Libraries worldwide broke digital lending records last year as Overdrive, the company that operates Libby and Sora, recently reported seeing more than 739 million borrows of audiobooks, e-books and digital magazines — a 17% increase from 2023. But while many library card holders may be enjoying the latest bestseller at no cost, the bill public libraries pay to provide this service grows just as much as demand.

Public libraries do not purchase digital books, but rather the license to distribute them. That licensing needs to be renewed regularly, making audio books and e-books up to four times more expensive than a physical copy. Some states, including Washington, have asked lawmakers to step in to try to make digital more affordable. Currently Oregon has no bill or law around digital books, but libraries across the state report seeing growing demand. Stephanie Chase is the executive director of the Libraries of Eastern Oregon and governing board member of the Oregon Digital Library Consortium. Le Button is the collection development librarian at Deschutes Public Library. They both join us to share what demand has been like for digital books in recent years and how libraries balance buying physical copies versus digital ones.