Public library sees surge in use of online materials

Checkouts using TumbleBooks — a children’s ebook service — increased by nearly 700 per cent

With local branches closed, people in Hamilton are reading more on their e-readers, phones and computers.

The city’s library system has seen a surge in demand for ebooks, audiobooks, video content and other resources while people are at home and physically distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve seen a huge growth in our online services,” said Paul Takala, CEO and chief librarian.

A digital usage report presented to the Hamilton Public Library (HPL) board Wednesday shows a “tremendous” increase in usage across digital resources during the six-week period after library branches closed.

From March 15 to April 25, there were 400,000 digital circulations — up 70 per cent from the same time last year.

There were nearly 160,000 checkouts using OverDrive, the free library service that allows those with a library card to borrow digital content like ebooks and audiobooks, representing a 50 per cent increase over last year.

“We’ve been helping a lot of people get access to ebooks and helping them figure out how to connect their devices,” he said.

Use of Kanopy, the library’s on-demand video streaming service, increased by 253 per cent, with more than 15,000 checkouts. Usage during this six-week period represents more than a third of all Kanopy checkouts last year.

The most significant increase was for TumbleBooks, the children’s ebook service, which grew by nearly 700 per cent, with 24,000 more uses than the same time last year.

Library use of PressReader and Lynda.com, an online learning platform, as well as the HPL database, also increased substantially.

WiFi at HPL branches has been left on during the pandemic, with the goal of serving those who may not have regular or reliable internet access. Over the six-week period, there were more than 10,000 connections.

Takala said while people are increasingly adopting digital practices, it won’t stop them coming in once libraries are able to open.

“We do know that people still want physical materials,” he said.

Hamilton Public Library will begin to offer curbside pickup at some of its branches starting sometime in June.

Pickup will be offered at designated locations and appointments will likely be required to ensure physical distancing.

Books and DVDs dropped off at the library will be placed under quarantine before returning to the system.

“It will slow down our circulation of materials,” he said. “But having that 72-hour quarantine at the beginning is a way of ensuring that no one has to worry ... that they’re going to be potentially in contact with the virus.”