Libraries and reading

British people read a lot. They read books, newspapers and magazines. And of course they read text messages on their mobile phones. Sixty-five per cent of British people list " reading for pleasure" as a major hobby. A quarter of the population reads more than 20 books each year.


In the library you can borrow books but you can also buy a cup of coffee, look at an art exhibition, sit in a quiet study area of connect to the Internet.
You can also now borrow CDs, videos and DVDs of films and television programmes. Some libraries even let you borrow computer games.
There are often reference rooms where you can go to look something up or go to study.
Libraries are very important in schools and universities both for study and for reading for pleasure.


The British Library is one of the world's greatest libraries.
People predicted that radio, then television, then the Internet would kill reading, but it is still a very popular activity.