Libraries in Saxony's major cities are being used more frequently again following the coronavirus pandemic. In Leipzig, visitor and lending figures last year reached the levels of the peak year 2019, according to the city administration. In Dresden and Chemnitz, the pre-corona level was not quite reached again, but more visitors came to libraries there in 2022 than in 2021.
The 17 libraries in Leipzig were visited by 944,168 people last year - an increase of eleven percent compared to the previous year. They borrowed almost 3.8 million books and other media. In addition, there were almost 3.8 million virtual visits.
In the state capital of Dresden, the libraries registered more than 1.55 million on-site visitors and almost 1.7 million digital visits. This was 27 or 12.4 percent more than in the previous year, according to the city. Users borrowed around 4.68 million items - of which around 486,000 were digital. In Dresden, in addition to the central library and a mobile library, the municipal libraries also include 19 facilities in the city districts.
In Chemnitz, too, more people came to the libraries last year than in 2021. According to the city, almost 364,000 visits were counted on site and around 117,500 in the digital portals. In addition to the central library, Chemnitz has four district libraries and two volunteer-run lending points in Röhsdorf and Klaffenbach.
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