From the Director

Library news and happenings.

Library Numbers

Libraries are usually more about words than numbers, although we do have the Dewey Decimal system!

I recently came across some statistics that claim to represent the global scope of library activity. I suspect that is hard to prove, but the numbers are interesting and fun to ponder nevertheless:

  • 1,212,383 – libraries worldwide
  • 166,041,975,140 – library transactions per year
  • 18,954,563 – library transactions per day
  • 5,265 – library transactions per second
  • 1,596,270,108 – internet users worldwide
  • 3,673,000,000 – internet searches per day, many from libraries, of course!
  • 12,582,962 – number of print books published in the US since 1923

KPL statistics might not sound quite as impressive, but they reflect a strong increase over this time last year:

  • 24% - increase in circulation of print and non-print materials
  • 52% - increase in computer use
  • 56% - increase in use of WiFi

Come visit soon and we’ll add the books you check out and your computer use to our statistics. We might be on course for a record breaking year.

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