Arkansas Digital Library Consortium announced recently that it exceeded its 2021 record-breaking one million digital book checkouts. In 2022, ADLC checked out over 1.3 million eBooks, audiobooks, and other digital media to library users in over 135 library locations around Arkansas. This milestone illustrates the continued growth and importance of libraries, as well as local libraries’ success in serving all members of the community. With 1.3 million checkouts, Arkansas Digital Library Consortium is #31 of all public library consortia worldwide, and one of 129 public library systems to surpass one million checkouts in 2022 (complete list here).
“These numbers are impressive, but not at all surprising,” said Jennifer Chilcoat, Director of the Arkansas State Library. “Libraries in Arkansas do so much to meet their users where they are, providing resources that are not only valuable but also tailored to the needs and interests of each individual.”
In addition to the great success of the consortium statewide, Calhoun County Library saw a 12% increase in circulation of both digital and print materials for the year. In 2022, Calhoun County residents read 5,367 books across all formats, age ranges, reading levels, and subjects.
The most popular adult book in our print collection was The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers; teens read the Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis more than any other title, and children most often chose the first volume of the Dog Man graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey. The most popular book digitally statewide was the Last thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, but the most popular digital title chosen by Calhoun County readers in 2022 was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
