According to annual reports and like many libraries, Edmonton Public Library (EPL)  has experienced a decline in physical item circulation.  In 2016 8.8 million physical items were borrowed but only 8.1 million physical items were borrowed in 2017 which represents a decline of 8%.  In fact, less Edmontonians used their library cards in 2017 (260 thousand) than in 2016 (265 thousand).

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However, digital circulation continues to rise. In 2016 3.2 million digital items were circulated. This figure rose to 3.7 million items in 2017 which represents a 14% increase. In fact, in 2017 digital circulation represented 31.5% of total circulation.

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In addition, EPL is providing more programming both in-library and out in the community:

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• Attendance at in-library programs rose by 14,000 from 2016 to 2017.

• Attendance at programs outside the library rose by 28,000 from 2016 to 2017. 

• Number of settlement service sessions provided to immigrants increased by 500 from 2016 to 2017.

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Even though fewer Edmontonians are using their library cards:

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• Average daily in-house wireless sessions rose by 600 from 2016 to 2017.

• In 2017, there were 11 million visits to epl.ca .

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(All statistics on this page were reported in or calculated from statistics in Key Performance Indicators January to December 2017 or  Edmonton Public Library 2016 Annual Report .)

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Now that you have an overview of Edmonton and EPL, see how EPL uses 21st century public library TRENDS to remain a vibrant member of the Edmonton community.