What are the determinants for public library borrowing? Lessons from the Helsinki region

Abstract

Finns are heavy users of public libraries, and the list of the most borrowed books is regularly published in local newspapers, which only include the most wanted books, 5–10 each week. However, the determinants of book loans from libraries are not known. The aim of this study is to fill in this gap and investigate the determinants of book loans from Helmet public libraries (Helsinki region). Using Martin’s (1993) model, this approach proposes that we should observe a negative relationship between the retail price and the number of loans of each book because the library would prefer to purchase popular but not too expensive books. The results indicate that retail price, as well as author recognition and public awareness about the novel, indeed has an impact on borrowing. This implies that library managers should respond to all available information on the determinants of borrowing and should try to minimize long queues of citizens when they are waiting for the current hit novel to be available to borrow from the library.