More than 30 000 libraries under different competences and of different ownership operate in Ukraine. By the end of 2016, there were 17 003 libraries financed by governments of different levels. The Ministry of Culture directly manages and funds four national and two state libraries. Other libraries are under the financial responsibility of local authorities (regions or cities) but must follow the rules and minimum standards provided by the Ministry. The general number includes 3 479 libraries in towns and 13 524 in rural areas.
Table 18: Number of libraries (under the competence of the Ministry of Culture) by the end of 2016
| Libraries | Librarian stocks, thou copies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Urban area | Rural area | Total | Urban area | Rural area |
| 17 003 | 3 479 | 13 524 | 255 439,4 | 143 502,2 | 111 937,2 |
Source: Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
Due to serious financial problems, libraries are not able to keep up their stocks and purchase new titles. Today, the average number of copies printed for a newly published book, according to the Book Chamber of Ukraine is 2.3 thou. Therefore, most newly issued books are not available in local, especially village libraries. In 2016, the Ministry of Culture received from the Government more than UAH 40 million (EUR 1.4 million), almost by 5 times more than in 2015, for purchasing books for libraries within the special budget programme. However, the procedure of selection and proposal of books for libraries gave rise to criticism from some publishers demanding a more transparent and open process, accessible to all stakeholders.
Table 19: Types and official ownership of libraries in Ukraine, 2015
| Type and ownership | Number |
|---|---|
| Public libraries | 15 987 |
| Educational libraries | 18066 |
| Libraries of Academy of Sciences | 96 |
| Libraries of Ministry of Agrarian Policy and National Academy of Agrarian Sciences | 185 |
| Medical libraries | 700 |
| Libraries of the Ukrainian Association of Blind Persons | 62 |
Source: Verkhovna Rada Committee on Culture and Religions, 2016.
Table 20: Number of libraries and their stocks, 2010-2016
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libraries, in thousands | 19.5 | 19.3 | 19.2 | 19.1 | 16,9 | 17,3 | 17,0 |
| Number of copies | 325.5 | 317.6 | 315.1 | 311.2 | 257,6 | 266,0 | 255,4 |
Source: State Statistics Service of Ukraine, 2017.
Graph 4: Number of libraries and their stocks in Ukraine in 2010-2016
Source: State Statistics Service of Ukraine, 2017.
Table 21: Library stocks by languages at the end of 2016 (in thousand)
| Total | including | Share % of total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukrainian | Russian | Moldavian | Romanian | Hungarian | Polish | Crimean-Tartar | Bulgarian | English | Other | |||
| 255 439,4 | 112 757,5 | 136 926,6 | 265,1 | 67,7 | 362,7 | 145,1 | 1,5 | 15,6 | 180,7 | 4 716,9 | 44,1 | 53,6 |
Source: Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, 2017.
During the second decade, the number of public libraries reduced by 2 500. Such a trend is related to the financial and economic situation in the country, political process (decentralization) and the losses of administrative territories (Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions).
At the same time, according to the analytical research realised by the company GFK Ukraine, one in four Ukrainians do not read books. 73% of the population don’t include books in the sphere of their interests. Experts claim that this decline is due to the outdated library collections and that to be educated is not in fashion now. According to analytical data, only 15% of Ukrainians read books daily, and 19% do it, at least, one time per month.
Table 22: Participation figures for cultural activities in Ukraine, 2000-2016
| 2000 | 2005 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of professional theatres | 131 | 135 | 138 | 138 | 136 | 140 | 133 | 132 | 133 | 113 | 113 | 112 |
| Number of spectators (million) | 5.7 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 5,4 | 5,6 | 5,8 |
| Number of concert organisations | 61 | 78 | 79 | 77 | 77 | 83 | 82 | 88 | 85 | 73 | 73 | 76 |
| Number of spectators (million) | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 2,4 | 2,5 | 2,6 |
| Number of museums | 378 | 437 | 458 | 478 | 499 | 546 | 570 | 592 | 608 | 543 | 564 | 576 |
| Museum visitors (million) | 16.0 | 18.9 | 21.1 | 21.9 | 20.8 | 21.7 | 21.8 | 22.4 | 22.3 | 14,2 | 15,1 | 15,8 |
| Number of cinema units (in thousand) | 6.9 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1,3 | 1,1 | |
| Number of tickets sold (million) | 6 | 10 | 18 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 11 | |
| Number of public libraries (in thousand) | 20.7 | 19.8 | 20.8 | 20.6 | 20.1 | 19.5 | 19.3 | 19.2 | 19.1 | 16,9 | 17,3 | 17,0 |
| Number of library collections (million copies) | 343 | 330 | 345 | 352 | 338 | 326 | 318 | 315 | 311 | 258 | 266 | 255 |
| Books (titles) | 7 749 | 15 720 | 17 987 | 24 040 | 22 491 | 22 557 | 22 826 | 26 036 | 26 323 | 21796 | 19958 | 21330 |
| Books (thousand copies) | 44 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 49 | 45 | 47 | 62 | 70 | 55 | 36 | 49 |
Source: State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, 2017.
Table 23: Number of film demonstrators and visits to cinemas in Ukraine
| Demonstrators, thou | Visits, mln | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6,9 | 6 |
| 2001 | 6,0 | 7 |
| 2002 | 5,3 | 9 |
| 2003 | 4,1 | 10 |
| 2004 | 3,6 | 10 |
| 2005 | 3,3 | 10 |
| 2006 | 3,2 | 12 |
| 2007 | 3,0 | 18 |
| 2008 | 2,4 | 11 |
| 2009 | 2,2 | 11 |
| 2010 | 2,2 | 9 |
| 2011 | 2,2 | 15 |
| 2012 | 1,7 | 16 |
| 2013 | 1,6 | 14 |
| 2014 | 1,3 | 11 |
| 2015 | 1,1 | 11 |
Source: State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, 2016.
According to the Book Chamber of Ukraine, in 11 months of 2017, Ukrainian publishing companies printed 16 546 titles, with the number of copies at 31 331 400. While the number of titles has increased, the number of copies declined indicating that the average number of copies also declined as did the number of books per capita.
Table 24: General information on book-publishing in Ukraine, 2016 and 2017
| Product | 2016 (as by 28.11) | 2017 (as by 28.11) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of titles |
Number of copies | Number of titles | % versus 28.11 2016 | Number of copies | % versus 28.11 2016 | |
| Books and booklets | 16136 | 35152,4 | 16546 | 102,5 | 31331,4 | 89,1 |
| in Ukrainian | 11115 | 23329,7 | 11710 | 105,4 | 22203,5 | 95,2 |
| in Russian | 3163 | 9777,9 | 3011 | 95,2 | 7277,1 | 74,4 |
Source: Book Chamber of Ukraine, 2017.
Table 25: Average number of copies and number of books per capita, 2006-2016
| Year | Average number of copies (in thousand) | Average number of books per capita |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 3.4 | 1.16 |
| 2007 | 3.1 | 1.21 |
| 2008 | 2.4 | 1.26 |
| 2009 | 2.2 | 1.05 |
| 2010 | 2.0 | 0.74 |
| 2011 | 1.9 | 0.70 |
| 2012 | 2.0 | 0.74 |
| 2013 | 1.8 | 0.68 |
| 2014 | 2.6 | 1.29 |
| 2015 | 1.7 | 0.85 |
| 2016 | 2.3 | 1.14 |
Source: Book Chamber of Ukraine, 2017.
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