Report – Leisure reading is the gateway to student success

For many, the idea of reading in academia conjures images of long, lonely hours spent in the library, laboring over dense course material. However, promising new data indicates that more college and university students are experiencing the holistic benefits that leisure reading offers.

Circulation of college and university ebook and audiobook collections* jumped by 9 percent in 2021, followed by another 17-percent increase through August 2022. And a 2022 survey of academic librarians by the Association of College & Research Libraries found a more than 14 percent increase in those acquiring non-academic titles for their digital collection. What titles are students reading?

About the Leisure reading: The gateway to student success report

See why leisure reading is so critically important to supporting the whole student – in both academic success and personal well-being. And learn what contributes to developing a thriving collection.

This report explores the experiences of three librarians from diverse institutions who have partnered with OverDrive Academic and are successfully leaning into leisure reading to better serve their unique campus communities.