Survey Results: Is Library eBook Use Growing?

Thanks to all who responded to our post last week asking about growth in eBook usage in your libraries. The eleven libraries represented saw a 30% increase in the circulation of e-materials from 2014 to 2015, an even higher percentage than OverDrive’s 24% overall increase. Although this was an unscientific study with a very small sample size, the results show that, at least for some of our libraries, library ebook adoption among our customers is increasing. Growing collections, catalog integration, and improved ease of use are likely contributors to the increase. Additional advancements like those advocated for by ReadersFirst, including library card signup and catalog integration of all e-content, and continued improvements to ebook licensing terms could further library ebook adoption in the future.

Sara Stephenson, St. Mary's County Library