Maltese public libraries lent out over one million books last year, registering an increase of 12.2 per cent over the previous year, according to the latest data published by the National Statistics Office.
Book loans increased across all districts of Malta and Gozo, particularly in public libraries in the Western district, which registered a 36.6 per cent increase in book loans when compared to 2017.
The Western district stretches from Rabat to Iklin and includes places like Attard, Żebbuġ and Dingli.
Over the two-year period between 2016 to 2018, Sannat, Gudja and Attard saw the biggest increase in book lending at public libraries.
Senglea, Qala and Kerċem performed the poorest over that two-year period, as they were the villages which registered the highest relative drops in library book loans.
The overall increase in library activity confirms a trend which Times of Malta had first highlighted in 2018.
Why are people borrowing more books?
Speaking to Times of Malta, Margaret Zammit, the deputy librarian of Malta Libraries, said that an overhaul of the organisation had seen a number of updates across the board.
Alongside updating the library’s systems, a change in management had also overseen investment in outreach activities, staff training and quality acquisitions. Ms Zammit also said that customer feedback was also an important step in moving forward.
“We’ve tried to satisfy our users’ needs and not just do what we think is best for them without consultation,” Ms Zammit said.
“We’re also looking to create a feeling of community libraries where people, irrespective of race or religion, can feel welcome and access the information that they need,” she continued.
Who are the people joining public libraries?
New library memberships were up by 1147, for a total of 6266. The NSO report also highlighted that Under 18’s represented the majority of new public library memberships at 66 per cent, with 3,880 of those being juniors at 13 years old and under.
“We’ve invested in every kind of outreach activity,” Ms Zammit said.
Malta Library’s calendar of summer events reveal a catalog of activities aimed at children, including drama, photography, book binding, origami and creative writing, to name a few.
More community activities geared at adults, such as book clubs, are also in the pipeline, Ms Zammit says.
What is the bad news?
“The biggest challenges we’re facing are a lack of resources and a lack of space,” she says.
Despite the uptick in book loans and new members, book acquisitions for public libraries were down by 20.9 per cent. Book donations decreased by 28.5 per cent while purchases were only down 11.9 per cent. The acquisition of eBooks, however, registered significant increase from 279 in 2017 to 1680 in 2018.
What is Malta Libraries responsible for?
Malta Libraries now oversees 57 libraries, the majority of which are branch libraries in different localities. These are serviced in conjunction with local councils and are usually part of a school or council’s premises. Space is a limiting factor in what services the entity is able to provide in such localities.
Malta Libraries receives government funding via the book fund, which comes in at around €120,000 a year. Around €20,000 are spent on the National Library alone, while the remainder has to stretch to serve regional and branch libraries in Malta and Gozo as well as the libraries in elderly homes and correctional facilities.