DENVER (KDVR) — Libraries are bouncing back from the COVID pandemic’s reduced activity.
The Aurora Public Library had a 6% increase in book checkouts, a 12% increase in library visits and a 46% increase in new library cards in 2021. Library leaders say they’re now healthier in some metrics than before COVID started.
“For obvious reasons, in some categories such as library visits, we are not quite at pre-pandemic numbers, in others, such as program participation and digital checkouts, we are actually doing better than prior to the pandemic,” said Midori Clark, Director of Library and Cultural Services for the city of Aurora.
The library also shared information on the most popular items checked out in 2021.
From the physical collection, the most read books were, for teens “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” checked out 104 times, for fiction, and “I am Malala: How one Girl Stood up for Education and Changed the World,” checked out 52 times, for non-fiction.
For adults, it was “Where the Crawdads Sing,” checked out 259 times, for fiction, and “Educated: a Memoir,” checked out 121 times, for non-fiction. For children (juvenile), at the top of list were, for fiction, “Dog Man: Grime and Punishment,” checked out 574 times, and for non-fiction, “Minecraft: Guide to PVP Minigames,” checked out 103 times.
From the digital collection, the most read eBook was “The Four Winds: A Novel,” checked out 345 times. The most borrowed audiobook was “A Promised Land,” checked out 204 times.
The first three books of the “Harry Potter” series topped the list of most borrowed audiobooks by Aurora Public Library patrons via Hoopla, which is a free digital service for video, music, audiobooks and eBooks. Combined, the audiobooks were checked out 616 times. Also on Hoopla, the most checked out eBook was “The Duke and I,” checked out 85 times