Closing libraries have heavy use, show numbers released Friday

Numbers released by the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries (NLPL) show local libraries used heavily in many rural areas are now set to close.

The board on Friday released its circulation and usage numbers for the past two years. 

The numbers show that more than 1.2 million books, or physical materials, were borrowed at the province's 95 libraries last year. 

• Public libraries board releases list of 54 libraries to close
• 'Just devastated' by library closures, say rural residents

Some of the libraries being closed saw a lot of traffic considering the size of their communities. 

Fogo Island Central, for example, had more than 13,000 Wi-Fi sessions in 2015-2016. Roughly 2,500 people live on the island. 

The library in Lark Harbour, which is also closing, had more than 4,000 books borrowed, 3,856 computer sessions and 3,767 Wi-Fi sessions. The population is about 500. 

In Port au Port, where the library is located in a school, more than 17,000 materials were borrowed — in a town of roughly 600 residents. 

Between all libraries in the province, more than 160,000 e-books were circulated, and there were 269,361 computer sessions and 246,447 Wi-Fi sessions.

NLPL said a computer session is any 30 minute use of a library computer, and Wi-Fi sessions refer to using wireless internet access in the library. 

A full list of NLPL usage for the past two years is available here: