Women and part-time workers in Switzerland use libraries the most, according to a new survey prepared for the annual meeting of the Swiss Librarians' Association in Montreux.

The most frequent user of a library in Switzerland is a woman from the German-speaking part of the country who is aged between 35 and 54, said the survey released on Wednesday.

The main reasons for borrowing books are financial, followed by the need for education and entertainment.

The survey reveals some interesting differences between the language regions. In French-speaking Switzerland, there is greater interest in cultural books; in German-speaking areas, computer literature is high on the list of borrowed books.

Libraries come in for criticism, particularly from young people in French-speaking areas who find them generally to be cold and unwelcoming.

The results of the survey will be discussed during the three-day congress in Montreux, which brings together about 300 librarians from Switzerland and abroad.

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