Electronic Media is Taking Libraries by Storm: The Phoenix Public Library is Leading the Push to Expand Collections with More Digital Content

The Phoenix Public Library is on a mission to “connect today's community to a world of possibilities.” For over 125 years, it has served the region through the flagship Burton Barr Central Library and 17 other branch locations throughout the greater Phoenix area.?

What started as an idea born of 14 civic-minded women in 1898, who opened the first free library in Phoenix in two upstairs rooms at the Fleming Building at Washington and First Avenue, has grown to a circulation of more than 10 million library items a year.?

Electronic media is of growing importance to the library’s collection. According to Danielle Stanley, Electronic Resources Manager for the Phoenix Public Library, eMedia circulation accounted for 45.41% of the overall circulation during the 2022/2023 fiscal year. “We’ve seen our eMedia circulation continue to grow year-over-year, and in October 2023, it grew larger than our print collection for the first time. We’re responding by increasing our eMedia budget and always looking for ways to use that budget creatively and where it’s needed most,” explained Danielle.?

Meeting Library Cardholders Where They Are?

As Electronic Resources Manager, Danielle is responsible for researching, acquiring, and managing the Library’s eMedia and databases. She believes the role of any electronic collection is to meet cardholders where they are, whenever they wish to access this content, 24/7. Such collections expand the library's reach. Having materials in digital formats is particularly helpful in making access more straightforward to manage and share.?

“Formats continue to evolve, and we’re particularly proud of our selection and variety of eMedia. I’m proud to have had a hand in building and managing this diverse and inclusive collection. As Electronic Resources Manager here at the Phoenix Public Library system for the past seven years, I oversee the Greater Phoenix Digital Library selector’s committee,” said Danielle.

The Greater Phoenix Digital Library was created in 2004. Current membership includes Phoenix Public Library, Apache Junction Public Library, Casa Grande Public Library, Glendale Public Library, the Maricopa County Library District, Mesa Public Library, Peoria Public Library, and Scottsdale Public Library. Shortly after forming the Digital Library, Overdrive, Inc., a digital reading platform that offers the largest digital content catalog in the world, offering media to more than 92,000 libraries and schools in 115 countries, was contracted to support the needs of the Phoenix cardholder communities.?

“We leveraged Overdrive’s online platform, using the Libby app to allow our cardholders to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more. It’s just so easy to use, and our cardholders love it. OverDrive’s done a great job marketing the app, and it’s become synonymous with library ebook and audiobook lending. I love that we have a team from OverDrive to work with on campaigns, issues, content collection, and in-depth reports. I’ve always found them to be responsive and easy to work with. I also appreciate that OverDrive is a certified B Corp, which means they are mission-driven in balancing profit and purpose. They take this very seriously, as they continue to advocate for libraries in a variety of ways,” stated Danielle.?

Always Looking Ahead to Improve the Collection

Danielle makes it a point to stay on top of the latest innovations in eMedia. She hosts a quarterly meeting for Phoenix-area Electronic Resources Librarians where librarians come together to share their experiences with various digital content delivery vendors and types.

She is constantly looking to improve the collection. One area of tremendous interest to cardholders is streaming media collections. When Danielle joined the Library, she first worked on acquiring Kanopy, a leading streaming service through OverDrive. This thoughtfully curated, diverse catalog of films, documentaries, and children’s educational programming is free to stream without commercials for any of the Library’s cardholders. The content is constantly updated, ensuring the collection is vibrant, expanding, and appeals to the broadest audience.???

Danielle believes some of the diverse content available for streaming through the Library is opening the door to essential community conversations. An example of this can be found in an LGBTQ film discussion series for employees and library cardholders, where participants watch the film on Kanopy and then meet to discuss it.

?“The Phoenix LGBTQ Employee Alliance has partnered with the Phoenix Public Library to produce a program featuring a series of award-winning films that showcase the experiences of the LGBTQ community. We aim to create a diverse film series that educates, entertains, and allows viewers to experience the challenges and triumphs firsthand. The series highlights the artistic contributions both nationally and internationally of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender films and filmmakers,” offered Chris Christensen, Project Manager with the City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department.???

Chris further explained that “the LGBTQ-EA is committed to its mission to provide platforms, candid conversations, and resources to educate, empower, and unite employees around championing equality and to create awareness in the city about LGBTQ culture and history.”?

A Personal Passion for Streaming?

While Danielle is laser-focused on ensuring that the Phoenix Public Library constantly adds terrific content to its eMedia collection, she readily admits she’s also a passionate consumer of the Library’s free streaming services. “I really love music, and there are a lot of great music documentaries on Kanopy. Just this weekend, I watched ‘Pulp: A Film About Life, Death, and Supermarkets,’ which is about the Britpop band Pulp’s final show in their hometown of Sheffield. I also loved ‘Our Blood is Wine: Georgian Winemaking Traditions.’ There are so many other great titles on my ‘must watch’ Kanopy list that I’m not sure when I’ll find the time to view them all!” concluded Danielle.??

The Phoenix Public Library continues to play a vital role throughout the region, providing the broadest possible range of resources and services for the community. The Library’s focus on eMedia and rapidly expanding collection directly reflect the evolving preferences of the public.