Project Mill-E
Harris County Library, Texas
Innovation Synopsis
The goal of "Project Mill-E" was to be the first library in Texas to circulate over a million items in Overdrive in a calendar year, making digital circulation larger than any single branch in the Harris County Public Library system.
Challenge/Opportunity
"Project Mill-E" tackled three challenges facing most libraries: declining circulation, static budgets and lack of public awareness of libraries’ digital offerings.
Key Elements of Innovation
A targeted marketing campaign combined with new collection and curation strategies enabled a successful bid for increased materials budget, created staff and public buy-in and drove ever-increasing circulation.
Achieved Outcomes
HCPL was the first Texas library to hit a million circulations in Overdrivein a calendar year, overshooting our target by 20 percent! Digital circulation continues to skyrocket even beyond the 35 percent increase seen during "Project Mill-E," mitigating the impact of declining print circulation. Digital circulation is now 18 percent greater than HCPL’s highest circulating branch library. Increase in the digital budget was funded for an additional year based on "Project Mill-E’s" success.
