The Danish Libraries & Library Statistics 2006
The main purpose of this publication is to give a brief introduction to the libraries in Denmark and an overall perspective of Danish library statistics.
The Danish library concept
The Danish library system is based on the concept of the citizen's fundamental right to knowledge and information. Basically the library service is free of charge, but in certain cases libraries can demand payment for special services.
The Danish library system is characterised by extensive and well-functioning cooperation, both within the individual library sector and between the different library types.
The Danish Ministry of Culture and the Danish Library Agency
The Danish Library Agency is an agency under the Ministry of Culture and the central body at government level in all matters concerning libraries.
The Agency advises the government on the organisation, coordination and strategy for the Danish library service and gives professional advice to ministers and public authorities, as well as local authorities, libraries and information services etc. The Agency plays an active part in international cooperation within the field of libraries, documentation and information.
The Agency administers the Act regarding library services and the Danish Public Lending Right Act, as well as a number of statutory government grants for library purposes and is responsible for retrieving and collating statistical information about Danish libraries. The Agency furthermore acts as secretariat for Denmark's Electronic Research Library.
General figures about Denmark
| Area | 43,094 km2 |
| Local authorities | 271 |
| Counties* | 16 |
Population 1.7. 2006
| Adults | 4,489,031 |
| Children (0-13) | 945,444 |
| Total | 5,434,475 |
Public Libraries
All local authorities in the country must either alone or in co-operation with other local authorities run a public library with departments for children and adults.
The figures below do not include school libraries.
In each county one public library functions as the county library. The county library acts as the regional superstructure undertaking interlibrary loans and joint projects for the libraries in the region.
The public libraries are administered under the provisions of the Act regarding library services. The first library act was passed in 1920 and the current act dates from May 2000.
According to the Act the task of public libraries is to promote information, education and cultural activity by placing books and other media at the disposal of the public. When selecting material, the library must ensure quality, impartiality and topicality.
Libraries fulfil these objectives by offering a combination of books, serials, talking books, recorded music and electronic information resources (including Internet), to the public. All local authorities provide access to the Internet via the public libraries.
In all 4,773 PCs are available to the public in the Danish public libraries, which is the equivalent of one PC for every 1,139 inhabitants. All the public libraries are connected to the Internet.
Public libraries. Service points 2006
| Main libraries | 221 |
| Branch libraries | 420 |
| Mobile libraries |
40 |
| Total | 681 |
Staff 2006
| Librarians | 2,253 |
| Assistants | 2,007 |
| Other staff |
473 |
| Total FTE | 4,733 |
Public libraries. Stock 2006
| Books |
23,793,328 |
| Talking books |
621,885 |
| Music |
2,726,886 |
| Animated pictures |
435,180 |
| Multimedia |
213,471 |
| Other media | 275,950 |
| Total | 28,066,680 |
| Stock per capita | 5,16 |
Serial subscriptions
|
Total |
156,890 |
Public libraries. Additions 2006
| Books | 1,664,236 |
| Talking books | 39,218 |
| Music |
308,453 |
| Animated pictures |
88,711 |
| Multimedia |
45,531 |
| Other media |
20,698 |
| Total |
2,166,847 |
| Additions per capita | 0,39 |
Public libraries. Loans incl. renewals 2006
| Books | 48,636,483 |
| Serials |
3,124,727 |
| Talking books | 2,005,235 |
| Music |
10,739,709 |
| Animated pictures |
5,363,459 |
| Multimedia |
2,204,092 |
| Other media |
769,792 |
| Total |
72,843,497 |
| Loans per capita | 13,40 |
Public libraries. Operating expenditure 2006
| Salaries* | 1,724,480 |
| Media* | 379,863 |
| Other expenditure* |
836,732 |
| Total |
2,941,075 |
| Expenditure per capita** |
541 |
| Income generated by the library* | 347,884 |
* 1,000 DKK
** DKK
Research Libraries
Danish research libraries are government institutions.
Primarily they serve higher education and research, but the majority are open to the public.
19 major research libraries are responsible for servicing universities and other institutions of higher education. In addition, a number of research libraries focus on specialised areas of research. Finally, a large number of smaller research libraries are attached to educational establishments.
The Royal Library and the State and University Library in Århus have specific national library functions.
The Royal Library functions both as Denmark's national library - including being a legal deposit library - and as the library of the University of Copen-hagen.
The State and University Library in Århus is likewise a legal deposit library. It houses the national media collection and has the overall responsibility for the Danish Central Library for Immigrant Literature and the Danish Repository Library for Public Libraries. The library acts as the national superstructure for the public libraries.
The following figures apply to the 186 research libraries which are funded by the government, open to the public and employ professional librarian(s) on a permanent basis. There are a further 583 smaller research libraries which do not meet these requirements,including 119 institute (departmental) libraries at universities and institutions of higher education.
Research libraries. Number 2006
| National library | 2 |
| Libraries of institutions of higher education | 124 |
| Special libraries |
60 |
| Total | 186 |
Staff 2006
| National library | 632 |
| Libraries of institutions of higher education | 692 |
| Special libraries |
195 |
| Total FTE | 1,519 |
Research libraries. Stock 2006
| National library | 27,833,749 |
| Libraries of institutions of higher education |
10,457,450 |
| Special libraries | 14,539,576 |
| Total physical units | 52,830,775 |
Serials subscriptions
| National library | 70,129 |
| Libraries of institutions of higher education |
25,523 |
| Special libraries | 10,222 |
| Total subscriptions | 105,874 |
Research libraries. Additions 2006
| National library | 293,238 |
| Libraries of institutions of higher education |
319,544 |
| Special libraries | 53,534 |
| Total physical units | 666,316 |
Research libraries. Loans incl. renewals 2006
| National library | 2,699,735 |
| Libraries of institutions of higher education |
5,937,820 |
| Special libraries | 813,842 |
| Total loans | 9,451,397 |
Interlibrary loans
Interlibrary loans supplied
| by National library | 664,081 |
| by libraries of institutions of higher education |
421,928 |
| by special libraries | 39,931 |
| Total Interlibrary loans supplied | 1,125,940 |
Interlibrary loans received
| by National library | 51,468 |
| by libraries of institutions of higher education |
146,004 |
| by special libraries | 21,999 |
| Total Interlibrary loans received | 219,471 |
Research libraries. Operating expenditure 2006
| Salaries* | 540,153 |
| Media* |
222,848 |
| Other expenditure* | 114,155 |
| Total | 876,792 |
* 1,000 DKK
|
1,000 DKK |
% | |
| National Library | 374,485 |
42.7 % |
| Libraries of institutions of higher education |
407,401 |
46.4 % |
| Special libraries | 94,906 |
10.9 % |
| Total | 876,792 |
100.0 % |
For further information please visit the homepage of the Danish Library Agency: www.bs.dk
This page forms part of the publication 'Danish library statistics 2006' as chapter 1 of 1
PrintPublication may be found at the address http://www.bs.dk/publikationer/english/statistics/2006/index.htm
© 2007