If you’re someone who frequents a North Carolina public library — especially in an urban area like Raleigh or Charlotte — you might be all too familiar with searching the catalog for a buzzy book, only to find the waitlist is hundreds, if not thousands, of people long.
Local library employees say the entire country faces this issue, but North Carolina’s booming population and the growing number of library patrons in the state make it especially challenging.
Even worse than the waitlist for physical copies is the one for e-book and audiobook versions. E-content has unique barriers, including costing libraries up to three times the price of a physical book, that make it difficult to keep up with the heightened demand.
Population, library and book usage trends
“Yesteryear,” a 2026 novel by a debut author that examines “tradwife” influencer culture on social media, has been a viral sensation since its spring release. As of mid-August, all 232 of Wake County’s physical copies are checked out, and more than 1,700 people are on the waitlist between standard and large print copies. At Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries, 376 print copies are checked out and almost twice as many holds are in place…