Number of books in public libraries on the rise in Turkey: Report

ISTANBUL

The number of books in Turkish public libraries increased by 1.8 percent in 2020, compared to the previous year, to reach 21.1 million, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has said.

The number of public libraries increased by 2.6 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year and reached 1,213, TÜİK said in a report.

The country had over 32,158 libraries – national, public, university and formal and nonformal education libraries – as of the end of 2020.

The number of public libraries increased by 2.6 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year and reached 1,213.

Meanwhile, the number of registered members of public libraries increased by 12.2 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, totaling 4.4 million.

“The number of beneficiaries of public libraries in 2020 decreased by 58.8 percent, reaching 12.9 million,” the report said.

Restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are cited as the biggest reason for the sharp decline in the number of beneficiaries of public libraries.

Turkey has taken several measures to curb the pandemic in 2020 such as temporarily closing schools, universities and libraries, halting events and public activities, postponing overseas visits, and barring spectators at sports events.

Reading material in public libraries also decreased by 2.5 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to the report.

The number of books in university libraries increased by 3.4 percent in 2020 compared to 2019 and reached 18.5 million.

The number of registered members of university libraries decreased by 20.2 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, totaling 3.5 million.

In Turkey, a total of 197 universities have a library, 125 of which are state universities and 72 are foundation universities.

The number of e-books decreased by 1 percent in 2020, reaching 97.3 million.