By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Summer is the time for reading, at least according to the "must read" lists that begin to roll out each year as temperatures begin to climb. Area libraries, including the Great Bend Public Library, have continued to make gains in digital media. Now audiobooks, ebooks, music, and even movies are available on a host of apps available on your phone.
"I know people who have come in and they got their library card, and then I don't see them for another three years when they have to renew their card," said Great Bend's Adult Services Librarian Erin Ferguson. "We have a lot of people who commute to Great Bend and just like to use audiobooks when they travel and to and from here."
Libby and Hoopla apps are free to download and only require a Great Bend Public Library card to sign in. Libby offers unlimited ebook and audiobook downloads but has limited copies available, so holds are common. Hoopla offers an even bigger range of content and unlimited copies but limits users to just six checkouts each month.
Librarians can also help patrons sign up through the state library where even more platforms are available. CloudLibrary offers audiobooks and ebooks, while Enki and Freading each feature ebooks. Comics Plus offers unlimited access to comic books, graphic novels, and manga, and even includes a kids' version. Younger readers also have several options with BookFlix, Britannica E-Stax, and Tumblebooks which offer a variety of read-a-longs, chapter books, games, and nonfiction material.
The apps were gaining steam prior to the pandemic in 2019, but Ferguson said usage almost doubled during the height of COVID-19 and has remained high since.
"With Sunflower eLibrary, which is Libby, we were having maybe 300 to 400 people checking out ebooks and audiobooks through there," she said. "Once the pandemic hit, and even as we're shifting back, people are still using our digital services."
Already, the library has invested more money into the apps as they gain popularity. Ferguson said the library will continue to look for ways to best serve its patrons.
"Digital services are really great," she said. "If people want to see more of that, we just need to go know we can invest more into that."