlimited simultaneous use. Overdrive, the leading digital reading platform for libraries, strives to create “a world enlightened by reading,” and its Libby app for libraries is one of PCMagazine’s Best Free Software of 2019. Browse and check out the magazines on Overdrive – you will be pleasantly surprised at the variety offered. For questions, please call the West Bend Library’s Reference Desk at 262.335.5152 or email: libref@westbendlibrary.org.
A Note from Hannah:
The 2020 Monarch Library System Annual Report is here!
Last year, you checked out over two MILLION physical items from our member libraries. Over 300,000 ebooks and 200,000 more digital audiobooks were checked out by our 215k cardholders.
When the pandemic hit, we hit back with book talks, story walks, virtual storytimes and trivia programs, scavenger hunts, online gaming, video tutorials to help you use our online resources, and more. Between all our libraries, we gave out over 65,000 take and make craft kits - that's wild! If there's something you'd like to see us offer going forward, don't hesitate to let us know.
