The bar chart compares data about books borrowed from municipal libraries in United Kingdom from year 1995 to 2005. Overall, the number of libraries borrowing gradually dropped over the years across most genres. While adult non-fiction and fiction registered a downward trend, children’s literature remained relatively stable and audio-visuals emerged as the most picked one.
Of the categories with larger figures, non-fiction books were by far the most dominant genre, standing at 1,113 million borrowings in 1995. However, this figure plummeted drastically over the decade, dropping to 161million in 2000 and settling at 110 million by 2005. A similar, though less severe decline, was noticed in fiction literature, when sourced at 330 million in 1995, slightly decreasing during the next five years to 280 million and reaching 230 million books by the terminal period. Despite this steady decrease, adult fiction ultimately surpassed adult non-fiction and became the most borrowed material by the end of the timeframe.
In contrast to the sharp declines observed in adult literature, the demand for children’s books remained remarkably stable. Sourced at 107 million in the initial year, this category experienced a minor fluctuation, rising to 114 million in 2000, and settling at 104 million by 2005. Concurrently, top audio-visual material, which initially represented the smallest fraction among borrowed books at a mere 28 million, peaked rapidly over the next 10 years. The figures rose to 33 million midways through the period, accelerating to 60 million by the year of 2005, making this category the most frequently borrowed material from public libraries.