By: Adam Sockel, OverDrive Social Media Specialist

At the end of each calendar year, we share a list of the highest circulating digital library collections from around the world. As the rise in digital reading (and listening) has grown, so has our “Million Checkout Club.” In 2015, 33 different library systems surpassed that magic number, the most ever in OverDrive’s history. Records are made to be broken, however, and 2016 is shaping up to another milestone-setting year as 50 library systems achieved 500,000+ checkouts in the first six months of the year with another 15 systems in range at more than 400,000 circulations through June. These libraries come from around the world with five representing Canada, two coming from New Zealand and Singapore, and the rest from the U.S.

The Million Checkout milestone is a great achievement, and has become a marketing tool for our library partners. For example, many boost their marketing efforts during the holidays to promote the service and reach that goal. Some neighboring libraries have even created friendly competitions to see who can circulate the most eBooks, audiobooks and other digital content. We love seeing these events, but let’s not wait until November to push for a million checkouts. Significant growth is occurring in many libraries during the summer months, so the time to start the push to maximize circulation is right now and we have the marketing resources to help you achieve your goals.

If you’re working on breaking records at your library, be sure to access our Resource Center often for printable marketing materials, social media posts and tips and tricks from our Training Team. Create new curated collections on your website to keep circulating your available content, and be sure to take advantage of our 30th Anniversary Sale to maximize your budget. If you have an “out of the box” idea, simply email your Account Specialist and they can help you execute it and hit your goals. We’ll continue to share the best ideas over the coming months.

Libraries of all sizes are on pace to create another record-smashing year in digital circulation and we want to make sure you’re on the list. Good luck!