Libraries are seeing an increase in traffic, and it’s not just students looking for books for their studies. The managers or representatives of libraries who KYPE interacted with claimed that there is a growing tendency in the number of library users. The number of titles available in libraries is also growing at the same time.
The KYPE conversation with the University of Cyprus Library, the municipalities of Strovolos and Aglantzia revealed that the myth that libraries are solely for students is untrue. They pointed out that consumers outside of academia also utilise libraries, in addition to students, academics, and scholars. The majority of the most popular book categories are within the literary (police and social content) category, however historical works also hold a prominent position.
The University of Cyprus Library observes a great demand for Humanities books
In an interview with KYPE, Elena Diomidis, the director of the University of Cyprus Library, remarked that since moving to its new site, the Library has been using technology to record traffic as visitors enter and exit. “When it opened in the new space in 2019, there was an impressive turnout because the building is impressive,” he added, noting that approximately 500,000 visitors were tallied that year.
The numbers were reduced in the next two to three years because, as Ms. Diomedes noted, traffic was restricted and access was restricted to those associated with the institution due to the corona virus pandemic. The number of visitors has climbed to 300,000 this year, he added, although he made it clear that the figure was only an estimate. He continued, “There is a rising trend, particularly during exam times and academic semesters.
The director of the University of Cyprus library also disclosed to KYPE that although visitors who come to study as well as outside members make up the majority of users, including students and university students. He stated that about 1000 new members sign up each year. In response to a related query, Mrs. Diomidis stated that although precise figures for the number of students and university employees visiting the library have not been determined, it is broadly assumed that outside users account for 5-6% of library users. “We are not yet in a position to give exact numbers,” he emphasised.
Elena Diomidis brought up the fact that the sciences, which have more contemporary content, like engineering, are less popular when it comes to the topics of the books that consumers are seeking for. He said that there is a larger need for items relating to the humanities, including the classics and social sciences. According to him, “because there is not much material in Greek that has been digitised, we invest a significant part of our budget in purchasing relevant material in printed form and developing our collection” in these categories.
According to the director of the University of Cyprus library, there are users who come to study without borrowing books as well as those who borrow resources on a variety of subjects (such as those with literary and scientific content). He added that primary school pupils can access a children’s collection, so “the traffic is increased in this area as well.”
In addition, Mrs. Diomidis noted that the academic staff makes use of the library space, and since the digital library is accessible from anywhere, everyone who is a scholar or reader may now be assisted remotely. Because the reading room is open around-the-clock, a lot of people consciously visit the library to read at various times of the day.
Elena Diomidis also expressed her happiness with the attendance because there were students from various universities in Cyprus and overseas. He emphasised, “There is excitement and positive comments from the community. The library is being utilised to the fullest extent, but there is always room for improvement, he said. “We take into account users’ opinions through evaluation questionnaires, in which their impressions and suggestions are recorded,” he said in his conclusion.
According to the Municipality of Strovolos Library, detective fiction is more popular.
The Strovolos Municipality Library’s librarian, Michalis Ktoris, told KYPE that the library has been occupying the same location since 2015 and has a collection of about 50,000 books.
The fact that 1200 additional people have joined the library in the previous two to three years indicates that there is a “increasing trend” in the volume of traffic, he noted. “The user growth rate is 10-15% per year,” he continued.
In response to a related query, Mr. Ktoris explained to KYPE that there are two types of readers—students or scholars who use the reading room and active readers who regularly borrow books. “We now have 8000 active users, of which 40% are aged 35-45, 30% are over 65, 20% are children, and 10% are people of various other ages,” he said.
Finally, he mentioned that the most well-liked book genres among library patrons are Greek and international detective novels.
The Aglantzia Municipality Library reports that works on history, literature, and society are in high demand.
Nadia Polyviou, the manager of the Aglantzia Municipality Library, told KYPE that the library has been open ever since the municipality of Aglantzia was founded in 1986.
He stated that 40 to 50 individuals, usually pensioners, use the library each week and that usage is “growing all the time.”
Additionally, Ms. Polyviou said that people who visit libraries typically browse for books on history, literature, and society. He also mentioned lending from the library. “If one wishes, he can sit on the spot and read, which is what students and students who came to do their studies used to do,” he noted. Younger individuals now visit the University of Cyprus Library for their studies as a result of its operation, he emphasised.
Finally, Ms. Polyviou said that although the library contains 29,000 books, a digital catalogue is not yet available.
