The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) released the 2023 "library statistics" on Friday, revealing that the number of operating libraries in Türkiye last year was recorded at 48,733. This includes 1 Presidential National Library, 1 National Library, 1,295 public libraries, 627 university libraries and 46,809 libraries in formal and non-formal educational institutions.
The total number of books saw a 32.6% increase compared to the previous year, with the Presidential National Library alone housing 2,532,299 books. The National Library's collection grew by 3.5%, reaching 1,689,166 books, while university libraries saw a 2.7% increase to 21,666,947 books. Public libraries experienced a 4.8% rise, totaling 24,204,501 books, and libraries in educational institutions surged by 56.9%, amassing 68,970,463 books.
Public library usage increased by 25.3% last year, with 33,561,919 people benefiting from their services. The number of registered members of public libraries rose by 11.2%, totaling 6,193,356.
Türkiye has 627 university libraries, comprising 477 state university libraries and 150 foundation university libraries. The number of e-books in university libraries increased by 23.4% last year, reaching 118,373,442. Membership in university libraries grew by 5.3%, with 4,199,285 members and non-book materials rose by 8.8%, totaling 1,662,552 items.
Additionally, 71,200 books were published in Türkiye last year. The total number of published materials increased by 18.4% from the previous year, reaching 99,025. Analysis of these publications shows that 29.9% were academic, 19.9% educational and 17.6% adult fiction.
