--- title: "Public libraries boom online as digital loans hit records and staff shrink" description: "Digital library loans hit 820 million in 2025, but staff and stock are shrinking. The verified US and UK figures on how public libraries are really used." url: "https://eclair.world/news/public-libraries-boom" lang: "en" author: "Thierry Gustin" published: "2026-11-12" updated: "2026-11-12" --- # Public libraries boom online as digital loans hit records and staff shrink > **Key takeaways** — Library borrowing is at record levels, but mostly on phones: digital loans through the Libby app passed 820 million in 2025. In-person use has recovered since the pandemic, while in England staff numbers have nearly halved since 2010. Public libraries are booming in one sense: people borrow more from them than ever, but increasingly on screens. Digital loans of ebooks, audiobooks and magazines through the Libby and Sora apps reached a record 820.5 million in 2025. In-person visits have recovered from the pandemic, yet in England library staffing and physical stock have kept shrinking, so the boom is real but uneven. > **Key points** — Libraries and schools lent a record 820.5 million digital titles via OverDrive's apps in 2025, up about 10%. > In the US, electronic loans per person rose 84% between FY 2018 and FY 2023, according to the federal library agency IMLS. > In England, 276 libraries have closed since 2010 without replacement, and staff numbers fell 47% between 2010/11 and 2024/25. > A federal court blocked the dismantling of IMLS in November 2025, and all cancelled grants were reinstated. ## Are more people using public libraries? More borrowing is happening, mostly digitally. OverDrive, which supplies digital lending to libraries in 115 countries, reported that total checkouts on its Libby and Sora apps reached 820.5 million in 2025, a new record, in a [press release on 21 January 2026](https://company.overdrive.com/2026/01/21/libraries-break-digital-lending-records-in-2025-with-over-820-million-checkouts-and-over-1-billion-minutes-streamed/). Public libraries accounted for 737.6 million of those loans, up 9%. The 2024 total was 739 million. **Digital library loans via Libby and Sora, 2025 (OverDrive)** | Format | Loans in 2025 | Change on 2024 | | --- | --- | --- | | Ebooks | 379.4 million | +3% | | Audiobooks | 315.9 million | +13% | | Magazines | 125.1 million | +31% | | Total (public libraries and schools) | 820.5 million | about +10% | Audiobooks and magazines are growing fastest. These figures come from a commercial supplier and cover only its own platforms, so total digital lending is higher. ## Have library visits recovered since the pandemic? In the United States, largely yes. A May 2026 research brief from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), [covering FY 2018 to FY 2023](https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2026-05/FY2023-Research-Brief-508_05132026.pdf), found that the median number of library visits per person rose from 0.4 in FY 2021 to 2.8 in FY 2023. Opening hours were close to pre-pandemic levels by FY 2023, and city libraries had fully returned to their earlier schedules. - Libraries offered more than 2.5 times as many programmes in FY 2023 as in FY 2021. - Median programme attendance reached 3,087 in FY 2023, approaching the FY 2019 peak of 3,612. - Median physical loans per person rose to 3.91 in FY 2023. - Median electronic loans per person rose from 0.49 in FY 2018 to 0.90 in FY 2023, an 84% increase. The brief analysed more than 9,000 US library systems. FY 2023 is the most recent year covered by the federal survey's published analysis as of November 2026. ## Are libraries closing in the UK? Some are, and the service is thinner. The UK government's [annual libraries report for 2024–25](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-to-parliament-on-public-libraries-activities-from-april-2024-to-march-2025/annual-libraries-report-2024-to-2025), published in July 2025, estimated that England had 2,877 static libraries and that 276 had closed since 2010 without being replaced or relocated. About a quarter of adults (25–26% in 2024 survey quarters) said they had visited a library in person in the previous 12 months. Staffing has fallen sharply. A UNISON analysis of council data, [reported by LocalGov in March 2026](https://www.localgov.co.uk/Library-staff-numbers-halved-since-2010-says-UNISON/64023), found that England's library services employed 17,902 staff in 2010/11 and 9,497 in 2024/25, a 47% fall, while unstaffed opening hours rose from just over 13,000 to more than 212,000. ## Are libraries running out of books? In England, collections are getting smaller even as borrowing rises. A University of Sheffield study of 36 library services, [published on 27 June 2026](https://sheffield.ac.uk/news/englands-public-library-collections-are-danger-being-hollowed-out-new-research-warns), found that physical items per person fell from 1.49 in 2022/23 to 1.26 in 2024/25. Over the same period, loans per person rose from 3.62 to 3.73. Spending has shifted towards digital. Spending per person on physical stock fell from 87p to 72p, while spending on eResources rose from 16p to 74p. Libraries are following their users online, as other cultural sectors have; music shows a similar split between streaming and physical formats, as our article on [vinyl and CD sales](https://eclair.world/news/vinyl-outsells-cds) explains. ## Is US federal funding for libraries safe? For now, after a legal fight. Executive Order 14238, issued in March 2025, directed the elimination of IMLS, the main federal funder of US libraries, and many grants were cancelled. On 21 November 2025 a federal court in Rhode Island struck down the attempt in a case brought by 21 state attorneys general, and on 3 December 2025 IMLS reinstated all terminated grants, [the American Library Association said](https://www.ala.org/news/2025/12/ala-welcomes-reinstatement-all-federal-imls-grants-libraries). In April 2026 the ALA said it had signed a binding settlement with the administration to keep IMLS intact, and that the administration had withdrawn its appeal in the related state case, [according to the association's case page](https://www.ala.org/advocacy/show-up-for-our-libraries/IMLS-lawsuit). Future funding levels still depend on Congress. Digital lending also depends on what people want to read, watch and hear online, a theme our piece on [how streaming changed song length](https://eclair.world/news/streaming-song-length) explores for music. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many books do libraries lend digitally? Through OverDrive's Libby and Sora apps alone, public libraries and schools lent 820.5 million digital titles in 2025, including 379.4 million ebooks, 315.9 million audiobooks and 125.1 million magazines. Public libraries accounted for 737.6 million loans. Other platforms also serve libraries, so the true total is higher. ### Are library visits back to pre-pandemic levels? In the US, the federal IMLS found that median visits per person rose from 0.4 in FY 2021 to 2.8 in FY 2023, and opening hours were nearly back to FY 2019 levels. Programme attendance was approaching its FY 2019 peak. Data for years after FY 2023 had not been analysed in a published federal brief as of November 2026. ### How many libraries have closed in England? The UK government's 2024–25 annual libraries report says 276 libraries in England have closed since 2010 without being replaced or relocated, leaving an estimated 2,877 static libraries. Some services have also cut hours or rely on unstaffed opening, which UNISON found rose to more than 212,000 hours a year by 2024/25. ### Are physical books still borrowed in libraries? Yes. In the US, the median library lent 3.91 physical items per person in FY 2023, against 0.90 electronic items, according to IMLS. In England, a University of Sheffield study of 36 services found loans per person rose from 3.62 in 2022/23 to 3.73 in 2024/25, even as the number of physical items held per person fell. ## Sources - [OverDrive — Libraries break digital lending records in 2025 with over 820 million checkouts](https://company.overdrive.com/2026/01/21/libraries-break-digital-lending-records-in-2025-with-over-820-million-checkouts-and-over-1-billion-minutes-streamed/) (21 January 2026) - [IMLS — Public library trends between FY 2018 and FY 2023: from pandemic disruption to steady recovery](https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2026-05/FY2023-Research-Brief-508_05132026.pdf) (May 2026) - [DCMS — Annual libraries report 2024 to 2025](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-to-parliament-on-public-libraries-activities-from-april-2024-to-march-2025/annual-libraries-report-2024-to-2025) (16 July 2025) - [University of Sheffield — England's public library collections are in danger of being hollowed out](https://sheffield.ac.uk/news/englands-public-library-collections-are-danger-being-hollowed-out-new-research-warns) (27 June 2026) - [LocalGov — Library staff numbers halved since 2010, says UNISON](https://www.localgov.co.uk/Library-staff-numbers-halved-since-2010-says-UNISON/64023) (12 March 2026) - [American Library Association — ALA welcomes reinstatement of all federal IMLS grants to libraries](https://www.ala.org/news/2025/12/ala-welcomes-reinstatement-all-federal-imls-grants-libraries) (3 December 2025) - [American Library Association — Restore IMLS: ALA goes to court](https://www.ala.org/advocacy/show-up-for-our-libraries/IMLS-lawsuit) (April 2026) — Thierry Gustin, Editor-in-chief · November 12, 2026