SHENZHEN Library and the Shenzhen Library and Information Institute jointly released the 2019 Shenzhen City of Libraries Report on the 24th World Book Day observed April 23.

The report said that the city has a total of 650 public libraries and 295 self-service libraries by the end of 2018, forming a public library network reaching every subdistrict across the city.

The number of registered readers reached 2,467,200, of which 56.1 percent were youth (aged 19 to 35 years) while 27.57 percent were middle-aged (aged 36 to 60 years).

In 2018, the total visitors count to all the city’s public libraries was 29,537,900, up 4.5 percent year on year. They had borrowed as many as 13,696,700 books, up 7.61 percent year on year.

Youth (aged 19 to 35 years), the age group that borrowed a cumulative 5,949,900 books, have become the key users of library services, followed by the middle-aged (aged 36-60 years) with total 4,622,500 books borrowed.

As more digital resources have become available, the number of readers who used online platforms to access book resources last year reached 803,400, growing 20.7 percent from a year earlier.

The unified service platform also extends to wider applications. The city’s 307 public libraries, districts’ 244 self-service libraries and 51 24-hour book stands have been included on the platform, and 94.37 percent of all books borrowed from public libraries last year were made through the platform.

Readers on the unified service platform borrowed an average of 24.18 printed books. The volume of books borrowed by male readers was 1.36 times as many as that by females. The most avid individual reader borrowed 1,500 printed books last year.

The majority of readers used online platforms including WeChat, Alipay and other websites to renew items online, accounting for 68.47 percent of all available methods.

In terms of reading preferences, science fiction, for example “The Three-Body Problem” which claimed the top-searched-keyword title on the OPAC service system of the Shenzhen Library, has become more and more popular among readers, especially among youth, while readers in older age groups preferred book categories such as literature, biographies and photography.

“Ordinary World,” written by Chinese author Lu Yao, ranked second on the list of the most popular search terms on the OPAC, followed by fantasy novel “Harry Potter,” which entered the top three for the first time last year.

Additionally, “Dream of the Red Chamber,” also called “The Story of the Stone,” one of the four great classic Chinese novels, “To Live” by Yu Hua, “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” and classics of eminent authors like Keigo Higashino have always been sought after by readers of the Shenzhen Library system.

“Grief Grocery Store” by Higashino, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and “The Three-Body Problem” grabbed the top-three slots on the list of the most-borrowed books.

Books such as “Totto-Chan, The Little Girl at the Window” by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi and “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” were favored by kids.

In 2018, public libraries organized 14,300 activities of various kinds to promote reading, which has attracted 5.01 million participated residents.

Shenzhen Library has always insisted on putting innovation into practice. For example, multiple online platforms have been developed to enable convenient services for readers.

Residents can pre-borrow books online and then have them delivered to home. Digital reading cards are available when readers forget to bring their physical library cards. Moreover, mobile payment makes the whole experience hassle-free.

All of these considerable services can be simply reached by visiting the website of Shenzhen Library, Shenzhen Library’s WeChat account and the city service column on the Alipay mobile app.    (Wang Jingli)