North Shore, B.C.—Libraries have a way of capturing the spirit of a community and a time. 2022 was another year of adaptability and resilience, and through it all, libraries remained a key resource for social connection, education, and a healthy dose of escapism. Now that the year is coming to a close, the three North Shore libraries gathered their circulation data to show what library users read, listened to, and watched most in 2022.
In total, the three library systems circulated over 2.5 million titles this year (including 2 million physical items).
West Vancouver Memorial Library’s Assistant Director Sarah Felkar, who oversees collections and technology at WVML, has noticed a return to pre-pandemic borrowing patterns.
“Throughout the pandemic, North Shore libraries saw an increase in digital borrowing during a time when people were staying closer to home—ebook and downloadable audiobook circulation grew more than 20% at all three systems. Now, we’re very excited that print circulation across the North Shore has returned to, and in some cases surpassed, 2019 levels.”
While there wasn’t one single book that ranked in the top three most-circulated list for all three library systems this year, popular titles included Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (the most checked out adult fiction title at both NVDPL and WVML), The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (the most checked out adult fiction title at NVCL), Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, The Maid by Nita Prose, The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover–whose books have become a sensation on TikTok.
North Shore readers enjoyed nonfiction, too. Bill Browder’s 2022 bestseller Freezing Order: A True Story of Russian Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin’s Wrath was the most and second most-checked out adult nonfiction title at WVML and NVDPL, respectively. Suzanne Simard’s Finding the Mother Tree (the 2021 pick for the libraries’ community-wide book club, North Shore Reads) and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass remained popular at the two systems, too. Meanwhile, NVCL readers were inspired by Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear and Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown.
For all three library systems, the DVD No Time to Die was popular. Other DVDs with high circulation included Belfast and Dune. Dav Pilkey and Jeff Kinney’s books dominated the most popular titles for kids again this year.
Kelly Higgins, Circulation Supervisor at NVDPL’s Parkgate Library, notes throughout the year library staff see patterns of what patrons are interested in and borrowing from the library. Higgins said. “Popular books reflect the diverse needs and interests of the community and show that people are always looking for books that provide comfort, learning, imagination, connection, and fun!”
Top 3 Titles – Adult Fiction
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Top 3 Titles – Adult Nonfiction
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Top 3 Titles – Adult DVDs
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Top 3 Titles – Children’s Fiction
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Top 3 Titles – Children’s DVDs
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Top 3 Titles – Teen Fiction
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Top LinkedIn Learning Courses
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