Public libraries in the EU

There are 65,000 public libraries in the EU.  They are usually thought of as a place to read and borrow books - but they are so much more than that. Public libraries are undergoing a transformation, becoming a powerful network across the EU where people are supplementing their formal education, working on their basic skills and undertaking a huge range of learning activities.  The EU’s public libraries are a smart tool in the promotion of social inclusion, digital inclusion and – not least – lifelong learning.

At a time when European societies are struggling to integrate hard-to-reach groups and to provide them with necessary skills to be functional and proud members of their communities, libraries are especially well positioned to offer locally driven solutions to global issues.  They are a unique space for the socio-economically disadvantaged, offering activities such as lifelong learning programmes and digital skills training for early school leavers, adult learners and the unemployed.

The figures speak for themselves:

• Public libraries welcome 100 million visitors per year across the EU.
• 24 million Europeans participate in non-formal learning activities at their public library every year.
• 4.6million people a year access the internet for the first time in a public library.
• A quarter of a million people found new jobs by going online in libraries in 2013.

Europe’s network of libraries are a largely untapped resource that can boost the EU’s progress in achieving its ET2020 objectives. We know this is possible from the experience of many Member States who have invested in libraries and made a huge return on this investment - just one example is the digital upskilling