Statistics 2023

The chart below indicates the total number of Saskatchewan residents with library cards and the number of active patrons who have used their public library card at least once in the past two years. The data for active patrons is based on customers whose records show one of the following activities: check out, renewal, check-in, billing, payment, placing a hold, a new registration, or a login authentication to access an electronic resource.

Context: Prior to SILS forming in 2010, each library system used their own separate software, so many Saskatchewan residents had multiple library cards as a result. The launch of SILS meant that a library card could be used at any public library in the province (‘One Province, One Library Card’!). Because residents are no longer required to carry library cards for multiple library systems, the total number of cardholders in recent years more accurately reflects the number of residents registered at a public library in Saskatchewan. ​ ​Other factors that may have affected registered borrower counts include changes to the definition of a registered borrower, concerted attempts to remove duplicate borrowers from the database, and a change in policy in 2013 which made library cards transferable. This policy change may have resulted in libraries issuing fewer cards as families are now able to share a single card. All factors have remained consistent since September 2015, at which point the library system software changed and more accurate counts became available.

Data available: 2009-present; historical data available from government publications: 2009; 2010-2014

The chart below provides the number of physical items that were shipped among SILS agencies to fill hold requests. Interlibrary loan (ILL) items, which are borrowed from outside the SILS system, are excluded.

The chart below shows the number of patrons from each agency who used their library cards in person at a library branch outside the library system that issued their card.

The chart below provides the number of ebooks and audiobooks from the OverDrive digital collection that were used by Saskatchewan residents in the last full year from either the library2go site or the Libby app.

Context: Use of OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks has increased significantly over the last several years due to pandemic closures and increased investment by libraries.

The chart below provides total annual circulation of physical materials (electronic materials are not included) by library system for the last full year. Included are the number of unique borrowers, total circulation (checkouts and renewals combined), and total holds placed.

The chart below provides the number of physical items in SILS that are available for patrons to use, broken down by material type. Electronic items, such as ebooks and e-audiobooks, are not included.

The chart below provides the number of unique titles in SILS, as well as the number of new titles added per year. E-titles refer to ebooks and e-audio books, and ‘physical’ titles refer to physical books and media.