CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- With the rapid development of science and technology, electronic products have penetrated into every aspect of our daily life, including our reading habit. With their convenience, easy portability and large storage capacity, e-books have won the favor of the public. Especially in the fast-paced life, e-reading seems to have become a common choice.

However, does this mean that physical books and libraries are losing their position?

On the 2024 World Book Day, we counted the physical book lending data and library reception data of many university libraries in Chongqing in 2023 and found that, despite the popularity of e-books, the annual lending data of physical books in colleges and universities still maintained a certain level, with a maximum of 20W+, and some university libraries received more than one million person-times annually.

Reception person-times:

Chongqing University: 1,640,000

Southwest University: 2,330,000

Chongqing Medical University: 1,240,000

Southwest University of Political Science & Law: 1,330,000

Chongqing Normal University: 1,220,000

Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications: 477,400

Chongqing Jiaotong University: 1,540,000

Sichuan International Studies University: 1,139,000

Sichuan Fine Arts Institute: 169,000

Annual visits to digital resources:

Chongqing University: 12,010,000

Southwest University of Political Science & Law: 22,570,000

Chongqing Normal University: 10,360,000

Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications: 6,792,000

Chongqing Jiaotong University: 5,279,700

Sichuan International Studies University: 1,090,000

Sichuan Fine Arts Institute: 3,010,000

Physical books lent out throughout the year:

Chongqing University: more than 210,000 books

Southwest University: more than 130,000 books

Chongqing Medical University: more than 49,000 books

Southwest University of Political Science & Law: 143,000 books

Chongqing Normal University: more than 130,000 books

Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications: 39,500 books

Chongqing Jiaotong University: more than 27,000 books

Sichuan International Studies University: more than 39,000 books

Sichuan Fine Arts Institute: 45,700 books

Through the above data, we can clearly see that although e-reading has unparalleled advantages in convenience and efficiency, the libraries still maintain their charm on university campuses.

Library is not only a place to for people to borrow books, but also a space for learning, communication and thinking. In the era of e-reading, college students still love to go to libraries, which may be the love of knowledge and learning, or the insistence on the traditional way of reading, or, perhaps the love of the library as a special space. (Translated by Liu Hongyan, Fathom Language Limited)