““When stores were closed and when libraries were closed, digital reading […] went through the roof,” Genner said.

He added that libraries saw “massive growth in their digital collections being checked out or used by patrons.

E-books represented 17 per cent of the units being purchases last year, Genner explained.

“But so far in the pandemic, they’ve been up around 25 per cent,” he said. “Which is actually [a] significant increase in the volumes we’re talking about.”

Audiobooks, on the other hand, didn’t see quite the same jump, largely, Genner thinks, because most people were no longer commuting to work during the first wave of lockdowns.

“[The work commute] is when a lot of consumption of audio books happens.””