A record number of kids and teens currently have library card

About 2.4 million young people are members of a public library, the highest number ever. That is nearly three-quarters of that age group, the KB reported. The organization, formerly known as the Royal Library, says that more young adults have also become members.

In recent years, libraries have been collaborating more with primary and secondary schools. This aims to encourage children to read, reaching a total of 876,000 children.

In addition, there are increasingly more activities at libraries. Last year, the institutions organized just under 400,000 events, an 18 percent increase compared to the previous year. Libraries offer people courses in digital skills, language lessons, and cultural education, among other things.

Despite the positive figures, libraries lent fewer physical books. Last year, that happened 51.5 million times, 16 percent less than five years earlier. In the same period, the number of e-book loans increased by 50 percent, reaching 5.8 million.

In 2024, 8,300 people were employed at a public library. That is over 4 percent more than in 2023 and nearly 20 percent more than in 2019. In addition, 28,000 people worked as volunteers, 6 percent more than in 2023.

In 2024, the average cycling distance to the nearest library branch or service point was 1.8 kilometers. Residents of Zeeland had the longest average distance at 3.1 kilometers, while residents of Zuid-Holland had the shortest, averaging 1.4 kilometers.