In 2022, there were 58 public libraries in Slovenia, with 283 branches and 13 mobile libraries. They offered access to a range of services, programmes and events in 205 municipalities. However, there were also seven municipalities where there was no library provision. The Slovenian public libraries had almost 412,000 members, representing 19.4% of the population, and 7.6 million visits took place across the year. The total stock was over 12 million items, and last year, public library users borrowed 19.7 million items. There were 1.212 full time equivalents (FTEs) working in public libraries. The operating expenditure amounted to 59.8 million euros.
Annual statistics on Slovenian public libraries are collected by the National and University Library. All public libraries in Slovenia provide the data via the BibSiSt portal, where they can enter their data through online surveys. The Library System Development, Counselling and Continuing Education Department reviews and validates the data before it is published on the BibSiSt website and in the publication Slovenian Libraries in Figures.
Raw numbers provide an accurate description of things but they do not always give us a clear picture. Only proportions, relative values and trends give us a clearer picture.
Annual Statistics on Slovenian public libraries
Here are some of the key facts about Slovenian public libraries. The source of all data is BibSiSt.
The change in the data collection methodology for 2020 has caused a break in data continuity for some indicators, which is noted in the brackets (until 2019) and (since 2020), respectively.