Chief Secretary Chu Nan-Shyan (center, 2nd row), Director-General Shu-hsien Tseng, Director-Generals of Taiwan’s libraries, and attendees pose for a group photo

A press conference was held at the Ministry of Education on March 2, 2018, to announce the results of the 2017 Book Survey and the Opening of Community Information Centers. NCL Director-General Shu-hsien Tseng explained the results of the survey. In 2017, there were 86.22 million visits to Taiwan’s public libraries. Of these, 20.5 million visits resulted in borrowings, with a total of 74.93 million books borrowed, an increase on the figures for 2016. The most popular category of books was language and literature, of which 36.74 million volumes were borrowed, or 49.03% of the total number of books borrowed during the year. Most readers fell into the 35-44 age bracket, and were responsible for borrowing 21.33 million books, or 28.47% of the annual total.

The NCL conducted an analysis of borrowing in the last three years at Taiwan’s libraries. Residents of Sanwang Township in Miaoli County were the most prolific readers, borrowing on average 14.07 volumes. In second place came Guishan Township in Hsinchu County with 7.17 volumes, while Yuanlin City in Changhua County was in third place with 5.7 volumes. Sanwang Township’s figure of 14.07 volumes puts it close on the heels of Helsinki (15.57 volumes) and Vancouver (15.28 volumes), and ahead of Toronto (12.25 volumes), and neighbors Singapore (7.09 volumes) and Hong Kong (7.82 volumes).