Wisconsin's Digital Library Sees Almost 7 Million Checkouts in 2020
In 2020, Wisconsin’s Digital Library, provided by a collaboration of all 16 of the state’s public library systems, broke records by lending nearly 7 million digital books and audiobooks.
For each of the last six years, Wisconsin’s Digital Library has seen steady usage growth between 10% and 20%, highlighting the value of public library lending of ebooks and digital audiobooks. This year, with access to physical library buildings limited throughout the state and many school districts teaching students virtually due to the pandemic, the digital library’s importance to the residents of Wisconsin was even more clear.
New users of the library jumped 30% and checkouts increased nearly 20% over 2019.
Here is a press release to help you share this good news with your community: PRESS RELEASE
Submit Your Program Proposal for WAPL 2021
The Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) Annual Conference Programming Committee seeks program proposals for the next public library conference to be held virtually May 4 - May 7, 2021.
We’re looking for library leaders who have strengths in areas of mental health, technology, inclusivity, leadership, fundraising, outreach, Beanstack, serving seniors, community collaborations, reader’s advisory, virtual programming, and more.
2021 Legislative Days included the powerful three-part series of Strong Libraries = Strong Communities: Library Patron Stories, featuring libraries and patrons throughout Wisconsin. The morning session was also recorded this year.
Participation is 100% free, and GWC provides need-based stipends of up to $300 for those who qualify. We are committed to serving all girls and non-binary students but especially those who come from underrepresented backgrounds in tech, including Black, Latinx, and low-income students.
Templates are an easy, turnkey way to keep your community members engaged throughout the year. You can activate and set up a template in less than a minute. From there, set up a social post and prepare a quick announcement in your regularly scheduled newsletter.
Voilà, you have given readers another point of interaction with your library. Above are some of the new challenges currently available in your templates library.
