Libraries NI Annual Loans Summary by Library and Item Category

Annual summary data details the total items borrowed, including issues and renewals, from 98 libraries in Northern Ireland. The dataset provides a breakdown of loans by individual library and by item category. It is published under an open government license, facilitating public and academic analysis of library service usage.

Use Cases

• Analyzing library service performance across different regions based on the library breakdown.
• Tracking trends in the borrowing of different material types using the item category breakdown.
• Benchmarking individual library usage against the network of 98 libraries.
• Informing public funding and resource allocation decisions for library services.

Strengths

• Covers a specific, well-defined network of 98 libraries (96 static and 2 specialist heritage libraries).
• Provides a breakdown by two key dimensions: individual library and item category.
• Published under a permissive open government license (OGL-UK-3.0).

Limitations

• Column names and specific data fields are not detailed in the available metadata.
• The exact temporal coverage (e.g., specific years) is not stated, limiting understanding of the time series.
• The listed last update date of 2026-07-08 appears to be a future date, which is a conflict or error in the provided metadata.

Provenance

Source

Libraries NI, via the Government Digital Service (UK).

Collection Method

Likely compiled from administrative records of library loan transactions.

Time Range

Annual, but specific years are not stated.

Freshness

2026-07-08 13:33:22.971098

Geography

Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.