What are we reading? Reading patterns among users of Madrid’s public libraries

Abstract

This study analyses book lending patterns within the network of public libraries in the city of Madrid during 2024, with the aim of identifying the most read authors and works, as well as examining trends by gender, nationality and time of publication. Based on the analysis of over 1.7 million physical loans made by both adult and child users, the findings reveal a strong concentration of loans around a small number of authors and titles, largely those with the greatest media visibility and commercial popularity. The results also show a clear preference for the thriller genre among adult readers and a prominent presence of Japanese manga among the most borrowed titles for both adults and children. A significant overrepresentation of male authors is observed among the most borrowed, reflecting the existing gender gap in literary creation, along with a strong presence of authors from Spain and from the English-speaking world. The study concludes with a consideration of the value of analysing library lending data as a complementary source for the analysis of reading habits, offering a concrete and quantifiable snapshot of real public reading consumption.