Australian public library stats report released
The National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) has released its annual Australian Public Libraries Statistical Report.
The report, which covers 2012-2013, found that while expenditure and funding for Australian public libraries increased over the past five years, overall lending decreased.
Total expenditure for public libraries increased from $882 million in 2008-2009 to more than $1.02 billion in 2012-2013, representing an 18% increase. Lending decreased 4.9% over the past five years, including a 3.9% drop in the previous year. Of all the states and territories, the ACT recorded the largest growth in lending (23.8%) in the past five years, with the largest decrease found in Tasmania (-13.1%).
Select national statistics show that in 2012-2013:
- Australia had 1515 public library service points, with 1439 fixed-point libraries and 76 mobile libraries
- One public library service point for every 15,000 people
- More than seven out of 10 public libraries were open for more than 30 hours each week
- Almost 174 million items were lent to 10 million library members
- Libraries received more than 112 million customer visits annually, or more than 9 million per month.
The annual report identifies and measures the usage and activities of Australia’s public library services, including national, state, and territory libraries. Read the full report here.
Category: Library news
