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The most popular libraries in Brisbane have been revealed in new data that shows the number of visitors is surging.
A Brisbane City Council budget update released on Tuesday showed there were about 100,000 more visits to libraries during the first five months of the year than the same period last year.
Chermside, Wynnum and Kenmore libraries accounted for more than half of those new visits.
William Davis
The most popular libraries outright from last July to March were Brisbane Square, Chermside, Garden City, Sunnybank Hills and Carindale.
In total, 4,425,894 physical items – most of which were books, but also DVDs, CDs, magazines and CD audiobooks – were borrowed during that nine-month block.
More than 1.6 million digital “items” were also borrowed, while 6708 workshops and events were hosted by the city’s 33 libraries.
The most popular book at Brisbane libraries in 2025 was We Solve Murders by Richard Osman.
The Tuesday budget update also said the number of trips taken on the Metro and bus network between January and May 2026 had increased by 9 million, year-on-year, while 61,700 additional KittyCat services were offered.
Total ferry trips were up by 18 per cent.
During the same period in 2025, the Metro rollout was in its early stages, and Brisbane’s population has increased significantly since then.
“By maintaining a balanced budget, we can continue delivering better services across our suburbs while also reducing debt so we have capacity to respond to future challenges,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said in a statement.
“That means better public transport, better roads, better library services, better environmental practices, and better access to community spaces.”
Labor’s council opposition leader, Jared Cassidy, was scathing, saying services were being cut. He also predicted rates would be increased in line with inflation when the next budget was handed down in June.
“There’s going to be some budget pain coming the way of Brisbane residents,” he said.
“This is a terrible indictment on two decades of decline under this LNP regime.”
Brisbane City Council will begin unveiling its budget for the next financial year on June 17.
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