The bar chart compares the number of books borrowed from public libraries in the UK across four categories, namely adult fiction, adult non-fiction, children’s books, and audio-visual materials between 1995 and 2005, measured in millions.
Overall, children’s books showed the highest borrowing figures at the beginning of the period before decreasing sharply in the final years of the period. Notably, adult non-fiction borrowing remained relatively stable, whereas the total number of borrowed books experienced a sharp decline over the period.
In 1995, the figure for children’s books accounted for 1113 million books. Despite this high figure, it declined consistently to 110 million books. Similarly, the number of audio-visual materials also saw a decline, from 330 million books in 1995 to 230 million books in 2005.
In contrast, the figure for adult non-fiction represented slight fluctuations, and it increased from 107 million books to 113 million books between 1995 and 2000. It then experienced a drop, falling to 104 million books in 2005. Meanwhile, the figure for borrowed fiction books also followed a downward trend, falling from 98 million books to 60 million books over the 10-year span.