DrWebJan 21

New Data From OverDrive: Libraries Break Digital Lending Records in 2025 with Over 820 Million Checkouts and Over 1 Billion Minutes Streamed – OverDrive

Editor’s Note: Thanks to Gary Price, infoDOCKET, at Library Journal. WP AI provided the featured image. –DrWeb

From OverDrive:

In 2025, libraries around the world continued to prove their essential role in connecting communities with stories, information, and entertainment, breaking new digital lending records in the process. As the need for flexible, on-demand access to books and media continued to grow, libraries expanded their digital collections to meet readers where they are, delivering record usage across ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines, and streaming video.

Using the Libby and Sora apps, readers borrowed more than 820 million digital titles worldwide in 2025, marking a 10.9% year-over-year increase and reflecting sustained engagement across public libraries, schools, and institutions. At the same time, academic and public libraries offering streaming video through Kanopy reached new heights, with 29.9 million plays and over 1 billion minutes streamed, reinforcing libraries’ expanding role in digital learning and entertainment.

This growth translated into meaningful milestones for library systems and readers alike. For the first time, more than 200 library systems, consortia, and school libraries surpassed one million digital checkouts, signaling both the scale of digital adoption and the trust communities place in libraries to provide equitable, cost-free access to high-quality content.

2025 digital lending records from the Libby and Sora global network:

  • Total digital checkouts from libraries and schools: 820.5 million (+10% YoY)
    • Ebooks borrowed: 379.4 million (+3%)
    • Audiobooks borrowed: 315.9 million (+13%)
    • Magazines borrowed: 125.1 million (+31%)
    • Comics borrowed: 55.7 million (+22%)
    • Adult titles borrowed: 520.4 million (7%)
    • Children and Young Adult titles borrowed: 174.6 million (+9%)
  • Public library checkouts: 737.6 million (+9%)
  • School checkouts: 63.4 million (+14%)
  • Libby installs: 9.8 million (+3%)
  • New Kanopy users: 3.6 million (+41%)

2025 streaming records from Kanopy:

  • Plays: 29.9 million (+8%)
  • Total minutes streamed: 1.05 billion (+10%)

Top Ten Ebooks by Digital Checkouts of 2025:

  • The Women by Kristin Hannah
  • The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
  • The Wedding People by Alison Espach
  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
  • Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
  • Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
  • The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  • Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
  • Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

    • Top Ten Audiobooks by Digital Checkouts of 2025:

  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
  • The Women by Kristin Hannah
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • The Crash by Freida McFadden
  • Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
  • The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
  • The Wedding People by Alison Espach
  • Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
  • The Tenant by Freida McFadden
  • The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

    • Top Ten Authors by Digital Checkouts of 2025:

  • Jeff Kinney
  • James Patterson
  • Freida McFadden
  • Sarah J. Maas
  • Lincoln Peirce
  • Rebecca Yarros
  • Dav Pilkey
  • Kristin Hannah
  • David Baldacci
  • Nora Roberts

    • Top 10 library systems circulating ebooks, audiobooks and digital magazines in 2025:

  • Los Angeles Public Library
  • Toronto Public Library
  • National Library Board Singapore
  • King County Library System
  • Harris County Public Library
  • Multnomah County Library
  • New York Public Library
  • San Diego County Library
  • The Free Library of Philadelphia
  • Seattle Public Library

    • Top 5 consortia circulating ebooks, audiobooks and digital magazines in 2025:

  • MELSA: Twin Cities Metro eLibrary
  • The Ohio Digital Library
  • Wisconsin Public Library Consortium
  • Indiana Digital Library
  • Maryland’s Digital Library

    • Top digital-circulating library system by country in 2025:

    • United States: Los Angeles Public Library
    • Australia: South Australian Public Library Network
    • Austria: Arbeiterkammer
    • Canada: Toronto Public Library
    • Denmark: eReolen Global
    • Germany: Verbund der Öffentlichen Bibliotheken Berlins (VÖBB)
    • New Zealand: Auckland Libraries
    • Singapore: National Library Board Singapore
    • Switzerland: Aubora OverDrive
    • United Kingdom: The Libraries Consortium

    18 library systems, consortia, and school libraries surpassing one million digital checkouts for the first time:

    • Gwinnett County Public Library
    • Prince George’s County Memorial Library System
    • Gold Coast Libraries
    • Akron-Summit County Public Library
    • Montgomery County Library District Consortium
    • Los Angeles Unified School District
    • Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections
    • Aubora OverDrive
    • Pinellas Public Library Cooperative
    • New Orleans Public Library
    • Loudoun County Public Library
    • Boobook
    • Deschutes Public Library
    • Central Arkansas Library System
    • Plano Public Library System
    • eReolen Global
    • Boise Public Library
    • CLAMS

    Read original article: Read More

    #2025Data #DigitalLendingRecords #GaryPrice #infoDOCKET #LibraryJournal #OverDrive #TopCirculatingLibraries #TopTenAudiobooks #TopTenEBooks
    DrWebJan 10

    Journal Article: Generative AI in Higher Education: A Bibliometric Review of Emerging Trends, Power Dynamics, and Global Research Landscapes

    The article linked below was recently published by Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence.

    Title

    Generative AI in Higher Education: A Bibliometric Review of Emerging Trends, Power Dynamics, and Global Research Landscapes

    Authors

    Kun Dai
    The Chinese University of Hong Kong

    Yabing Liu
    The Education University of Hong Kong

    Xiaofan Zhang
    The Chinese University of Hong Kong

    Source

    Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence
    Online: January 9, 2026

    Abstract

    The rapid evolution of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping higher education (HE), offering transformative opportunities for academic engagement while posing significant challenges to academic integrity, ethical frameworks, and global research power dynamics. This study maps the recent (2022-2025) research landscape of GenAI in HE through a bibliometric analysis of 2762 articles from the Web of Science Core Collection. Employing multipolarity as an analytical lens, this study examines the power dynamics within this research domain reflected by publication records from different countries (or regions). Findings highlight surging global interest in GenAI in HE, with contributions led by the US, China, and the UK, alongside rising participation from non-Western scholars and institutions. By identifying the major topics, this study uncovers a more nuanced trajectory of GenAI-related discourse in HE. By examining publication status, contributors, and research topics, this study provides insights for stakeholders navigating the complexities of GenAI integration into HE and suggests trajectories for future research in this rapidly evolving field.

    Keyword Co-Occurrence Networks Visualization Map Source:10.1016/j.caeai.2026.100544 1-s2.0-S0099133325001934-mainDownload PDF from here.

    See original article ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666920X26000056

    Read original article at InfoDocket: Read More

    #AIArticle #ComputersAndEducationArtificialIntelligence #GenAI #HigherEducation #HongKong #Impacts #infoDOCKET #January92026 #Research #ScienceDirect #ScienceDirect #UK #UnitedStates
    DrWebSep 25

    “With New Grant, “On The Books” Uses AI To Make Historical Records More Accessible” – UNC University Libraries

    With new grant, “On the Books” uses AI to make historical records more accessible

    A $765,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation funds three case studies that will develop best practices for using AI in archival work.

    September 25, 2025

    The University Libraries’ On the Books initiative is expanding its scope and exploring how artificial intelligence can make it easier to find and use materials from the archives.

    A $765,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation will support three case studies using AI to improve access to materials related to groups historically underrepresented in institutional collections. Previous grants from the Foundation allowed the University Libraries to investigate text mining and machine learning as a way to identify discriminatory language in historical statutes.

    “The Mellon Foundation’s generous support continues to help us apply new technologies to archival documents, and to advance our understanding of them as a result,” said Vice Provost for University Libraries and University Librarian María R. Estorino. “Using AI ethically and responsibly to make collections machine readable opens up research possibilities that go far beyond what an individual scholar or archivist could ever accomplish alone.”

    Read on to learn more about the next phase of On the Books: AI-Assisted Collections.

    Archives like Wilson Special Collections Library are a rich resource for learning about our past. But many archival materials are hard for users to locate and contextualize because they lack the transcriptions, descriptions or metadata that would make them easily searchable.

    Each case study in On the Books: AI-Assisted Collections brings together library experts and users to address this challenge. The Library team is working with two historians, as well as community stakeholders and other scholars, to find responsible and ethical approaches to using AI in the archives.

    • Historian Antwain Hunter researches firearm use by Black Americans in the antebellum South. He will work with a team to find relevant materials and transcribe them using AI, making them easier to use and access.
    • Historian Monica Martinez is an expert in civil and human rights. She will help with the development of textual datasets created from Texas statutes, which will then be used to identify Jim Crow and Juan Crow laws.
    • Community partners and scholars will help the team develop processes for using AI to create descriptions and metadata for historical photos of Black Americans’ everyday lives. That data will make it easier to find and understand those photos — especially for users with visual impairments.

    “All of these projects build on the same idea that has driven On the Books from the beginning,” said Head of Digital Research Services Amanda Henley, who is leading the project. “We want to identify thoughtful ways of using technology to expand access to information about communities that have historically been overlooked in archival records.”

    “This kind of work is only meaningful when it can be put to use,” says co-PI Matthew Jansen. “That’s why working with scholars is so important. We hope the real-world lessons from this project will eventually make it easier for other archives and researchers to use similar generative AI techniques with their own collections.”

    Continue/Read Original Article: https://library.unc.edu/news/with-new-grant-on-the-books-uses-ai-to-make-historical-records-more-accessible/ Referral Source: https://www.infodocket.com/2025/09/25/news-from-unc-university-libraries-with-new-grant-on-the-books-uses-ai-to-make-historical-records-more-accessible/

    #AI #AmandaHenley #artificialIntelligence #Collections #GaryPrice #HistoricalRecords #History #infoDOCKET #Libraries #NorthCarolina #TheUniversityOfNorthCarolinaAtChapelHill #UNCLibraries

    DrWebAug 21, 2025

    Special Libraries Association (SLA) and the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) Members Vote in Favor of Merger – InfoDocket

    Here’s the Full Text of the Announcement (via SLA; 8/21):

    The Special Libraries Association (SLA) and the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) today announced that their members have cleared the way for the organizations to merge.  SLA members voted overwhelmingly to accept the dissolution plan proposed by their Board of Directors. Separately, ASIS&T members resoundingly approved their Board’s proposal to welcome SLA members into their organization along with the Association’s remaining assets. These decisions clear the way for the two organizations to formally unite and build on their shared commitment to advancing the work of information professionals worldwide.

    The membership votes reflect a recognition of the evolving needs of the library and information profession, and the opportunity for SLA and ASIS&T to combine strengths to better serve their communities.

    “Thank you to the SLA membership for recognizing the merger with ASIS&T is the best option for SLA and preserving its 116-year legacy,” said Hildy Dworkin, President of SLA. “As SLA and ASIS&T move forward as one association, I know our combined strengths and dedicated members will have a greater impact on the library and information community for years to come.”

    Ian Ruthven, President of ASIS&T, said, “I am delighted that both ASIS&T and SLA memberships have voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining forces to create a united association. This is a significant development for library and information science and its future. In creating a global community of research and practitioners, this merger will provide a home for both internationally excellent research and its impact in practice. I look forward to working with all members of this new community.”

    The SLA Board of Directors developed the dissolution plan to provide a structured pathway for responsibly managing the organization’s resources and commitments. In combining with ASIS&T, this merger ensures the continuation of SLA’s mission while opening new opportunities for members through expanded programming, advocacy, and professional networks.

    Both associations are committed to transparent communication throughout the integration process, with regular updates and volunteer opportunities provided to members and stakeholders.

    Source

    Read original article: Read More

    #ASIST #AssociationForInformationScienceAndTechnology #infoDOCKET #SLA #SpecialLibrariesAssociation