County libraries meet the future with 1.9 million digital checkouts

Read a book. Listen to a book. But don’t feel like you have to physically pick up the book.

It’s been around for more than a decade, but the Nassau Library System’s Digital Doorway digital book consortium continues to grow, offering more than 40,000 titles that were checked out a record-breaking 1.9 million times last year.

The milestone illustrates the continued growth of library lending of e-books, audiobooks and digital media, all as part of meeting different needs for different members of the community.

The library system’s Digital Doorway consortium is a network of more than 50 public libraries in Nassau County. It gives patrons a chance to download books to their electronic devices — like smartphones and computer tablets — and even have a chance to listen to a book if they don’t have a chance to sit down and read it themselves.

“We are thrilled at the continued success of Nassau Digital Doorway and the role it has played in ensuring that our patrons continue to have access to a wide selection of reading material for both pleasure and educational purposes,” said Grace Palmisano, Digital Doorway’s resources and discovery manager.

Digital Doorway libraries have provided readers access to e-books and audiobooks for several years through Libby, a library-reading app. The large collection serves readers of all ages and interests, and usage has grown every year.

One silver lining from the coronavirus pandemic for the Nassau Library System was when people were not able to come to the library because of the lockdown, Digital Doorway started to grow exponentially.

“It was a program that was incrementally growing throughout the years, but it took off and it continues to be so successful because we’ve got a huge collection of available titles — way larger than you could have in one single physical building,” Palmisano said. “You can access it whenever you want. It can be 2 o’clock in the morning, and you can download that item when the library itself is closed.”

Libby, the friendly face attached to a smartphone app., is available through the Apple App Store as well as Google Play. It offers not only books like “The Rose Code” from Kate Quinn and “The Radium Girls” from Kate Moore, but also magazines like Us Weekly, The New Yorker and Good Housekeeping.

For younger readers, titles like Sesame Street’s “The Monsters on the Bus” is a click away, while older kids might like “Puddlejumpers” by Mark Jean.

Some of the more popular audiobooks available include “A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe” by Mark Dawidziak, and “The Queen: Her Life” by Andrew Morton.

Anyone who can’t find Digital Doorway through their library’s website or on their phone can also visit Nassau.Overdrive.com.

“It’s such a digital world these days,” Palmisano said. “While there will always be a place for the physical items, it’s very convenient to have your book on your phone right there in your pocket whenever you’re out and about.”