Details of the 20 books and authors borrowed most often from Irish public libraries in 2018 have been published by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), which compiles the information as part of the Public Lending Remuneration (PLR) Scheme.

All 20 of the most borrowed titles were children’s books, with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling topping the list. Meanwhile, 19 of the 20 most borrowed authors in 2018 were children’s authors, with only James Patterson bucking the trend to make the list.

James Patterson topped the list of the 20 most popular authors from the adult books collection, while Irish author, Mike McCormack’s Solar Bones was the most borrowed adult book in 2018. Four of the top five most borrowed books for adults in 2018 are by Irish authors: Mike McCormack, Graham Norton, Liz Nugent and Marian Keyes.

A number of titles included in the adult top 20 are from the ‘Healthy Ireland at Your Library’ collection, which is available in all public libraries to support the Government Initiative to improve health and wellbeing.

Tom Enright, Chair of the National Libraries Development Committee said, “Encouraging children to read for enjoyment and learning is central to Our Public Libraries 2022, the national Public Library Strategy, so I am very encouraged to see so many children’s books and authors on the list.”

“The Irish public library collection has over 12 million items available to you completely free, and we are inviting everybody, young and old, to explore what’s on offer,” Tom Enright said.

“Whether you want to come in to your library to browse for a book, use the internet, make use of digital equipment, enjoy the community space and wide range of activities, or you would prefer to download an audiobook, eBook, or online newspaper or magazine from your own home, it is all open to you completely free with your library membership,” Tom Enright concluded.