Boiler Bay Beacon
LINCOLN CITY — As Netflix and Kindle dominate entertainment, patrons at Driftwood Public Library still borrow far more physical books than e-books.
“I’m a proponent of physical things,” library director Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney said. “We check out more physical books than e-books by a large margin.”
The preference bucks a national surge in digital lending, where e-book and audiobook checkouts rose roughly 20 percent in 2023 to 662 million items, according to OverDrive, the company behind the Libby app that Driftwood uses for digital titles.
On the Oregon coast, however, the printed page holds strong.
Driftwood joined the expanded Chinook Library Network in March, linking collections across Lincoln and Tillamook counties so cardholders can now borrow from and return items to any member library in the system. An RFID tagging system has slashed checkout times for books, DVDs and other materials.
Beyond books, the library at 801 S.W. Highway 101 (City Hall 2nd floor) lends board games and mobile hotspots that connect up to 10 devices for two weeks at a time. The hotspots proved invaluable after the 2020 Echo Mountain Fire, when displaced families living in FEMA trailers relied on them for internet access.
Daily life inside the light-filled building blends old-school serenity with unexpected touches. Visitors can print for 10 cents a page, charge phones for free, tap into Wi-Fi or settle at public computers. A towering New York Times bestseller display greets borrowers near the entrance.
One wing houses an expansive quiet reading area (strictly no cellphones, headphones encouraged) where patrons can find uninterrupted focus. Yet the same room is large enough to transform into a performance space: magicians, comedians and children’s acts regularly draw crowds.
Perhaps the most photographed residents are Toothless and Penny, the perpetually smiling axolotls who have been Library residents since 2020.
The Friends of Driftwood Public Library keeps the extras coming. Weekly Monday book sales help fund everything from summer reading prizes to magician bookings. The all-volunteer group will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026.
In an age when many corporations have abandoned physical media entirely, Brodbeck-Kenney sees Driftwood’s embrace of real books — and real connection — as its greatest strength.
The library also hosts donation boxes for the Lincoln City Food Pantry, Backpack for Kids, and a pet food drive battle between Newport and Lincoln City.
