Favored Tome Selections Hailing from the Illustrious Library

Over the last twenty years, Montreal's Grande Bibliothèque has been a hub for knowledge seekers, drawing in over 79 million visitors, both physical and digital, since its inception. Initially, the crowds flocked to see their new Grande Bibliothèque amidst the rain, as reported by our then-reporter Pauline Gravel.

At its opening, optimistic estimates assumed an annual attendance of 1.5 million. This figure was promptly surpassed, with the Grande Bibliothèque averaging 2.1 million visitors each year. Lise Bissonnette, the director at the time, proudly showcased its vast collection of four million documents, including over a million books. Today, the library boasts a little less - 3.4 million physical documents and a whopping 24.6 million digital documents at your fingertips.

As for the library's collection director, Mélanie Dumas, she emphasizes the significant evolution of moving from the printed book to the digital book. Back then, digital books were practically non-existent. Now, they're available to all subscribers, spanning Quebec.

In 2012, the borrowing of digital books became commonplace, a year following the arrival of the Quebec platform Pretnumerique.ca, designed exclusively for libraries. "Arvida," by Samuel Archibald, topped the list as the most borrowed e-book. Chrystine Brouillet and Michel David followed suit, but since then, it's been a reign of power for translated Anglo-Saxon novels, teeming with romance and intrigue, penned by authors such as Diana Quincy, Mary Higgins Clark, or Lisa Jewell.

Literature sociologist Anthony Glinoer observes a clear distinction between digital and paper loans. In digital, genre literature like romance and police novels, primarily translated from English, reign supreme. It seems we're not reading the same things, and it's likely we're not the same readers, thinks Glinoer, professor at the University of Sherbrooke.

The ranking of paper books, on the other hand, exhibits a significant effect of book mediation.novels like "Rue Duplessis" by Jean-Philippe Pleau, "Triste tigre" by Neige Sinno, and "Que notre joie demeure" by Kevin Lambert have commanded the top spots, all echoing in the public conversation and media.

Physical books and digital borrowing rates suggest a recentering of readers onto Quebec literature, possibly a long-term effect of August 12, the birth of "I'm buying a Quebec book," launched in 2014.

The Grande Bibliothèque has managed to achieve these impressive results even with budgets that lag significantly behind inflation. In 2006, Quebec allocated 35.4 million dollars for the operation of Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ). In 2024, it stood at 49.1 million dollars, a far cry from the 54.5 million needed to match the 2006 budget, as per the Bank of Canada's calculation sheet.

However, the City of Montreal has shown adaptability by increasing its operating support, growing from 6.8 million dollars in 2006 to 13.5 million in 2023-2024.

As digital book borrowing continues to grow, libraries like the Grande Bibliothèque are likely to expand their digital collections, ensuring a wide range of contemporary, diverse titles for users to enjoy. Integration with community initiatives, such as author meetups and book clubs, further enriches the reading experience for library patrons.

By 2025, it's expected that the Grande Bibliothèque's digital collection will have over 24.6 million digital documents, a significant increase from its current number.
Although Quebecers have traditionally favored paper books, literature sociologist Anthony Glinoer notes a shift towards digital books, particularly genres such as romance and police novels, which are primarily translated from English.
As Quebec's reading habits evolve, French translations of Anglo-Saxon novels have dominated the digital book borrowing charts, with authors like Diana Quincy, Mary Higgins Clark, and Lisa Jewell being among the most borrowed.
The Grande Bibliothèque, despite having budgets that lag significantly behind inflation, continues to expand its digital collection to cater to the growing demand for digital books, offering a wide range of contemporary and diverse titles for users to enjoy.