Barcelona's libraries break records with over 12 million loans

Every day, more than 66,000 people visit the libraries and mobile libraries of the Barcelona Provincial Council's library network. The more than 230 libraries in Barcelona and the 12 mobile libraries received a total of 17 million visits last year, and made 12.7 million loans.

With these figures, the lending service has grown by 600,000 documents, while interlibrary loans moved more than one million products, with about 4,000 daily movements. To be able to take books home, more than 192,000 people registered for the service, which raised the number of library card users to two million.

Books continue to be the most requested type of document: they accounted for 86% of the total last year. However, the libraries' collection, which has 11 million documents, goes further: every day they lent 200 board games, 50% more than the previous year, and comic book loans grew by 14%, for both children and adults. On the other hand, 90% of loans were physical documents, while the remaining 10% were e-books, through the Biblio Digital service.

The only data that has decreased in 2024 has been the use of office automation services and the internet networks of the facilities. To train in digital tools, libraries offered 4,500 ICT training sessions, attended by 28,500 people.

To maintain all this operation, libraries and mobile libraries represented an investment of 125 million euros last year, for a network that is 38% financed by the Provincial Council, while the municipalities assume 59% and the Generalitat, 3%.

All this in a year in which the network has continued to grow: in 2024, libraries were inaugurated in Sant Julià de Vilatorta and Palau-solità i Plegamans, and just two weeks ago the J.V.Foix library in Sarrià opened its doors. After four years of construction, the facility launched more than 5,000 square meters, specialized in digital culture.

With these new facilities, the network has 236 libraries and 12 mobile libraries, including what was considered the best library in the world in 2023, the García Márquez. And in the coming weeks, there will be a new addition: the thirteenth mobile library in the network. With these, 99% of the population of Barcelona has a library or mobile library in their municipality.