Overdrive, a leading digital media service provider specializing in e-library sales, reports a record-busting 5.3 million checkouts, according to Publishers Weekly. How high over the bar did OverDrive fly? How about a 76% increase over 2007!

Most popular download? Here’s a hint: the first word is “Stephenie” and the second is “Meyer”.

The content wasn’t just e-books but music and video as well. Some 150,000 items in these media are available in OverDrive’s catalogue, which is offered to some 8500 libraries. The company’s founder Steve Potash, a great visionary and prime mover in the e-book industry, deserves kudos for navigating through the many challenges of creating an e-business model for libraries. Think about some of them. Unlike brick and mortar libraries, e-libraries don’t necessarily have a locus. Are their patrons loyal to a specific branch or can they traverse cyberspace to find the item they want to borrow? How does a library “lend” an e-book or tune or video? How does a borrower “return” the checked-out item? How do publishers make money on e-books they place with libraries? Do they sell just one “copy” or, if’ it’s a hot bestseller, do they sell multiples? Once an e-book is sold to a library, is that it? Forever? Or does the license have to be renewed?

It’s worth spending a few minutes exploring the OverDrive website to learn about the firm’s resources.

RC