Statistics for libraries, registrations and archives

Library statistics

Summary statistics - these figures reflect Libraries, Registration Archives’ output during 2024 to 2025.

• Customers borrowed 6,040,200 items in total.
• 3,211,600 visits were made to our libraries and mobile libraries.
• Over 120,700 customers borrowed a physical item from a library, while over 46,300 customers borrowed an e-item online.
• Customers borrowed over 79,400 items from our mobile libraries.
• 6,285 mobile library stops were completed.
• Books were delivered to 651 housebound customers.
• There were over 1,324,800 engagements with our online platforms and services.
• Over 988,900 e-books and e-audiobooks were borrowed.
• Over 448,600 e-magazines were borrowed.
• Over 1,457,600 e-newspapers were borrowed.
• Over 1,215,700 items were available for customers to borrow.
• 335,100 enquiries were responded to by library staff and the Ask a Kent Librarian team.
• There were 213,400 attendances to our events and activities. Our most popular events are Baby Rhyme Time, with over 69,400 attendances, and Talk Time, with over 21,400 attendances.
• The top issuing Adult Fiction book for 20234 to 2025 was The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman.
• The top issuing Adult Non-Fiction book for 2024 to 2025 was The Salt Path by Raynor Winn.
• The top issuing Children’s Fiction book for 2024 to 2025 was The Baddies by Julia Donaldson.
• Customers used our computers for 177,800 hours, and our Wi-Fi service was accessed on 111,700 occasions.

Go to the libraries section of the website to find out how to access these services.

These summaries show the rates of use for our library services in individual Kent districts:

• Ashford (XLSX, 30.3 KB)
• Canterbury (XLSX, 30.3 KB)
• Dartford (XLSX, 30.8 KB)
• Dover (XLSX, 30.7 KB)
• Folkestone and Hythe (XLSX, 29.6 KB)
• Gravesham (XLSX, 29.8 KB)
• Maidstone (XLSX, 31.6 KB)
• Sevenoaks (XLSX, 29.6 KB)
• Swale (XLSX, 30.2 KB)
• Thanet (XLSX, 28.7 KB)
• Tonbridge and Malling (XLSX, 29.0 KB)
• Tunbridge Wells (XLSX, 30.7 KB)

Kent Archives statistics

The Kent Archives service is based in our Kent History and Library Centre. We have:

• retrieved 86,500 documents from our archives in order to carry out collection work and deal with customer enquiries
• responded to over 8,600 customer enquiries
• welcomed over 2,800 visitors to the Archive search room
• had 64,100 engagements with the Archive website and social media platforms
• welcomed 279 attendees to 8 Archive Talks throughout the year.

Registration

The registration service is available through our libraries and gateways. We have:

• registered 16,452 births and 16,585 deaths
• conducted 7,567 ceremonies
• taken 14,039 notices of marriage and civil partnership
• welcomed 4,927 new citizens to the United Kingdom
• issued 19,142 repository certificates from the Certificate Centre.

Customer satisfaction

Our yearly surveys have found that a significant proportion of our customers have indicated that they were very satisfied or satisfied with our services:

• Libraries 95%
• Registration 96%

Archives and Records Association customer satisfaction survey

The ARA National Surveys, previously the Public Services Quality Group (PQSG), coordinates 2 important surveys for the sector:

• the Survey of Visitors
• the Distance Users of Enquiry Services Survey.

The surveys take place between September and November in alternate years, so each survey takes place every 2 years. We take part in the surveys to understand customers’ thoughts and to help shape the service with customer feedback. It also provides us with a benchmarking tool, comparing results across all archive services who take part in the survey. In 2024 to 2025, the Survey of Visitors to the Search Room was carried out. Customer satisfaction with this service in Kent was 98%.

Read all previous results of the surveys.

Go to our Kent archives section of the website to find out how to access these services.