Two Washington libraries are in OverDrive’s 2013 Million Digital Checkouts Club. The King County Library System (KCLS) actually led the way with the most OverDrive digital checkouts of any library system worldwide! Seattle Public Library (SPL) was also in the club, at position number 6. OverDrive recently published the numbers (see below) on their blog.

OverDrive is a vendor which libraries frequently use to provide access to downloadable digital content, especially eBooks and eAudiobooks. Here are the 2013 members of OverDrive’s Million Digital Checkouts Club:

• King County Library System (WA): 1.6 million (25% increase over 2012)
• Toronto Public Library (ON): 1.5 million (68% increase over 2012)
• New York Public Library (NY): 1.2 million (16% increase over 2012)
• Hennepin County Library (MN): 1 million (41% increase over 2012)
• Cleveland Public Library (OH): 1 million (32% increase over 2012)
• Seattle Public Library (WA): 1 million (22% increase over 2012)

Last year, only two libraries broke the 1 million mark in digital circulation, but the number one both years was KCLS. We posted the top five for 2012 here on the blog last March. SPL was number 4 in 2012.

Here at the Washington State Library we also have the privilege of managing an OverDrive consortium for a group of smaller libraries, most of whom could not afford to offer this service to their patrons on their own. Going in together, these 39 libraries provide the Washington Anytime Library, also powered by OverDrive, and partially subsidized with federal LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) funds administered by IMLS (The Institute for Museum and Library Services). The group calls itself the Washington Digital Library Consortium (WDLC).

The 39 WDLC libraries serve a combined population of 725,362 which is less than King County’s 1,362,870, but more than Seattle’s 616,500. But, the group has a way to go to make it into the same league as KCLS and SPL, at least in terms of digital checkouts. In 2013, the Washington Anytime Library had 380,000 checkouts, compared to 216,000 in 2012. Still, that’s a 76% annual increase, compared to the 22-25% increases shown by the larger systems. So look out big guys, the WDLC is on your tail!

Congratulations to all of these libraries for staying relevant by offering eBooks and eAudiobooks to their eager patrons, who love to read, whether in digital formats, or in traditional print. It will be fascinating to track how these numbers continue to increase in years to come!

OverDrive, one of the most popular public library eBook and eAudiobook vendors, recently announced its “Library eBook Leaders” for 2012. Two Washington libraries ranked in the top 5!

King County Library System (KCLS) was Number 1 in eBook and other digital title circulation, with Seattle Public Library (SPL) not far behind, in the Number 4 spot. Here’s a listing of the top 5, with the circ numbers:

1. King County Library System, Wash. (1.3 million checkouts)

2. New York Public Library (1.1 million checkouts)

3. Toronto Public Library (900,000 checkouts)

4. Seattle Public Library (850,000 checkouts)

5. Hennepin County Library, Minn. (750,000 checkouts)

Congratulations to KCLS & SPL for leading the North American continent in eBook circulation!

Recently the Washington Anytime Library celebrated the addition of its 30th member library to the group. The Grandview Library became library number 30, meaning that almost half the state’s 62 public library entities are now members of the Washington Anytime Library!

The Washington Anytime Library provides a substantial collection of downloadable eBooks and audiobooks to its patrons. The Anytime Library is the cooperative effort of a consortium of Washington public libraries, coordinated by the Washington State Library. A list of participating libraries is available on the Anytime Library’s web site.

Congratulations to Grandview Library, and to the Washington Anytime Library for providing this valuable service to library users throughout the state!

This project is funded in part through the use of LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) funds provided under the auspices of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the coordinating efforts of the Library Development Program at the Washington State Library. Additional funding comes from the participating libraries.

Other Washington libraries provide similar services to their patrons. A list of libraries offering downloadable  audiobooks is available on the project website.

Questions about the project may be directed to Will Stuivenga, Cooperative Projects Manager, Washington State Library.

Volume 6, October 28, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FIRST TUESDAYS – ROMANCE READERS’ ADVISORY

2) VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR DAILY OLYMPIAN INDEXING

3) SCHOLARSHIP MONEY AVAILABLE FOR FUTURE LIBRARIANS

4) LIS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE DIRECTORY

5) DIGITAL HUMANITIES START-UP GRANTS

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Volume 6, September 23, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) NEW DIGITAL COLLECTION – KIONA-BENTON CITY HERITAGE

2) 2009 WASHINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY STATISTICAL REPORT

3) THERE’S STILL TIME TO TAKE THE SURVEY

4) SPARKS! IGNITION GRANTS

5) GREAT STORIES CLUB GRANTS FROM ALA

6) MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA GRANT PROGRAM

7) AMIGOS ANNOUNCES WESTERN RESOURCE SHARING AGREEMENT

8) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Sue Polanka of No Shelf Required interviews Ebsco’s Senior Director of Sales for eBooks and eAudiobooks for NetLibrary, Scott Wasinger. The interview cover changes to NetLibrary and how it will integrate into the Ebsco interface.

“Scott and I discussed how EBSCO is implementing the NetLibrary content into the existing EBSCOhost interface, what changes we can expect to see with the Netlibrary interface, new plans for business models, and how the input from librarians is helping them to shape the future of NetLibrary.”

Check out the story at No Shelf Required. Click on the first link (Scott’s name) to open / download the interview, which is a 20MB mp3 file. The interview itself is about 20 minutes long.

While you’re in the mood, check out our nifty statewide eaudiobooks project.

Volume 6, September 9, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) APPLY FOR A POSITION ON THE LIBRARY COUNCIL OF WASHINGTON

2) REF22 PRESENTS CHAT REFERENCE WITH TEENAGERS

3) HANDS-ON EAUDIOBOOK ORIENTATION SESSIONS

4) IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER FOR EARLY LEARNING SYMPOSIUM

5) MY SKILLS MY FUTURE

6) ALCTS RDA E-FORUM

7) YOURS, MINE, OURS – LEADERSHIP THROUGH COLLABORATION

8) FREE ONLINE TRAINING NEXT WEEK

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Volume 6, May 13, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) MARKETING 101 – PR FOR NON-PROFESSIONALS

2) HOW VALUABLE IS YOUR LIBRARY?

3) MORE TRAINING FOR DOWNLOADABLE AUDIOBOOKS

4) WEBINAR EXPLORES BENEFITS OF PUBLIC INTERNET ACCESS

5) REVISED STANDARDS FOR SERVICE TO YOUNG ADULTS

6) TRENDS IN TEEN LIT – THE INDEPENDENT VIEW

7) DIGITAL PHOTO MANAGEMENT FOR LIBRARIES

8) THE FUTURE IS MOBILE – IS YOUR LIBRARY READY?

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Evidently neither OCLC nor EBSCO have any problems with secrets leaking out from their companies, because this comes as a huge shock (and us just getting our big statewide NetLibrary thing going)! Basically it looks as though OCLC is moving away from owning/reselling content, and instead focusing more on providing access to other people’s content (a good move, I think).

Library Journal has a good paragraph regarding OCLC’s position in this:

“It’s a strategic repositioning from hosting and reselling content to building WorldCat out as a platform that libraries can use to manage and provide access to their entire collection,” including ebooks and articles, said OCLC VP Chip Nilges in an interview with LJ. It’s also “part of a broader effort to “provide comprehensive coverage” of ebooks in WorldCat,” said Nilges. “We have an agreement with Google Book Search to link to books in WorldCat; we have a similar agreement with Hathi Trust. We’re in hot pursuit of many different providers.”

EBSCO, meanwhile, has furthered their attempt at domination of the content market, also buying 15 vendor-owned databases that were once a part of FirstSearch.

Lots more info via the press release on PRWeb.

eBooks (and eReaders) have been getting a ton of press over the past couple months, and I have a feeling that they will continue to do so throughout the year. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is happening in Vegas right now, and a lot of the buzz coming out is about ebooks and readers. In case you haven’t been paying attention, though, I’d like to highlight some of my favorite articles and thoughts on ebooks to date and for the coming year.

First, and you’ve probably read parts of this, Sherman Alexie was interviewed for Mother Jones, and he has some particular remarks about a particular ebook reader that are quite risqué. I won’t reprint them here, but the entire interview is worthwhile and available at motherjones.com.

Robert Darnton gives his case for books at Publisher’s Weekly, and says the following about ebooks:

“I want to write an electronic book. Here is how my fantasy takes shape. An “e-book,” unlike a printed codex, can contain many layers arranged in the shape of a pyramid. Readers can download the text and skim the topmost layer, which will be written like an ordinary monograph. If it satisfies them, they can print it out, bind it (binding machines can now be attached to computers and printers), and study it at their convenience in the form of a custom-made paperback. If they come upon something that especially interests them, they can click down a layer to a supplementary essay or appendix. They can continue deeper through the book, through bodies of documents, bibliography, historiography, iconography, background music, everything I can provide to give the fullest possible understanding of my subject. In the end, they will make the subject theirs, because they will find their own paths through it, reading horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, wherever the electronic links may lead.”

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