The line graph illustrates the proportion of books read by male and female visitors at Burnaby Public Library between 2011 and 2014, expressed in thousands of books.
Overall, there were significant differences in the number of books read by both genders throughout the period. The proportion of books read by female readers expressed a steadily downward pattern. It rose slightly from 5,000 in 2011 to 8,000 in 2012, reaching a peak of 10,000 books in 2013. However, it dropped significantly to its figure in 2012, at 8,000.
In comparison, the figure for boos read by male readers depicted a dramatic upward trend. It started lower than that of women, at 3,000 books in 2011, growing slowly to 4,000 in 2012, and then increased quickly to match the number read by women at 10,000 in 2013. It peaked at 14,000 books in 2014, the highest number recorded.
It can be understood that there was a contrasting trend between men and women over the 4-year period, with women’s interests in books peaking in 2013, and then declining, while men showed a steadily increasing enthusiasm for reading, culminating in 2014.