CoCo Library Reaches Record-Breaking 1 Million Digital Book Checkouts

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — The Contra Costa County Library announced Wednesday that it reached a record-breaking 1 million digital book checkouts in 2022. This milestone illustrates the continued growth and importance of library lending of eBooks, eAudiobooks and other digital content as well as the library’s success in serving all members of the community, the library said in a news release.

Contra Costa County Library is No. 47 of all standalone public libraries, one of 129 public library systems worldwide and seventh in California that surpassed 1 million digital checkouts last calendar year (complete list here).

Contra Costa County Library has been providing readers 24/7 access to eBooks and eAudiobooks for several years through the Libby app, the library reading app created by OverDrive. The large collection serves readers of all ages and interests, and reader usage has grown every year.

"This milestone demonstrates the important and evolving role libraries play in our communities," said Alison McKee, County Librarian at Contra Costa County Library. "While the world continues to adjust to the pandemic, our eBooks and eAudiobooks are an opportunity to safely and freely connect to the Library from wherever you are. Many who have not used a library in a long time are reconnecting to us via the richness of our digital materials."

The highest-circulating title Contra Costa County Library readers borrowed in 2022 was "The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave. The top-circulating genre, romance, represents the most popular in a vast catalog that also includes mystery, fantasy, children/young adult and more.

The top 5 eBook titles borrowed through Contra Costa County Library’s digital collection in 2022:
1. "The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave
2. "Portrait of a Thief" by Grace D. Li
3. "Apples Never Fall" by Liane Moriarty
4. "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" by V. E. Schwab
5. "The Guest List" by Lucy Foley

The top 5 eAudiobook titles borrowed through Contra Costa County Library’s digital collection in 2022:
1. "The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah
2. "The Guest List" by Lucy Foley
3. "The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave
4. "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens
5. "The Rose Code" by Kate Quinn

To access digital books, readers in Contra Costa County just need a valid library card and can use any major device (i.e. Apple, Android, Chromebook. Kindle.) To get started, readers can download the Libby app or visit ccc.overdrive.com/.