Of that number, 235,000 Belarusians use library services remotely. On average across the country, 41% of all users are children and teenagers. «This shows that libraries are actively working to engage the younger generation in reading books,» Olga Makarova noted.

She also said that over the past five years, there has been a downward trend in the number of library users. According to her, this is explained by demographic and migration processes, as well as the optimization of the library network and the general trend toward digitalization. At the same time, there has been steady growth in the number of virtual users, who prefer to access library services remotely.

«The total number of visits, including virtual ones, exceeds 35 million. The number of items issued comes to more than 37 million copies per year. This is undoubtedly driven by the introduction and development of digital platforms and online services, expanded access to electronic information resources, and the active promotion of libraries’ virtual work plans through websites and social media,» the chief specialist added.

In total, the country has 5,600 libraries. Their combined holdings contain around 200 million copies of books.