Behind-the-scenes: A Glimpse in the Public Library System
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What record did the Calgary Public Library achieve in 2025?
There was a report that came out in January that kind of blew my mind. It has to do with transaction numbers at the Calgary Public Library. So apparently, Calgarians checked out 17.5 million books in 2025. 17.5. 11 million of them were physical copies, with the remaining 6.5 million being digital. 17.5 million is a record for Liberian. Now, I don't know about you guys, but that is a way, way higher number than I was expecting ever. How freaking bookish is Calgary? What do I not know about the city? I mean, I do know that they have a population of roughly 1.6 million that averages out to roughly 10 book checkouts per person per year.
What factors contributed to the 15% increase in library usage?
And that's on top of all the other services that it offers. Public libraries are such a vital resource for so many people. They're absolutely appreciated and hold a revered place in society, but I think the positive community impact is still hugely underappreciated. The Calgary Public Library clearly had an incredible 2025, just based on those numbers. I thought with this in mind, this is a great opportunity to talk about libraries and how they work and what they offer. Today, I have the perfect person to talk about the impact of libraries, Genevieve Luthi. She's the Director of Collections at the Calgary Public Library. This is Audiobook Cafe. I'm Jacob Szymanski. Genevieve, thanks for making time.
Welcome to the show.
Thanks so much for having me, Jacob.
Of course. So I only mentioned just a few of the numbers that were made available in that press release in January. Can you share with us the rest? Because they're also super impressive.
Sure. Yeah. So we have millions of visits every year and hundreds of thousands program participants at the library, more than 20,000 people a day. visit 22 different library locations across Calgary.
Wow, 20,000. Okay, what kind of programs are we talking about here?
So we have programs for all ages, all interests. So we start with that as a baby, you might attend our baby rhyme time with your with your caregiver, all the way up to coffee and conversation programs for seniors, tech programs, all kinds of programs. Really, there's something for everyone at the library.
And most public libraries do host programs like these. Is 20,000 people showing up for these programs a high number if you compare them to other public libraries in Canada, if you have a picture of what it looks like?
Yeah, I mean, I think Calgary is a large city and hundreds of thousands of program participants is probably specific to our city because of the population. But I imagine at libraries across the country, people are showing up in huge numbers for programs. I know that We have trouble meeting demand for some of our baby programs, for example. There's a large young population here. So I think it's really dependent on the demographics of your community, but absolutely libraries across the country are in demand and programs that are offered across the country, I think, at libraries are very well attended.
You're almost more like a community center than this pure church of literacy community.
Yeah, I think that's absolutely true. You know, libraries are free and welcoming spaces that ensure everyone, regardless of their background or income, has access to knowledge, tools, and opportunities. So we have free Wi-Fi, we have computers, digital tools. At Calgary Public Library, we offer $5 of free printing a month. So people who might not have a printer at home can come in and print a government form or a resume. And then, yeah, all those programs that we talked about for sure. So yeah, it's a real place, I think, where people can come and make connections and build community.
17.5 million checkouts in 2025. That's across all the branches of the Calgary Public Library. Is that a normal number? Because to me, I was absolutely blown away. I couldn't picture it. That's an insane amount of numbers. Put some perspective on this, please.
Yeah, so that is our highest circulation on record. But it is not, I mean, it's typical, right? It's higher than previous years, but it's not that much higher.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What record did the Calgary Public Library achieve in 2025?
0:00–0:53
2
What factors contributed to the 15% increase in library usage?
0:53–9:34
3
What types of programs does Calgary Public Library offer for the community?
9:34–11:30
4
How does the Calgary Public Library compare to other libraries in Canada?
11:30–21:44
5
What is Libby and how can patrons use it for audiobooks?
21:44–27:31