Stumbled on a stat that 75% of books never get checked out of public libraries

I was looking up circulation numbers for a class project and found this wild fact from a 2023 study by the Library Journal. Apparently most books on the shelf just sit there gathering dust. The number was based on data from 50 different library systems across the US including some big ones like Seattle and small rural ones. I thought my local library was unusual but turns out it's pretty normal. Does your library have a bunch of books that look untouched too or is mine just bad at stocking what people want?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.keith26d ago

That 75% number surprised me too. I used to think libraries were just naturally packed with active books, but now I realize most of the collection is basically decoration.

wade43826d ago

Call it a book museum at that point, @rivera.keith. All those dusty spines just sitting there looking pretty, like fancy wallpaper that happens to have words on it.