Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Subscriber Login
My Profile
SpotlightNews
  • Home
  • News
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Crime
    • Discover-Towns
      • Discover Coeymans Selkirk and Feura Bush
      • Discover Delmar
      • Discover Glenmont
      • Discover Guilderland
      • Discover Latham and Boght
      • Discover Loudonville
      • Discover Menands
      • Discover Slingerlands
      • Discover Village of Colonie
      • Discover Voorheesville and New Scotland
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • The Spot 518
    • Galleries
    • Food and Recipes
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
  • Classifieds
    • Employment – Hire Power
    • Services In the Spotlight
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber login
    • Give the gift of news
    • Join us – subscribe today
    • Newsletter sign up
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Crime
    • Discover-Towns
      • Discover Coeymans Selkirk and Feura Bush
      • Discover Delmar
      • Discover Glenmont
      • Discover Guilderland
      • Discover Latham and Boght
      • Discover Loudonville
      • Discover Menands
      • Discover Slingerlands
      • Discover Village of Colonie
      • Discover Voorheesville and New Scotland
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • The Spot 518
    • Galleries
    • Food and Recipes
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
  • Classifieds
    • Employment – Hire Power
    • Services In the Spotlight
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber login
    • Give the gift of news
    • Join us – subscribe today
    • Newsletter sign up
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Spotlight News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Community

BETHLEHEM LIBRARY: The Most Borrowed of 2020

Kristen Roberts by Kristen Roberts
December 31, 2020
in Opinion, Our Opinion
Reading Time: 3 mins read

As the coronavirus pandemic turned the world upside down, borrowing habits at Bethlehem Public Library shifted to reflect a new reality. Last spring, with our doors closed and curbside pickup not yet available, demand and use of our digital materials understandably skyrocketed, and we quickly added additional resources, such as the new on-demand service Hoopla, to cut down on wait times.

Even as we are able to bring back physical checkouts, use of our digital services remains strong, showing an increase of more than 38 percent over the past year.

And yet with all of the changes in how we get library items to our patrons, one thing remains constant: Bethlehem loves to borrow.

And what did you love borrowing in 2020? Read on for some of Bethlehem Public Library’s most-loved loans of the past year.

When it comes to physical books, the most borrowed novel of 2020 was the sweeping family saga “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett. A very close second was last year’s top novel “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. In non-fiction, these three titles rose to the top: “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” by Mary Trump; “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover; and “The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz” by Erik Larson.

The buzz surrounding “Two Can Keep a Secret” by Karen McManus helped make this novel about small-town secrets and suspense the most borrowed YA title of 2020. For children’s books, Dog Man was back with “Dog Man: Fetch-22” by Dav Pilkey taking the top spot.

Bethlehem’s most borrowed DVD of 2020 was “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and gamers checked out the Nintendo Switch title “MarioKart 8” more than any other videogame title.

Some of our Library of Things items were taken out of circulation in 2020 as a pandemic precaution, but those that did go out the door most frequently – laptop computers and WiFi hotspots – reflected the need in our community for digital access as work, school and many aspects of daily life went online.

When it comes to e-books, our top borrows reflect similar trends as the physical books with “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “The Dutch House” once again rising to the top for fiction and “Educated: A Memoir” coming in first for non-fiction. In a departure from its physical counterpart, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins was the most-borrowed digital YA title. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling had the most checkouts for children’s e-books and was also the most-borrowed digital audiobook.

Digital magazines, available through OverDrive and Flipster, were a popular distraction in 2020, with People, US Weekly and The New Yorker the most popular of all among Bethlehem patrons.

The library’s streaming video services through Hoopla, Kanopy and OverDrive made high-quality shows and films available without the need to venture from the comfort and safety of home. Most-streamed in 2020 was “Stash Short Film Festival: Comedy” (everyone needed a laugh) and “Force Majeure,” both available through Kanopy. Topping off the children’s streaming titles was the ever-popular “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.”

While we don’t know what the next year will bring, one thing remains certain: Our borrowers know what they love, and we can’t wait to see what tops the list in 2021.

To check out one of these most-borrowed titles for yourself, visit www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org and search the catalog or click on the eContent button on the homepage to download or stream digital content.

Holiday Hours

The library will be closed Friday, Jan. 1, for New Year’s Day. We’ll also be closing at 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31. Happy New Year!

— Kristen Roberts

Tags: Bethlehem Library
ShareTweetShareShare
Previous Post

Shaker High hosts Blowup Bonanza (w/photo gallery)

Next Post

646 new cases and five deaths over two days in Albany County

Leave Comment

Stay Connected with Us

Recent News

Bubbles are blown during a Vigil of Hope held at Shaker High School for teacher Meghan Marohn, who has been missing since March 27.


Jim Franco / Spotlight News

Shaker High hosts a Vigil of Hope for Meghan Marohn (w/photo gallery)

May 17, 2022
Photo/Albany Diocese

Former St. Thomas Priest and National Boy Scout Chaplain Father Gregory Weider placed on Albany Diocese list of credibly accused

May 15, 2022
Submitted photo

All winners at High School Musical Theatre Awards

May 15, 2022

BCSD school board candidate: John Walston

May 14, 2022

Hot Stories This Week

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Photo/Albany Diocese

Former St. Thomas Priest and National Boy Scout Chaplain Father Gregory Weider placed on Albany Diocese list of credibly accused

May 15, 2022

BCSD school board candidate: Douglas Lloyd

May 14, 2022

BCSD school board candidate: John Walston

May 14, 2022

Three candidates running for North Colonie BOE

May 11, 2022
Bubbles are blown during a Vigil of Hope held at Shaker High School for teacher Meghan Marohn, who has been missing since March 27.


Jim Franco / Spotlight News

Shaker High hosts a Vigil of Hope for Meghan Marohn (w/photo gallery)

May 17, 2022
Photo/Albany Diocese

Former St. Thomas Priest and National Boy Scout Chaplain Father Gregory Weider placed on Albany Diocese list of credibly accused

May 15, 2022
Submitted photo

All winners at High School Musical Theatre Awards

May 15, 2022

BCSD school board candidate: John Walston

May 14, 2022
Spotlight News

Spotlight News, The Spot 518 and Capital District Family Now are divisions of Community Media Group, LLC. Our local offices are located at 341 Delaware Ave, Delmar, NY 12054. You can contact us at 518.439.4949.

Browse

Follow Us

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact the Editor
  • Employment
  • Our Team
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2021 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Spotlight On Business
    • Spotlight on Finance
  • Sports
  • The Spot 518
  • Hot Spots Calendar
  • Opinion
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Log In
  • Classifieds
    • Advertiser Login
  • Service Directory

© 2021 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949