How often do you use your local library?

[Ricekrispiebun]

I have only got back into going to the library since lockdown lifted but have been really enjoying it and I always feel like getting new books for free is like a present. Also if I discover new authors, I am then able to buy their books.

Sadly so many smaller libraries have been closing so I hope to keep going regularly becase it would be a shame for such a great service to close

@SushiGo

Every 2 to 3 weeks.

Low usage is actually not why they close, more people go to the library than a football match every week. They close because local authorities have a severe funding crisis caused by years of Tory austerity.

If your library is ever threatened with closure please remember that the local council has a legal duty to provide libraries and that lack of money on the councils part isn't a legally valid reason for them to close a library.

Many councils have lost in court over this.

Well, low usage was exactly why our village library closed - it's clearly stated in the sham consultation documents I have in my office as I organised the campaign to keep it open, and then after it had closed, to get it re-opened, which we did.

As for the politics, ours was closed around 15 years ago, under a Labour county council and under Blair/Brown's Labour government. It was nothing to do with Tory austerity.

The reason for low usage was it's stupid opening hours of 10-12 and 2-4 just 3 days per week. Before the hours were reduced, it was popular and busy, i.e. when it was 6 days per week with normal 9-5 hours (except Saturday when it closed at 1). It was a couple of years prior to the closure process starting that the then Labour county council reduced the opening hours.

Ironically, it was after the Tory party won county council elections that libraries such as ours were re-opened with better opening hours, ours is busy again now that it's back to 6 days opening.

Low usage is actually not why they close, more people go to the library than a football match every week. They close because local authorities have a severe funding crisis caused by years of Tory austerity

In Hampshire they had electronic counters by the doors and they absolutely used low numbers of users to justify reducing hours or closing. Of course, if you reduce opening hours, numbers of users reduce!

The reason for low usage was it's stupid opening hours of 10-12 and 2-4 just 3 days per week

yes there are a lot of libraries with opening hours like this. Or they are closed on Wednesdays. My local library used to be closed on Wednesdays. They then started opening all day every weekday (9-4 on Saturday) but since covid they are closed on Wednesdays again :( Some libraries used to be open on a Sunday eg in Winchester and Basingstoke but not any more.

@Zwellers

Our local libraries are pointless and obsolete. All the books are really old and out of date. And what's the point of waiting for a book to come in when you can get them new off amazon in no time.

Says the privileged person with plenty of money.

With our campaign, we did some calculations showing usage numbers per opening hour and it completely changed the list that the local council were using to justify closures. But, as is typical with local councils, they completely ignored our figures as a basis for appeal against their closure decisions and wouldn't engage with us at all. At the end of the day, for whatever reason, the council had decided to wind down and close our village library (along with many others) and ignored evidence presented to them via the appeals process which was a sham. Funny how the only libraries closed were in Tory held villages and that none of the libraries in Labour constituencies were closed by a Labour county council isn't it???

Our local libraries are pointless and obsolete. All the books are really old and out of date. And what's the point of waiting for a book to come in when you can get them new off amazon in no time.

I agree, and I certainly am not a privileged person with plenty of money.

I've been to my local library, and the one thing that struck me was that they had hardly any books, so no browsing to find something new to read, you had to know what book you wanted and then go through a cumbersome ordering process (if it was even available) and then wait for weeks.
nowadays, for anything factual, I can find plenty to read for free on the internet and there's a huge range of 'classic' novels also available for free.

Seems to me that the modern idea of a library is somewhere to go to keep warm and hang out, if that's the case then why not drop the pretence of being a library and just run a social club?

I view it as an extension of my living room having a decent library nearby was one of the key criteria in buying my house.

Never. I've got a kindle subscription and audible. I don't read paper books at all these days.

^^ just to add, libraries are socialism in action. where else can you go and be with other people without the expectation of spending money? Props to the librarians on this thread, you fucking revolutionaries you

I used to when ds was younger and I worked shorter hours and both of us enjoyed it, but it is only open week days until 3pm, and once a week until 5:30pm so I cannot get there during their opening hours anymore.

If they continue not to provide a service that is accessible to a major chunk of their potential user base then they are not an effective use of resources.

It is a shame as browsing through the library opened up new books and subject areas for both me and ds at the time.

Weekly or fortnightly, now they are back to opening on Saturday afternoons as well

LOVE a library! And really think people should use them more.
Ours has free books (obvs), dvds, cds, board games, PCs, community groups etc etc.
I go about once every 3 weeks- usually to get more books.
Cheaper, easier & more environmentally friendly than Amazon!!

At least once a week, I started using it regularly at the end of 2019 and love it. All those books to choose from for free and the fact you can order them for free has saved me so much money. If I see a book I like the sound of I just order it.

DD goes to sewing club there once a week and they do lots of activities, the ladies who work there are lovely, very enthusiastic and welcoming.

It’s also very convenient as it’s very near the school, I enjoy going and find it a welcoming, relaxing place to be.

Never

Ours have reduced the hours & the lovely little cafe that was on there has shut. It's too difficult to go.

[quote AlfieandAnnieRose]@InexperiencedDogOwner is that on the Libby app where you can read magazines? I can’t seem to find it[/quote]
@AlfieandAnnieRose yes it's on the Libby app, can get closer, woman's weekly, hello, radio times, bbc good food, the economist, kids Disney comics, loads of choice!
Maybe it depends on your local council what they offer on there though?

@InexperiencedDogOwner thank you I’ve found it! Had to download pressreader

11:26JuergenSchwarzwald. Actually no neither. Judge much?. I just fail to see the benefits of a library full of outdated non fiction books, or of fiction books with long waiting list when they can bought cheaply from amazon or indeed a charity shop or downloaded for nothing.

One of the areas I work in has a football section in the library where you can borrow footballs! Brilliant.

Never been in twenty years or so. Couldn’t tell you where the nearest library was.

@user1497207191

With our campaign, we did some calculations showing usage numbers per opening hour and it completely changed the list that the local council were using to justify closures. But, as is typical with local councils, they completely ignored our figures as a basis for appeal against their closure decisions and wouldn't engage with us at all. At the end of the day, for whatever reason, the council had decided to wind down and close our village library (along with many others) and ignored evidence presented to them via the appeals process which was a sham. Funny how the only libraries closed were in Tory held villages and that none of the libraries in Labour constituencies were closed by a Labour county council isn't it???

It isn't about Tory vs Labour or even Lib Dem councils. Library closures have been happening for a long time, but they have been accelerated by the Conservative/Liberal Democrate coalition which started a program reducing funding to local councils by a third. Since then at least 800 public libraries have closed across the country

I also ran a campaign to save a library. We were successful because the council was acting illegally.

It's true that cutting hours is often a precursor to trying to close a library, but it's mainly about cutting stuff costs.

One of my main pieces of advice if you want to save your local library is to never volunteer to run it as an unpaid community group. All your campaigning- and yes you should be very, very noisy - petitions, protests, go to council meetings, analyse every single document produced and provide alternative evidence if its wrong - should focus in the need for paid qualified staff as part of the library offer.

My library has kinda weird hours, but I take my son once a week or every other week and we get a bunch of books to read.

They’ve got a sign up just as you go in that says that children who are regular library readers are more likely to have better literacy and be readers later in life, and that gives me the motivation to keep going on days I otherwise couldn’t be bothered.

@bagsofbats

One of the areas I work in has a football section in the library where you can borrow footballs! Brilliant.

We have a 'Library of Things' where you can borrow things like a tent, a carpet cleaner, a drill, bakeware etc all for free!

@Zwellers

11:26JuergenSchwarzwald. Actually no neither. Judge much?. I just fail to see the benefits of a library full of outdated non fiction books, or of fiction books with long waiting list when they can bought cheaply from amazon or indeed a charity shop or downloaded for nothing.

New books are not cheap on Amazon, although they are often discounted for Kindle, and although you can download a lot for "nothing", you need the Kindle Unlimited subscription for that which you have to pay for. I agree with charity shops but then they need to stock the ones you want and it's a bit hit and miss. If you want a specific book you can get it for free from the library or pay a small fee to reserve it. Some counties charge for reservations, others don't. But if you can't afford new books or a Kindle subscription (or indeed a device to read the Kindle books on) libraries are fantastic.

They are also excellent for children and do large print books for the elderly/those with visual impairments.

We have a 'Library of Things' where you can borrow things like a tent, a carpet cleaner, a drill, bakeware etc all for free

I think there is a definite case for libraries extending their scope to do more of this. But they would need the space.