Opening the books on our library
8 Jul 2025
The end of financial year is an opportunity to tally and tabulate, and while our libraries might be known for words, we love sharing the numbers as well. Over the past year our libraries have handled:
- 528,846 physical loans
- 99,646 e-book and e-audio loans
- 100,935 e-resource accessed (films, articles, family history records).
So, what were the top titles over the past year?
- The Meltdown by Jeff Kinney (junior GN) with 159 loans
- The Secret by Lee Child (adult fiction) with 122 loans
- No Plan B by Lee Child (adult fiction) with 121 loans
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (adult fiction) with 119 loans
- The Hidden Girl by Lucinda Riley (adult fiction) with 110 loans
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If you’re someone who loves local, the most popular books by New Zealand authors are:
- The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey (adult fiction, ranked sixth overall) with 105 loans.
- Ko Flit, te Tīrairaka, me te mahere Matariki by Katherine Merewether (picture book, ranked seventh overall) was borrowed 100 times.
Most people think only of books when they hear the word library, but despite the popular misconception, libraries are not only here for books, they’re also here for people, and our figures reflect that. In the past twelve months:
- 1,922 people joined the library
- 8,513 people attended 465 programmes
- 983 people used the new Makerspace to design and/or make something – which is even more impressive as it only opened in February!
Library membership gives you access to a wealth of books and e-resources absolutely free, but you don’t have to hold a library card to enjoy our facilities and services, they’re open to everyone.
We have libraries from Paekākāriki to Ōtaki, so pop along to your nearest branch and make the most of everything that’s on offer.
Find all the answers to your questions here: www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/libraries/about-the-library/how-do-i/