Published over two decades ago, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone topped the list of the most borrowed library books in Ireland last year. The second most popular book borrowed from public libraries was Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School, by author Jeff Kinney. All of the top 20 most borrowed books in 2018 were children’s books, with several by JK Rowling, Roald Dahl, David Walliams, and Jeff Kinney making the list. In total three books from the Harry Potter series were among the five most commonly borrowed books, with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban taking spots four and five. Tom Enright, chair of the National Libraries development committee, said the amount of children’s literature among the list of most borrowed books was positive.

Source: The Irish Times May 20, 2019 20:03 UTC