Libraries boost circulation with digital magazines and newspapers
Libraries who have added OverDrive digital periodicals for their users have seen dramatic increases in their circulation numbers. OverDrive currently offers more than 1,000 popular digital magazines and newspapers including exclusive content like USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. These three popular newspapers, available digitally for library lending exclusively through OverDrive, have shown to drive circulation as they are simultaneously available for users and the latest editions are available to borrow several times per week.
Cleveland Public Library (CLEVNET) and Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) have seen spikes in both their circulation and patron numbers thanks to adding OverDrive Periodicals. CLEVNET’s average digital circulation count for the first four months after adopting OverDrive Periodicals was roughly 11 percent above its previous monthly high. During that same time period, they also saw thousands of more users borrowing from the digital collection compared to the preceding months.
Users enjoy the simplicity of having all their digital materials in one place. “The best thing about OverDrive Periodicals for our users is the convenience of having the content on the same OverDrive-powered website as other formats,” said Tish Lowrey, Cleveland Public Library Director of Technical Services. “It’s really one-stop shopping for many of our customers.”
The biggest draw for both CLEVNET and CCPL has been the exclusive content offered through OverDrive. “The most popular title Cuyahoga County Public Library customers use is The Wall Street Journal. We are happy to report that our customers’ usage of this resource has increased month over month. The Wall Street Journal is by far the most popular periodical title in our OverDrive collection,” said Daniel Barden, Technical Services Director, Cuyahoga County Public Library.
Providing your users the ability to borrow magazines and newspapers from your OverDrive-powered website reaches new segments of your community and increases circulation as they are quicker reads than most novels. Users can read multiple newspapers and magazines each day, resulting in dramatically increased circulation for your library, plus you don’t have to buy multiple copies of the titles as they’re available for simultaneous use.
Contact your OverDrive Collection Development Specialist or visit our Periodicals page to learn more about offering your users periodicals today.
OverDrive Periodicals are available for U.S. public, k-12 and academic libraries
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