Public libraries in Catalonia: A data snapshot

Abstract

This note analyses the availability of data related to public library services in Catalonia and provides a characterization of these services during the year 2023. Regarding the available information, some gaps and inconsistencies are observed in the data provided by various sources. The results show that 95 % of the Catalan population lives in municipalities with a public library, and an additional 2 % has access to a mobile library service, while the remaining 3 % has no access to library services. The ratio of library materials per inhabitant stands at 2.1. In municipalities with up to 20,000 inhabitants, the targets set in the Public Reading Map of Catalonia are comfortably met. However, fewer than half of the municipalities with between 20,000 and 200,000 inhabitants meet these targets, and in the five cities with over 200,000 inhabitants, the ratio ranges from 1.1 to 1.5 documents per inhabitant. In 2023, 11.1 % of the population used the lending service. Usage is higher in municipalities with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants, reaching 14.4 %, while in the five largest cities it drops to 10.4 %. A correlation is observed between the availability of materials per inhabitant and the percentage of active users: the greater the availability of documents, the higher the proportion of the population using the lending service. The annual loan ratio is 1.9 documents per inhabitant, with higher values in smaller municipalities. No relationship is detected between the average income of municipalities and the level of service or usage of public libraries. The most frequently organized activities are workshops, reading clubs, and storytime sessions, followed by talks, lectures, book presentations and exhibitions. The primary target audiences for these activities are adults and children. A very low percentage of activities are directed toward young people, clearly below their share of the population.