Library visits
| Updated: 7.5.2013 - Next update: 7.5.2014 |
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Use of public libraries
Figures on the use of libraries have been falling in recent years. Nearly 2.1 million persons, or 38 per cent of the population in Finland borrowed something from a library in 2012. Over the 2000-2012 period, the share of borrowers in the total population fell by 9 percentage points.Altogether 52.8 million physical library visits and 56.7 million virtual library visits via the web were recorded in 2012. These figures have not changed considerably during the past few years. Virtual visits exceeded physical visits in 2010. Expressed per capita, there were 9.7 physical visits and 17.5 loans.
Source:
Statistics Finland / Cultural statistics & Ministry of Education and Culture
Description of indicator
The Finnish library network has been scaled down in recent years, but it is still quite extensive by international comparison. There were altogether 827 main public libraries, branch libraries and institutional libraries across the country in 2012. This was almost 12 per cent fewer than in 2000. Mobile libraries numbered 151, or one-quarter fewer than in 2000.
Apart from the density of the service network, the quality of library services is also influenced by the volume and contents of library collections. Today, libraries also offer a variety of services via the web. In 2012, the collections of public libraries comprised 34.6 million books and 4.2 million items of other material. During the past few years, the number of books has decreased while the number of other material has increased.
