Do people still use libraries? Are eBooks the preferred format for reading these days?
Recording some 1.3 million checkouts during 2025, the County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries say books are still in high demand, and that most library readers still prefer reading the old-fashioned way—in print.
Printed books accounted for more than 980,000 of checkouts in 2025.
Most-borrowed in fiction was The Women by Kristin Hannah, then James by Percival Everett. Other in-demand titles included The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, and The Waiting by Michael Connelly.
Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten led nonfiction checkouts, with The Wager by David Grann close behind. Top nonfiction also included Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, and The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson.
The most-borrowed titles for children were graphic novels: The Baby-sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin and the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey. Top teen titles included A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, and Powerless by Lauren Roberts.
Ebooks and eAudiobooks were downloaded more than 267,000 times.
“It’s often assumed that ebooks are the preferred format these days,” according to Erica Thatcher, communications coordinator for the libraries. “But we don’t see that. We think people will continue to enjoy browsing in person and turning actual paper pages.”
For more information about the libraries and their community impact, you can browse the library’s 2024-25 Annual Update.