Print media might be in decline, but according to the National Statistics Office in 2022 private expenditure on, newspapers and periodicals increased by 10.6% and 2.4% respectively. It transpires that last year private expenditure on books, newspapers and periodicals rose from €6.67 million to €6.83 million while in the case of books the respective figures were from €29.8 million to €32.6 million. The upward trend was also registered on miscellaneous printed matter which comprises catalogues and advertising material; posters, plain or picture postcards, calendars; greeting cards and visiting cards, announcement and message cards; maps and globes. According to the NSO this category registered a 16.8% rise to a total expenditure of €3.9 million.

These statistics might come as a surprise, as it is an open secret than in the last decades the printing industry has face a tough time, following the advent of the internet, news portals, eBooks and mobile applications whose popularity has eclipsed that of traditional print media especially among the younger generation. As a matter of fact, newspaper circulation has dwindled across the globe, including in Malta with only the major media houses managing to survive amid aggressive cost cutting.

Public libraries making a comeback following Covid-19

Last year, there were encouraging signals for public libraries with their popularity on the rise following the blow dealt by the Covid-19 pandemic which forced these facilities to close down for several months. The NSO said that total book loans stood at 659,616, an increase of 38,414, or 6.2%, over the preceding year.

Compared to 2021 public libraries in Western and the Northen districts registered the largest increases in book loans, at the rates of 20% and 19.8% respectively. In the sister island of Gozo, the majority of book loans was registered at the public library of Victoria numbering 29,061, followed by Nadur public library with 17,193 book loans. 

The regional libraries at Ħ’Attard and Ħaż-Żebbuġ had most of the increase in book loans among the libraries of the Western district, such that together they represented over half of the gains in this district year-on-year.

With reference to the Northen district, the public libraries of Mosta and Naxxar recorded most of the book loans respectively amounting to 49.7% and 14.7% of the total registered in the district. Conversely, the public libraries of the Southeastern district registered a decrease of 4.7 per cent in book loans.

In 2022, book acquisitions amounted to 32,124, down by 16.3% when compared to the preceding year. The biggest drop has been registered in eBooks which decreased by 77.4%, followed by book donations with a decrease of 16.1%. On the other hand, the book purchases recorded an increase of 14.7% when compared with the previous year.

New members of public libraries, in 2022, stood at 5,947, up by 73.1% when compared to the preceding year. Likewise, the share of persons under the age of 18 among the new library members went up from 52.1 to 56.5%.