Sample Detail

The diagram illustrates the renting of books, namely adult fiction, adult non-fiction, children’s books and top audio-visual materials in UK public libraries during the period from 1995 to 2005. Overall, all types of books showed a general decrease over the period. It is notable that children’s books and top audio-visual materials attracted the largest number of readers while adult fiction and adult non-fiction were the least borrowed books, despite their overall decrease. Regarding the highest borrowed books, children’s books drew the highest number of borrowers in 1995, at 1113 million, dramatically above top audio-visual materials at 330 million. By 2000, the fall of both was relatively sharp, with their figures being 161 and 280 million. In 2005, although children’s books and top audio-visual materials continued to drop slightly, to 110 and 230 million respectively, it still maintained its position as leading borrowed books. In terms of the least library books, adult non-fiction began with 107 million whereas adult fiction started at the lowest point, at 98 million in 1995. This is followed by the former increased to 113 million in 2000 before falling again to 104 million in 2005. Meanwhile, the latter demonstrated a more steady decrease, at 60 million, being the least borrowed category among the four.