A year in review of the NCW Regional library

North Central Washington residents checked out, downloaded and streamed more than 700,000 books, movies and other materials from NCW Libraries in 2021! 

 While facing the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the library district was able to keep its doors open for all but three weeks of 2021 to provide library materials, virtual and limited in-person programming, enhanced online resources, and bookmobile and outreach services. 

 “2021 was a pivotal year with reopening all of our branch libraries to expanded hours, increasing staff, and providing more opportunities for people to engage with the Library both virtually and in person,” said Barbara Walters, Executive Director of NCW Libraries.”

Here’s a look at what NCW Libraries’ patrons read, watched and logged into most this year.

Top Checkouts

Fiction: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Non-Fiction:  Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Book Club Kit: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Audiobook on Hoopla: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

TV Show on Kanopy: Alone

2021 By the Numbers

710,395 Total checkouts of all physical and digital library materials

448,449 Checkouts of physical books

267,271 Checkouts of digital books from Overdrive/Libby

169,104 Checkouts of DVDs

100,399 Ebooks, comics, movies and TV shows checked out from Hoopla

43,610 Packages of library materials shipped by the Mail Order Department (31,125 books and 12,485 movies, audiobooks and music CDs)

14,718 Checkouts of audiobooks

12,693 Movies and TV shows streamed on Kanopy

6,408 New library cards issued (bringing the total number of library-card holders in NCW to 231,151!)

2,727 Hours of language learning through Rosetta Stone

1,128 Hours of online courses taken through LinkedIn Learning

437 Book Club Kits checked out

171 Wifi hotspot checkouts

162 Ohme Gardens passes checked out

97 Washington State Discover Passes checked out