Library Performance Analysis

Results and Reports

Explore the latest findings: how public libraries perform, how their users engage, and how these metrics have changed since 2020.
Dive into reports, articles, presentations and visual insights.

Public Library Performance Indicators 2024 – Results

Library Resources
Collections	Public libraries held a median of 3,561 volumes per 1,000 inhabitants. They subscribed to about 0.4 current periodical titles per 1,000 inhabitants. New acquisitions in 2024 included 98 books per 1,000 inhabitants. Acquisitions represented 3.4% of the total collection, while withdrawals accounted for 2.1%. 99.4% of collections were catalogued electronically.
Access	The user space available in libraries amounted to 0.03 m² per inhabitant. Libraries provided 0.62 publicly accessible internet workstations per 1,000 inhabitants. Services were available for a median of 40 hours per week.
Staffing	There were 0.37 full-time equivalent staff members per 1,000 inhabitants served.
Library Use
Library Use	Loans per capita reached 2 items per inhabitant. In-library use of collections was modest, with 0.1 items per inhabitant. The collection turnover rate stood at 0.6. Downloads of electronic documents per inhabitant were recorded at 0 (median), highlighting uneven development of e-resources. Physical visits amounted to 1.1 visits per inhabitant. Library websites attracted a median of 55 unique users per 1,000 inhabitants. Virtual visits stood at 0.4 per inhabitant.
Participation	Participation in on-site library events was relatively high: 166 participants per 1,000 inhabitants. By contrast, participation in online events was negligible (0 per 1,000 inhabitants). User training programmes attracted 3 participants per 1,000 inhabitants. Overall, 11% of the target population were registered and served by public libraries.
Efficiency
	The cost per physical library visit was 47.3 PLN, showing the average financial input required to support a single user’s visit. The ratio of collection-related expenditure to staff costs was 0.08, underlining the dominant share of personnel expenses in overall library budgets. Library expenditure per registered user amounted to 491 PLN, reflecting the scale of investment in services and resources for each active reader.
Potential for Development
	Expenditure on electronic resources accounted for 0% of total collection expenditure, showing that many libraries have not yet invested significantly in digital collections. Spending on library collections per inhabitant was modest, at 3.05 PLN. Library staff participated in an average of 8 hours of professional training per year. Qualified librarians made up 69.4% of all staff, highlighting a strong professional base in the workforce. On average, libraries received 0.6% of their parent institution’s budget, underscoring their relatively small share in overall cultural and educational funding. 3.1% of library budgets came from special grants or self-generated income, showing some ability to diversify funding sources. Libraries offered a median of 6 out of 14 interactive services.

Archive of Our Publications and Media

Public Libraries
Data and Reports	Performance Indicators in Different Types of Public Libraries, 2020–2024 (Medians) [Table]
Scientific & Professional Articles	The social and economic impact of Polish public libraries: Research programme design experience by Lidia Derfert-Wolff, Ewa Głowacka, Marcin Karwowski, Magdalena Mrugowska, Magdalena Paul (2021) [PDF, pp. 280-289]
Presentations and Webinars	The social and economic impact of Polish public libraries – research programme design experience - presentation from the 14th International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries (2021) [Presentation] [Video] 'From reading rooms to green rooms': the sustainability journey of Polish public libraries - presentation from the 16th International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries (2025) [Presentation] [Video]

The general results of the Library Performance Analysis are publicly available on the project website. The results are presented by type of library and type of study:

If interested in a specific data, report or media piece, please contact us and discuss translation options.