Staffordshire libraries e-book service is continuing to gain popularity

Since the lockdown, e-book downloads have increased by over 100 percent and e-audio by around 80 percent with over 10,000 titles now available. Over 27,000 e-magazines and 145 e-comics have also been borrowed over a similar period.

Crime and thrillers remain popular choices amongst e-book readers, with writers like Lee Child, David Baldacci and Ann Cleeves continuing to be a huge hit. Children’s authors like David Walliams, J.K. Rowling and Jeff Kinney continue to be favourites amongst younger readers. Gill Heath, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Communities, said:

“Last year we boosted our e-book stock by 80% and it’s a good job we did as we’ve seen demand go through the roof since the lockdown.

“E-books, e-magazines and e-audio books have all become incredibly popular with record numbers out on loan.

“We continue to invest in new titles too, to keep up with demand. So whether it’s a weekly magazine, crime thriller, romance, comedy or an auto-biography you’re after, our e-book service will have something that fits the bill. And for children and teenagers there’s all the usual favourites available too for fun and home learning.” As well as the sharp rise in e-books activity, over 1,000 people have also applied online to become library members and more than 3,300 new people followed the Staffordshire Libraries Facebook page in only a few days.