Axios Salt Lake City
September 29, 2026
1 big thing:📚 Library borrowing hotspot
Utah ranks second in the nation for public library use, with more than 11 checkouts per person, federal data shows.
The big picture: Cultural factors and large household sizes may contribute to why Utahns check out more books than people in other states.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints places a strong emphasis on lifelong learning and self-improvement.
Utah also ranks No. 11 among the most-educated states in the U.S., according to WalletHub. Nearly 40% of Utahns over the age of 25 hold a bachelor's degree or higher, per census data.
- In 2024, Utah had the nation's largest families and the highest share of residents under 18.
The big picture: Public libraries nationwide reported 6.5 checkouts per person in FY 2024.
- That figure includes physical items and electronic materials like e-books.
The other side: West Virginia (3.5), Georgia (3.1) and Mississippi (1.9) saw the fewest library checkouts per person.
Between the lines: U.S. library circulation per person is rebounding from its pandemic-era drop, helped by a boom in digital borrowing.
- Electronic material checkouts reached a decade-high 2.1 per person in FY 2024, per IMLS.
- Physical checkouts remain twice as common, at 4.3 per person.
The bottom line: Take this as a reminder to finally get your library card — or return those expired books.
2. 👀 What readers are borrowing
Need a reading recommendation? "The Calamity Club" was last month's most-borrowed e-book on Libby, the library app tells Axios.
State of play: Author Kathryn Stockett's bestseller explores poverty and friendship through the eyes of two outcast women in 1930s Mississippi.
- It's her first book since her 2009 breakout, "The Help."
The intrigue: Libby's top 20 features several BookTok favorites that have either already been adapted for the screen or are slated to be.
- Those titles include "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke, a thriller about a tradwife influencer that Anne Hathaway is set to star in and produce.
- The main character's backstory loosely mirrors that of Utah's "Ballerina Farm" influencer Hannah Neeleman.
The fine print: The data reflects North American public libraries using Libby.
3. We're still in a reading rut
Just over 16% of Americans read for pleasure on an average day last year, according to new government data.
Why it matters: America's reading slump is sticking — remaining near the lowest level in at least two decades.
- Researchers say reading, even for fun, comes with a host of benefits for emotional intelligence, employment, health and more.
Zoom in: Not only has the share of leisure readers fallen, but so has the time spent doing it.
- Americans spent an average of 16 minutes per day reading for pleasure in 2025, seven minutes less than a decade ago, according to the data.
- For comparison, people spent an average of 2.6 hours watching TV daily last year.
By the numbers: Back in 2005, 27% of people 15 and older read for pleasure on an average day, but the numbers are lower today, per data from the American Time Use Survey.
4. Fry Sauce: Rep. Trevor Lee resigns amid charges
5. Bookstores are making a comeback
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