The number of people joining a library in the Netherlands remained stable last year after years of decline, according to new figures from the national library association and statistics office CBS.

Last year the Netherlands’ 156 public libraries had a total 2.3 million members, meaning 7% of the population is a member of a library. Of them, 2.3 million are youth members, a rise of 2% on 2014. The number of adult members fell 3% last year, to 1.5 million.

Paper books were borrowed 73.4 million times, around the same as 2014. But the number of e-books borrowed by library members rose from 2.5 million to four million, the library association said.

One reason for the small share of e-books in the total is the relatively small number on offer. Publishers decide if an e-book can be borrowed through libraries and have so far given the go ahead for some 11,000 different editions, out of a total 44,000, broadcaster NOS reported.

As well as e-books, libraries are increasingly offering other activities, such as help with basic reading skills, language lessons and writing courses.

‘The library is no longer just a place to borrow a book,’ library association spokeswoman Francien van Bohemen told NOS. ‘They have also become a place to develop skills.’