FRANKFORT, Ky. - Kentucky's public libraries reached new heights of popularity in 2011.
For the first time, the libraries recorded more than 20 million visits by people who checked out more than 30 million books and other items from their collections, according to statistics from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.
Almost 2.5 million Kentuckians are registered to use library services.
The department said Tuesday that public libraries provided 4,127 computers free-of-charge for public use.
The more than 20 million visits to the libraries last year was up nearly 2 percent from 2010.
Kentuckians also attended programs in libraries in record numbers. More than 1.2 million attended programs planned for children, up 8 percent from 2010. That's in addition to Kentuckians of all ages who attended 58,000 programs in libraries.