Library users turn to Australian authors as digital usage jumps

Local authors are the flavour of the year at libraries in Australia and New Zealand, with Australian writers providing six of the top 10 most borrowed books, and 12 of the top 20 in the year to March 31, according to the annual Civica Libraries Index.

And in the first indication of response to the closure of libraries due to COVID-19 restrictions, Civica and the Australian Library and Information Association are reporting the borrowing of ebooks and audio books has surged significantly.

Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers was the most borrowed title in the index, which drew its results from a survey of more than 38 million loans from 90 libraries in Australia and New Zealand. Last year, Moriarty’s novel was 20th on the list.

Sue McKerracher, chief executive officer of the ALIA, said her association, the Australian Society of Authors, booksellers and the Australian Publishers Association had worked hard to promote Australian books. ‘‘I would like to think the greater presence of Australian authors is as a result of that. We need Australian voices. People want to read Australian stories and if we don’t support Australian writers we’ll lose that voice.’’

She said she was pleased to see the influence of films and TV on borrowing choices, particularly in the young-adult sector, had diminished.

While the index didn’t yet show the impact of the current restrictions, McKerracher said ebook loans had jumped. ‘‘We look at ebooks and usually see a borrowing rate of 5-8 per cent of total loans. But that has doubled in the past six weeks. It will be interesting to see how this affects library use in the long-term.’’

Iain Finlayson, Managing Director of Libraries and Education Solutions at Civica, said the take-up of digital borrowing had been massive: ‘‘I think it’s definitely a shift. People are more comfortable using e-technology and can see the benefits. You might wait in a long queue for a print book from a library but often they have 10 or 12 copies of the digital version.

‘‘I think traditional borrowing will return to what it was before the restrictions, but digital borrowing will continue to increase.’’ he said.

The ALIA has undertaken a new survey of 500 library users since libraries were closed and McKerracher said 87 per cent of them missed borrowing physical books. ‘‘People still have access to digital loans so it shows a strong interest in print books. In addition, 44 per cent of them reported missing the help they received from library staff, and 40 per cent said they missed being around other people in libraries.’’

1 Nine perfect strangers, Liane Moriarty
2 Becoming, Michelle Obama
3 Past Tense, Lee Child
4 The Lost Man, Jane Harper
5 The Barefoot Investor, Scott Pape
6 Any Ordinary Day, Leigh Sales
7 Killer Instinct, James Patterson
8 Boy Swallows Universe, Trent Dalton
9 Bridge of Clay, Markus Zusak
10 The Barefoot Investor for Families, Scott Pape