Tag Archives: Indiana Digital Library

Indiana Digital Library users borrow 6.6 million digital books in 2023

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The Indiana Digital Library has announced that its patrons reached a new milestone: 6.6 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. Indiana Digital Library is ranked fifth of all public library e-book consortia and one of 152 total public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million checkouts last calendar year. View a complete list here.

Indiana Digital Library member libraries have been providing readers continuous 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, and usage has grown throughout the years. Some of the member libraries include Plainfield-Guildford Township Public Library, Perry County Public Library, Whiting Public Library, Brownstown Public Library and Berne Public Library.

“The Indiana Digital Library has, once again, exceeded expectations. The consortium is beyond thrilled to have reached the one million digital book checkout milestone for the second consecutive year,” said Jacob Speer, Indiana State Librarian. “The State Library will continue to support the Indiana library community’s collaborative effort to bring e-book access to the public while saving taxpayer funds.”

The highest-circulating title Indiana Digital Library readers borrowed in 2023 was “It Starts with Us” by Colleen Hoover. The top-circulating genre, romance, represents the most popular in a vast catalog that also includes thriller, suspense, children and young adult, mystery and more.

The top five e-book titles borrowed through Indiana Digital Library’s digital collection in 2023:

  • “It Starts with Us” by Colleen Hoover.
  • “Verity” by Colleen Hoover.
  • “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover.
  • “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus.
  • “Spare” by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex.

The top five audiobook titles borrowed through Indiana Digital Library’s digital collection in 2023:

  • “False Witness” by Karin Slaughter.
  • “A Darker Shade of Magic” by V. E. Schwab.
  • “It Starts with Us” by Colleen Hoover.
  • “The Coworker” by Freida McFadden.
  • “Happy Place” by Emily Henry.

Residents of Indiana only need a valid library card from a member library to access digital books from Indiana Digital Library’s OverDrive-powered digital collection. Readers can use any major device, including Apple®, Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle®.

Download the Libby app, or click here, to get started borrowing e-books, audiobooks and more anytime, anywhere.

Recently, Speer was in studio for an interview with WISH-TV in Indianapolis, in which he discussed the Indiana Digital Library. Click here to view the interview.

OverDrive is a mission-based company that stands with libraries. Named a Certified B Corp in 2017, OverDrive serves tens of thousands of libraries and schools in over 100 countries with the industry’s largest digital catalog of e-books, audiobooks, video and other content. Award-winning apps and services include the Libby library reading app, the Sora student reading app, Kanopy, the leading video streaming app for libraries and colleges and TeachingBooks.net, which offers one of the largest catalogs of supplemental materials that enhance literacy outcomes.

This post was written by John Wekluk, communications director at the Indiana State Library.

Indiana Digital Library, Indiana’s new statewide e-book consortium, launched

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The Indiana State Library has announced the formation of a new statewide e-book consortium, the Indiana Digital Library, that launched on March 1. Nearly 200 public libraries in the state will all share the OverDrive platform to create a statewide consortium of e-books and magazines. This new consortium – made up of libraries that serve populations under 150,000 – will benefit libraries, taxpayers and library users. Patrons of consortium member libraries will have the ability to borrow materials from both their own library’s collections and the member library collections. The State Library is paying the platform fees for the consortium and 100% of the member libraries’ fees will be spent on materials.

A volunteer library team will also assist with collection development for libraries and will help ensure the efficient usage of the consortium’s funds. Libraries may either purchase titles for their collection on their own or may chose to assign their funds to the collection development team.

The new Indiana Digital Library consortium will be a great service and benefit to Indiana libraries and the customers of Indiana libraries. This collaboration is a great example of Indiana libraries working together to provide high quality services to library users.

More information about the consortium may be found on the consortium’s website.

Additionally, users of the OverDrive app should be aware that, as of Feb. 23, the app is no longer available for download from the Apple App Store, Google Play or the Microsoft Store. Moving forward, Libby will be the primary way for users to enjoy OverDrive’s digital library and the name OverDrive will refer to the company that provides libraries with the digital reading platform. The current OverDrive app will remain in use until the end of 2022 when users will be migrated to the Libby app.

Click here to read more about the transition from the OverDrive app to the Libby app.

This blog post was written by Jacob Speer, Indiana State Librarian.