Your Library Wrapped 2025

What were people reading in 2025? Were you on the pulse when it came to free Library events? As the year comes to a close, we're taking a moment to share the stories, stats, and standout moments that defined the year! How ever you loved your public library in 2025, here's your chance to revisit the highlights.

We're ready to give you the facts. Turn the page and read on to reveal Your Library Wrapped.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it

• In 2025, we saw a whopping 2,293,133 physical items borrowed across all branches.

Print titles

• Borrowed by the boatload—these were our most-read authors of the year:       
  • Louise Penny 
  • Donna Jones Alward 
  • Kristin Hannah 
  • Lesley Crewe
  • Frieda McFadden  

• Canadian authors continued to thrive. These were your most-read Canadian titles:
  • The Grey Wolf, by Louise Penny 
  • When the World Fell Silent, by Donna Jones Alward 
  • Death and Other Inconveniences, by Lesley Crewe 
  • One Golden Summer, by Carley Fortune  
  • This Summer Will Be Different, by Carley Fortune

• For the second year in a row, these genres topped the charts (Well of course—you have excellent taste):
  • Thriller
  • Romance
  • Mystery 

• We know about popular. These books ruled 2025:       
  • The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins 
  • When the World Fell Silent, by Donna Jones Alward  
  • The Grey Wolf, by Louise Penny 
  • The Women, by Kristin Hannah 
  • The Wedding People, by Alison Espach 

• No nonsense. Non-fiction. These were the real-life topics people wanted to know more about:       
  • Artificial Intelligence—our community is very curious about AI
  • Menopause and perimenopause 
  • Hosting guests, especially books about creating Instagram-worthy snack boards and non-alcoholic beverages  
  • Longevity and staying healthy 
  • Self-help is always popular, but personal growth, inspiration, and happiness are the big topics this year 

• Trend alert! It's all about the aesthetic:       
  • Beautiful, deluxe editions were big this year, with more mainstream publishers printing books featuring gorgeous covers and colourful sprayed edges.

Teens

• Teens don't just love new releases, these authors stayed on top of hold lists:
  • Suzanne Collins 
  • Jennifer Lynn Barnes 
  • Sarah J. Maas 
  • Holly Jackson 
  • Alice Oseman 

Kids

• All the cool kids were borrowing these 2025 releases:
  • Pizza and Taco: Coolest Club Ever! by Stephen Shaskan 
  • Will the Pigeon Graduate? by Mo Willems 
  • Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell and Ashley Mackenzie 
  • Mallory and the Trouble with Twins: A Graphic Novel, by Ann M. Martin and Arley Nopra  
  • InvestiGators: Agents of S.U.I.T: Wild Ghost Chase, by John Patrick Green, Christopher Hastings, and Pat Lewis  

• Could you guess our top-tier kids' authors of the year?
  • Mo Willems  
  • Dav Pilkey  
  • Tracey West 
  • Lincoln Peirce 
  • Rick Riordan 

These stats are especially awesome

• From January to October, we had 2,445,805 people come through our doors. Picking up your holds? Hanging out? Studying? Everyone's welcome at the Library.
• Our top-visited branches were:
  • • • Halifax Central Library, opens a new window
      • Keshen Goodman Public Library, opens a new window
      • Woodlawn Public Library, opens a new window
        

• We hit the road with 1,053 home deliveries in 2025.
• Share the love! We sent 2,363 items to other libraries via interlibrary loans.
• Thank you, thank you, thank you! From Paws to Read, to our always-popular Coffee Corners, volunteers gave 31,928 hours to the Library this year.

Community members showed up and showed out for these Library programs

• For one night, and one night only! You didn't want to miss these events:                                          
  • Adults, opens a new window: Symphony Week at Central Library, with 425 attendees
  • Kids/Preschoolers, opens a new window: 4th Annual Funny Pages Festival, with 1,250 attendees
  • Teens, opens a new window: Bayview Mental Health Fair, with 245 attendees        
  • All Ages, opens a new window: Woodlawn Public Library's 50th Anniversary Bash, with 400 attendees    

•  Our recurring series had you coming back for more:
  • Adults, opens a new window: English Language Learning, with 849 sessions and 12,036 total attendees 
  • Kids/Preschoolers, opens a new window: Baby & Tot Drop-in, with 154 sessions and 3,044 total attendees
  • Teens, opens a new window: Teen Night, with 197 sessions and 3,252 total attendees        
  • All Ages, opens a new window: Chess at the Library, with 78 sessions and 1,654 total attendees       

You kept up with us on socials

• On Instagram, Book Quote Trivia stole the show this year with 144 players. Feeling competitive, eh?
• We kept it #REEL. In 2025, KJ Denny's book reccomendation, opens a new window was our most-watched video with 33,023 views.

, opens a new window

• You were watching on YouTube too—our videos and shorts got a combined total of 19,029 views. 

Your curiosity took full advantage of our wonderful website

• Also up there on our search bar, Minecraft, chess, and knitting!
• No need to pull out the crystal ball. Our Staff Lists, opens a new window had all the reading recommendations you were looking for:      
  • 40 Challenged Books You Can Read Today, opens a new window
  • All the Colors of the Dark- Read-Alikes, opens a new window
  • 50 Most Borrowed Fiction Books of 2024 (So Far), opens a new window
  • Top Fiction Titles of 2024, opens a new window
  • New Releases - January 2025, opens a new window

• These blog posts, published or updated in 2025, also did numbers:
  • How To: Use the Libby App, by OverDrive, opens a new window
  • How To: Learn with LinkedIn Learning, opens a new window
  • How To: Stream Movies with Kanopy, opens a new window
  • How To: Send a Print Job to the Library, opens a new window
  • Street Smart: Nora Bernard Street, opens a new window

You were obsessed with our E-Library 

• Electronic item circulation followed hot on physical lending's heels with 2,270,842 digital items. (This includes OverDrive, PressReader, Hoopla, Kanopy and CELA).
• Our top used online resources (because why choose just one?):
  • OverDrive e-book e-audiobook circulation: 1,330,807 
  • OverDrive e-magzine circulation: 403,168 
  • PressReader issues opened: 328,137 
    

• E-magazines had a standout year! We saw 18% increase in borrowing on OverDrive, opens a new window since last year. 
• You levelled up your love for Kanopy, opens a new window. BBC Studios dominated our top ten, with six of our most-enjoyed titles:
  • Blackshore 
  • Pride and Prejudice 
  • The Split, Season 1 
  • The Split, Season 2  
  • The Jetty 
  • Miss Marple, Season 1 

That's a wrap! Thank you for making 2025 such an outstanding year—see you in 2026!

Video 

Coming soon.

Dive into years past:

• 2021, opens a new window
• 2022, opens a new window
• 2023, opens a new window
• 2024, opens a new window

Please note that general Library statistics and program statistics were collected from January to October 2025. Collection, social media, and website statistics collected January to November 2025.