Boston Public Library: Boston Public Library Wraps Up 2021

Boston MA

28 December, 2021

3:50 PM

Description

Press release from Boston Public Library: December 28, 2021 BOSTON – December 28, 2021 – As we say goodbye to 2021, the BPL is looking back on another unique year. The first half was largely spent managing the BPL To Go program and offering a wide range of online programming and services. In the second half, the BPL reopened its doors, including at three newly renovated branches, and welcomed patrons back into its spaces.   "As we forged ahead into another year of virtual programs and services, and then learned how to be a hybrid organization, we are proud of our accomplishments in the face of continuing challenges and opportunities within our communities," said BPL President David Leonard. "This year, through a combination of BPL To Go, online, and in-person service, we were able to circulate more than 4.6 million titles, and register more than 125,400 new BPL users. We also hosted about 4,800 virtual and in-person programs, attended by more than 213,000 patrons. Throughout 2021, the BPL has been working to meet the changing needs of the Boston community, including distributing more than 78,000 at home COVID-19 testing kits to Bostonians across the city. We look forward to finding more innovative opportunities to serve our patrons in the year ahead."  The BPL's Readers Services Department has published its annual list of the top borrowed titles of the year for adults, children, and teens, as well as the staff's favorite books of the year. The top 10 checked out books for adults in 2021 were:    Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens  Educated, Tara Westover  The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett  Normal People, Sally Rooney  Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid  The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides  Circe, Madeline Miller  Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler  Becoming, Michelle Obama  The Dutch House, Ann Patchett  "In 2021, we saw our readers turn towards books that provide a sense of community, and help them connect with other readers," said BPL Collection Development Manager Melissa Andrews. "The top tiles patrons checked out this year tended to be books written 2-4 years ago, titles that we could consider 'comfort reads,' popular with book clubs and discussing with friends. We also saw a bump in checkouts for books that have been gaining popularity on 'BookTok,' a community of readers on TikTok. The BookTok community has also helped readers discover new titles and formats, which often elevate BIPOC and queer authors or characters. We're excited to help patrons discover these books, and connect with other readers during a time when we need community more than ever." Unsurprisingly, the BPL saw another year of boosted interest in its digital platforms and services. Using OverDrive, BPL's main digital lending platform, patrons checked out more than 1.9 million ebooks, a 22 percent increase over 2020; and more than 1.2 million audiobooks, a 22 percent increase over 2020. There was also a 17 percent usage increase from 2020 to 2021 in Kanopy, which offers movie streaming.  OverDrive Kanopy Top Five Digital Reads, Listens, and Views  The Midnight Library, Matt Haig  The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett  Anxious People, Fredrik Backman  Maybe You Should Take to Someone, Lori Gottlieb  The Four Winds, Kristin Hannah  Full List  A Promised Land, Barack Obama  Caste, Isabel Wilkerson  Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens  Becoming, Michelle Obama  The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett  Full List  What We Do in the Shadows  Race – the Power of an Illusion  Another Round  Parasite  Alone  Full List  Hamilton, Original Broadway Cast Recording  Evermore, Taylor Swift  Sour, Olivia Rodrigo  Moana, Movie Soundtrack  Kidz Bop 2021, Kidz Bop  Full List  Top Books Check Out From Each Branch Four Winds, Kristin Hannah   American Street, Ibi Zoboi   The Midnight Library, Matt Haig   Golden Girl, Elin Hilderbrand   Komi Can't Communicate, Tomohito Oda   While Justice Sleeps, Stacey Abrams   The Therapist, B.A. Paris   The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico, Sarah McCoy   Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Mo Willems   Obesity: Modern-Day Epidemic, Jean Ford, William Hunter, Autumn Libal, & Ellyn Sanna   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng   Anxious People, Fredrik Backman   I Am Invited to a Party!, Mo Willems   Normal People, Sally Rooney   The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett   Daisy Jones & the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid   Let's Go for a Drive!, Mo Willems   Educated, Tara Westover   Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid   Should I Share My Ice Cream?, Mo Willems   The Guest List, Lucy Foley   The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides   Nine Perfect Strangers, Liane Moriarty   The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett   I Will Take a Nap!, Mo Willems   American Dirt, Jeanine Cummins   Four Winds, Kristin Hannah   Dog Man 1, Dav Pilkey   Lord of the Fleas, Dav Pilkey   Dog Man Unleashed, Dav Pilkey   A Tale of Two Kitties, Dav Pilkey   Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, Dav Pilkey & Jose Garibaldi   Let's Go for a Drive!, Mo Willems   Grime and Punishment, Dav Pilkey   Normal People, Sally Rooney   Becoming, Michelle Obama   Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Mo Willems   Ethic, Ashley Antoinette   The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood   Smile, Raina Telgemeier   Dog Man and Cat Kid, Dav Pilkey   Step-by-Step Medical Coding 2021, Carol J. Buck   The Cooking Gene: A Journey through African-American Culinary History in the Old South, Michael Twitty   1984, George Orwell   Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler   Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid   Normal People, Sally Rooney   Red at the Bone, Jacqueline Woodson   Is Rape a Crime?, Michelle Bowdler   I Really Like Slop!, Mo Willems   Circe, Madeline Miller   My New Friend Is So Fun!, Mo Willems   The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett   The World That We Knew, Alice Hoffman   Almost American Girl, Robin Ha   InvestiGators, John Green   Lord of the Fleas, Dav Pilkey   Wonder, R.J. Palacio   Dragon Ball, Gerard Jones & Akira Toriyama   I Will Take a Nap!, Mo Willems   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   Dog Man: Fetch 22, Dav Pilkey   Grime and Punishment, Dav Pilkey   Dog Man and Cat Kid, Dav Pilkey    The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas   A Tale of Two Kitties, Dav Pilkey   The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides   His Only Wife, Peace A. Medie   Followers, Megan Angelo   Lord of the Fleas, Dav Pilkey   Notes on Grief, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie   Dragon Ball, Gerard Jones & Akira Toriyama   The Lightning Thief, Book 1, Rick Riordan   Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling   Elephants Cannot Dance!, Mo Willems   Selena: Queen of Tejano Music, Silvia Lopez   Can I Play, Too?, Mo Willems    Dog Man Unleashed, Dav Pilkey   Life After Death, Souljah   Peoples of the World: The Culture, Geographical Setting, and Historical Background of 42 Latin American Peoples by Joyce Moss & George Wilson   Cat Kid Comic Club, Dav Pilkey   Pigs Make Me Sneeze!, Mo Willems   Grime and Punishment, Dav Pilkey   Brawl of the Wild, Dav Pilkey   Dog Man 1, Dav Pilkey   Dog Man and Cat Kid, Dav Pilkey   I Want My Hat Back, Jon Klassen    Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart   Wilder Girls, Rory Power   Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor   Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo   Dear Martin, Nic Stone   Mexican Whiteboy, Matt de la Pena   Gotham High, Melissa De La Cruz & Thomas Pitilli   Legendborn, Tracy Deonn   Grime and Punishment, Dav Pilkey   Ethic, Ashley Antoinette   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   Normal People, Sally Rooney   Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Mo Willems   Educated, Tara Westover   The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett   My New Friend Is So Fun!, Mo Willems   Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler   I Really Like Slop!, Mo Willems   Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid   Circe, Madeline Miller   Dog Man: Fetch-22, Dav Pilkey   Mothering Heights, Dav Pilkey   Lord of the Fleas, Dav Pilkey   Grime and Punishment, Dav Pilkey   Brawl of the Wild, Dav Pilkey   Dog Man 1, Dav Pilkey   Pigs Make Me Sneeze!, Mo Willems   Diary of a Wimpy Kid 7: The Third Wheel, Jeff Kinney   Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever, Jeff Kinney   The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot    Should I Share My Ice Cream?, Mo Willems   Happy Pig Day!, Mo Willems   Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Mo Willems   Let's Go for a Drive!, Mo Willems   Pigs Make Me Sneeze!, Mo Willems   Lord of the Fleas, Dav Pilkey   My New Friend Is So Fun!, Mo Willems   The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett   Dog Man 1, Dav Pilkey   Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett   The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead   Four Winds, Kristin Hannah   Anxious People, Fredrik Backman   Time for Mercy, John Grisham   The Dutch House, Ann Patchett   Cat Kid Comic Club, Dav Pilkey   The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides   One by One, Ruth Ware   Night of the Beasts, Chika Shiomi   Educated, Tara Westover   Where Things Come Back, John Corey Whaley   Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence, Joel Christian Gill   The Silver Eyes, Kira Wrisley-Breed & Scott Cawthon   Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Pena   Ironside, Holly Black   Tithe, Holly Black   Killing Time in Crystal City, Chris Lynch   Rat Runners, OisiÌn McGann   A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides   Daisy Jones & the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid   The Guest List, Lucy Foley   The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen   The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett   Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid   Educated, Tara Westover   Normal People, Sally Rooney   Born a Crime, Trevor Noah   Normal People, Sally Rooney   Save Me the Plums, Ruth Reichl   How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie   Dog Man and Cat Kid, Dav Pilkey   The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides   There There, Tommy Orange   All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr   Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, Eric Litwin   Lord of the Fleas, Dav Pilkey   Dog Man: Fetch-22, Dav Pilkey   Ao Haru Ride, Io Sakisaka & Inori Fukuda Trant   Brawl of the Wild, Dav Pilkey   Too Small, Tola by Atinuke   Bob Books Beginning Readers Set 1, Bobby Lynn Maslen   Guts, Raina Telgemeier   Lord of the Fleas, Dav Pilkey   I Will Take a Nap!, Mo Willems   People Before Highways, Karilyn Crockett   Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, Dav Pilkey & Jose Garibaldi   The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides   Anxious People, Fredrik Backman   The Vanishing Hal, Brit Bennett   Educated, Tara Westover   Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid   The Guest List, Lucy Foley   Four Winds, Kristin Hannah   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   Daisy Jones & the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid   Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance   Normal People, Sally Rooney   American Spy, Lauren Wilkinson   She Said, Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett   Dog Man and Cat Kid, Dav Pilkey   A Tale of Two Kitties, Dav Pilkey   Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell   Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, Dav Pilkey & Jose Garibaldi   Brawl of the Wild, Dav Pilkey   East of West, Nick Dragotta & Jonathan Hickman   Dog Man and Cat Kid, Dav Pilkey   Drama, Raina Telgemeier   Claudia and Mean Janine, Ann M. Martin & Raina Telgemeier   Sisters, Raina Telgemeier   Guts, Raina Telgemeier   Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler   Ghosts, Raina Telgemeier   The Truth about Stacey, Ann M. Martin & Raina Telgemeier   The 36 Dramatic Situations, Mike Figgis & Georges Polti   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid   Anxious People, Fredrik Backman   Bob Books Beginning Readers Set 1, Bobby Lynn Maslen   The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett   All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr   Elephants Cannot Dance!, Mo Willems   The Overstory, Richard Powers   My New Friend Is so Fun!, Mo Willems   Saiyuki Reload, Kazuya Minekura & Lianne Sentar   Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens   Let's Go for a Drive!, Mo Willems   Should I Share My Ice Cream?, Mo Willems   I Really Like Slop!, Mo Willems   I Am Going: An Elephant and Piggie Book, Mo Willems   I Will Surprise My Friend!, Mo Willems   The Thank You Book, Mo Willems   We Are in a Book!, Mo Willems   Watch Me Throw the Ball!, Mo Willems   Pigs Make Me Sneeze!, Mo Willems  Anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in Massachusetts can obtain a BPL library card, or may register for a BPL library eCard at bpl.org/ecard.  Patrons can check out physical items by placing holds at bpl.org or on the BPL to Go app; by visiting any open branch, or by calling 617.536.5400.    This press release was produced by Boston Public Library. The views expressed here are the author's own.