Bao'an records historic high in library visits

A total of 11.65 million visits were recorded across Bao’an District’s central-and-branch library network, and 8 million books were loaned and returned in 2025, according to figures unveiled at a readers’ forum hosted by the Bao’an District Library on Jan. 18.

Ten reader representatives joined officials from the Bao’an District Public Culture and Sports Service Center, the Bao’an District Library and service partners from seven branch libraries to review the library network’s 2025 performance and map out plans to expand reading services across the district.

Both the number of visits and the volume of books loaned and returned reached historic highs, according to the library. Registered cardholders rose to 990,000, including 79,000 new library cards issued last year, reflecting steadily rising readership across Bao’an.

Last year, Bao’an built a three-tier “district–subdistrict–community” service network that covers the entire district. By year-end the network comprised 213 venues: one district-level library, 11 subdistrict branches including a themed branch, 135 “Bao’an Reading Rooms” (宝读书房), and 66 “Bao’an Learning Academies" (宝学书院). The district also opened or renovated 42 community libraries and completed 23 newly designed cultural reading spaces, giving residents convenient access to services close to home.

Library services expanded beyond traditional venues, with reading service points established in public spaces such as the Shenzhen (Bao'an) Migrant Workers Museum (深圳（宝安）劳务工博物馆) and the Century Amber Museum (世纪琥珀博物馆). Throughout 2025, Bao'an staged roughly 13,000 reading activities with 2.08 million participants, helping foster a robust reading culture. Long-running programs such as “Youth Librarians” (馆长少年) and the “Readers Growth Plan” (阅读家成长计划) continued to gain traction, and World Book Day events included a Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao–Guangxi–Hainan “Read Together for Half an Hour” activity to expand regional influence. The district hosted 66 themed exhibitions that drew more than 1.51 million visitors. Notably, the “Children Lead Reading” (童心领读) project was named a Shenzhen Model Program for Public Reading.

Bao’an added more than 220,000 new volumes in 2025, including 51,200 newly purchased Chinese-language books, and 20,000 donated volumes. More than 908 local-document items spanning 363 titles were added to enrich the “Bao’an Memory” archive. The library published 108 information bulletins and special reports last year. A commemorative reader card for the 15th National Games was issued, and a “pre-borrow and home delivery” book-delivery service was launched to improve residents’ experience. The library also introduced a new QR-based feedback mechanism to accelerate responses to reader suggestions.