More people borrowed a book from a public library in 2012 with loans increasing by three per cent to more than 848,160, the National Statistics Office said.

More than 14,400 printed books and periodicals were imported – of these more than two-thirds were books, and 32 per cent were periodicals.

Book acquisitions by public libraries last year dropped by 10 per cent to more than 37,300 when compared with 2011.

Book donations continued to be the main source of library acquisitions, with nearly three-fourths of books handed down.

Last year, libraries in Malta and Gozo had 5,456 new memberships, of which 86 per cent were recorded in Malta. More than half were junior members.