County library figures falling
Written by Shaun Moore on August 24, 2010
The number of people visiting libraries in Gloucestershire has fallen by more than 50,000 so far this year. 
Gloucestershire County Council has issued the statistics showing the number of people visiting our libraries in response to a government report revealing a drop in footfall nationally.
A new report published by the Department for Communities and Local Government shows that the number of people who visit a library weekly has dropped by 32% in five years with more than 60% of people not using a library at all in the last year.
In Gloucestershire our statistics show that while footfall at some libraries is up, overall numbers have fallen significantly.
In 2008/09, 2,966,415 visits were made to our libraries, but in 2009/10 this had fallen to 2,905,187 – down 61,228.
In the first four months of the 2010 financial year (April to July) – figures stood at 957,633 visits, down 53,895 on the same period last year.
Over the past few years, Gloucestershire County Council has taken steps to encourage people to visit libraries.
Libraries now stock DVDs and computer games to attract younger audiences, self-service machines have been introduced to speed up the time it takes to check out your books and a free online reservation service has been created.
All libraries also provide internet access and also act as council information points where you can find out more about council services.
Many of our libraries have been refurbished and some contain extra facilities like children’s centres.
The council has also explored the possibility of joint working and housing libraries within community buildings. A good example of this is the Main Place in Coleford.
Despite these efforts, visitor numbers are continuing to fall,while costs are rising and pressures on council services are increasing.
The council recently took the decision to reduce funding to the library stock budget to help alleviate pressures in the adult care service.
Cllr Antonia Noble, cabinet member with responsibility for libraries, said: “Our figures show a drop in library usage over the past few years despite our efforts to attract new customers.
“Gloucestershire County Council remains committed to providing a library service but in the changing world we live in we have to be sure that we’re providing services in the best possible way.
“Absolutely no decisions have been made onthe future funding of libraries, however, like every single council service,this will be looked at when we’re making decisions about our budget in October.”
