KPL allows Kaohsiung to shine as a top city for readers after consecutively winning related awards by fulfilling various growth indicators.

【Kaohsiung】On March 27, 2024, the National Central Library released the “2024 Yearly Report on the Reading Landscape and Habits of Taiwanese Citizens" and hosted an award ceremony. With high scores in various growth indicators, Kaohsiung Public Library has again been chosen as a city with excellent reading achievements in Taiwan. Soon after, KPL released its 2023 Kaohsiung Loves Reading Analysis Report. The report indicates that the number of books every citizen borrows has reached a new record, growing from 5.94 per person in 2022 to 6.49 in 2024. In addition, the average number of books owned has also increased significantly, from 2.42 to 2.66. These statistics are evidence of Kaohsiung’s passion for reading.

In 2021, KPL received the “Benchmark Library Award” for Main Libraries from the 1st Edition of Library Business and Contribution Awards from the Ministry of Education. In the 2^nd Edition of Library Business and Contribution Awards in 2023, KPL received two awards: "Outstanding Librarian” and the “Benchmark Library Award” for Branch Libraries. Having won these awards for two consecutive years, KPL has shown Kaohsiung’s achievements in promoting books and reading.

Wang Wen-tsui, the Chairwoman of KPL and Director of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs remarked, “The Kaohsiung Public Library is the first and only public library that has adopted the independent administrative institution operations mode in Taiwan. The KPL Main Library, branch libraries, and all the librarians have received recognition in the form of awards on varying levels. Such achievements show that our colleagues at KPL have been diligently promoting reading for many years, making KPL the citizens’ trusted reading companion. The award KPL has received today has encouraged our staff to continue expanding reading activities for citizens and push them to reach new heights.”

According to KPL’s Acting Director Lin Yi-Cheng, KPL holds three large-scale lectures yearly, attracting the interest of many citizens. They offered an opportunity for participants to interact with the speakers, encouraging readers to explore new knowledge and instigating their enthusiasm for reading. The “Kaohsiung Reading Festival,” an event that debuted in 2022, is also being held for the third time this year. Aside from borrowing books, readers may also purchase and enrich their collection of books while browsing through the bookstands during the festival. In addition, KPL has also joined hands with the Ministry of Culture’s Unlimited E-Books Program, which aims to expand both parties’ reading resources. This is also a critical factor in increasing the average number of books owned per person from last year’s statistics. KPL hopes to continue optimizing its library collection, increase the diverse reading services in Kaohsiung, and create a practical bank of reading resources for libraries.

KPL’s International Picture Book Center sports a collection of 160,000 picture books from Taiwan and abroad, making it the capital of picture books in Taiwan. Under the blueprint of diverse reading activities, the number of books borrowed from KPL last year reached 17,782,231 books. This statistic means every citizen borrows an average of 6.49 books from KPL annually. For the first time, readers of the 6-11 age group were ranked third for the most borrowed books, demonstrating KPL’s efforts to promote reading for students and preschoolers. Such initiatives allow KPL to breed a new generation of book-loving children.

According to KPL, the library has been diligently promoting reading activities for children and families by distributing the city’s Kaohsiung Loves Reading Book Boxes and book gift bags for preschoolers ages 0-5. These activities are crucial to KPL’s planting of reading seeds among Kaohsiung children. Thanks to their hard work, preschoolers ages 0-5 and children ages 6-10 have been ranked first and second in new library membership registration, with a growth rate of up to 12.96%. KPL further points out that reading at a younger age will help children cultivate their cognitive, emotional, problem-solving, and communication skills. Picture books play a vital role in the process as they help children build reading habits for joyful learning at an early age, therefore painting a future that depicts the importance of reading in Kaohsiung.

     The 2023 Kaohsiung Loves Reading Analysis Report crowns “Magical Grocery Shop” as the most searched keyword on the internet in 2023. As it happens, the series is also young readers’ favorite book series. The second most searched keyword is “Literary Creation,” while the ever-popular and beloved word “Novels” takes third place. The analysis results reflect popular books and reading trends among the citizens of Kaohsiung. “Novels” primarily dominate the category of “Fiction.” Love Like the Galaxy takes first place in this category, while Return to Ming Dynasty as a Prince is ranked second. Cin Lyu’s novel Fair Apothecarist ranks third. Meanwhile, the global best-selling British magic and fantasy novel Harry Potter series remains a beloved work among citizens even after over 20 years.

      At the top of the ranking for non-fiction books are the citizens’ beloved titles: The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness and Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. These two books have been listed as the first and second-place rankers, which they have dominated for two consecutive years as their popularity remains undiminished. The most unique work in the ranking is The Second Sex, the first feminist-centered book to be included. The book’s placement indicates that the often-discussed gender issues have also drawn great interest among the citizens.

      Meanwhile, the report also shows that books or comics on science, mathematics, and environmental education are among the top rankers in the category of children’s books. Building Good Life Habits takes the first place as the most-read children’s book, while second place is Journey to the West. The first book of the Magical Grocery Shop series, Happiness in Money Heaven, is in third place. Furthermore, rankings for e-reading resources indicate that books centralized around wealth management, psychology, and behavioral management are among the most popular. How to Start Investing Today, Psychological Lessons from Fairytales for Adults, and The Miracle Habits: The Secret of Turning Your Moments into Miracles are ranked first, second, and third respectively. This ranking shows that citizens were incredibly interested in issues surrounding solutions to hardships in life and wealth management.

KPL allows Kaohsiung to shine as a top city for readers after consecutively winning related awards by fulfilling various growth indicators. On the left is KPL Acting Director Lin Yi-Cheng.

KPL allows Kaohsiung to shine as a top city for readers after consecutively winning related awards by fulfilling various growth indicators. On the right is KPL Acting Director Lin Yi-Cheng.