Why aren't the remaining public libraries used more?

[rzb]

I love our local library.

It's not lovely - it could do with a bit of fresh paint, new carpets and so on.

But:

• It's warm in winter, dry during rain, and cool(ish) when it's stinky hot outside.
• It always has seats (even comfy ones), and doesn't require an expensive coffee to be purchased in order to use them.
• The children's section has an open area with space for young kids to toddle and crawl around safely.
• Their adult and baby / toddler rhyme and story sessions are a great place to get some adult conversation / solidarity with other parents of babies/toddlers.
• It's conveniently located within our local shopping area, so exchanging library books fits in with regular errands and becomes an easy habit to maintain.
• It has amazingly helpful, knowledgeable and approachable librarians who discreetly ensure that kids who come in alone are safe, and who are a super source of suggestions for different books to try.
• In a place that doesn't have a bookshop, it's the only local provider of the 'book browsing' experience which is available to everyone (yes, schools have their own libraries so kids aren't denied this, but books deemed to be age-appropriate aren't always accessible or of interest).
• Its online services and app are simple enough to use that my kids could manage their own accounts online from around the age of 8.
• It has offered my kids a sense of accomplishment and independence when they were old enough to research and reserve the books they wanted to read and visit the library independently to exchange books.
• My kids have read lots of books, and genres of books, that they wouldn't otherwise have picked up, enabled because there's no cost to picking up and trying a book from the library, and they can browse for as long as they like (within the library's opening hours).

It's brilliant, and I love having and using our local library, but it seems that lots of local parents and their families don't use it. If books / reading come up in conversation with other parents, e.g. at my kids' activities, and I mention that my kids use the library a lot, it gets a response along the lines of, 'That's a good idea, but my kids don't have library cards' or 'We don't use the library, which is a bit silly really when we're buying all these books,', or 'I hadn't thought of taking them to the library.'

I know I'm lucky to have access to a local library, and perhaps now in a minority of people who have easy access to one. If you have a local library, do you and your family use it? Why/why not? Is it well-used by other families? If you don't have a local library, would you use one if you did?

I used to love going to the library and enjoyed taking ds when he was younger. Unfortunately, like many others our library is open for very few hours. Added to this Essex Librairies seem to have forgotten that libraries are about books.

I use it online, ebooks and audiobooks, also some magazines

Ours is my idea of hell.

Short opening hours and so “family friendly” it’s like being in the middle of a noisy badly run toddler group. They have very few actual books there. Lots of space for the toddlers to run around but not much else.

If it was an actual library I would probably use it but I buy my books!

Ours has quite restricted opening hours which makes returning the books difficult (no returns box). Also the staff aren’t particularly friendly. There have been times when I’ve been wrangling several kids and the check out machine wasn’t working properly and no one bothered to help.

I use ours all the time but I’m a SAHM of bookworm children so have flexibility over when I go and plenty of demand for books. We also use the Libby app for ebooks and audiobooks, and I love having the catalogue online so I can search and reserve books. Our LA has quite a lot of libraries so most non obscure books are available somewhere.

I do agree about the opening hours. Ours has a box for returns but not the open library scheme which sounds amazing, sadly I suspect it would be abused.

I'm a very regular user of libraries, but you'd hardly ever see me in one because I find them noisy and prefer to grab my books, go home and read them there.

My area does a brilliant service whereby you can order basically any book (even ones that have just been published) and as long as they have it somewhere in the county, it's transported to whichever library you want and they email you when it's in. No cost for this service. The libraries don't have brilliant opening hours, but there's a large letterbox you can post your books through if it's shut when you want to return.

Not something I've used myself, but I see you can also get audiobooks, free of charge, immediately online if that's your thing.

DF lives in a different part of the country and uses a home delivery service. He's registered the sort of authors he likes and a little van brings him 6 books every 4 weeks. It's brilliant for the elderly.

There are weekly/monthly events like poetry-reading; toddler singing; holiday arts & crafts etc.

I'm very conscious that if we don't use libraries, they won't be funded any more, so I try and use mine as much as possible.

Love our (suburban London) library. It’s not huge but it’s always busy with teenagers studying. Staff are helpful enough or you can self serve checking out/returning books. It’s open from 6am till 10pm during the week (it has a small gym) and 8-6 at weekends.

Also, if you have a library card, you can read hundreds of magazines and newspapers free online.

Ours is brilliant, the opening hours suit me (I would prefer if they opened at 9, but accept that they do open into the evening several evenings a week which is better for more people) and it is always really busy!

The thing that warms my heart the most is that in the run up to GCSEs/ ALevels there are loads of local school children studying in there (yes, some of them seem to be chatting and on their phones more than actually studying) but it is a safe space for them and I love that.

I grew up practically living in my local library (I even did both my work experience and my DofE volunteering there) so I'm always really surprised when people don't use them!

We use ours a lot, it's great. There's free tea and coffee, they've got rid of fines.
There's baby clubs and coffee mornings and craft groups for children and adults. It's always busy.

My Library is great. Friendly staff, good book selection with free reservations for books held elsewhere in the county, crafts and colouring. No late fees on kids books, opening hours could be better but open until 4 on Saturdays. Rhyme times, book clubs, craft and knitting, language clubs. Occasional extra events like authors and wreath making. Free parking. Libby and borrowbox. Encyclopedia Britannica. Home delivery. Sometimes too noisy. Not enough quiet space. Magazines to loan. Computers and printing/photocopier. Probably stuff I have left out!

I love my local library its part of a multi function community space with a small gym, indoor sports courts and hall and cafe. There is 1 reception which services all of the areas and It's open til 8pm or 9pm 4 days a week, 3pm on fridays but closed at the weekend. There is always local groups meeting in the hall during the week, Slimming world, choir, toddler groups etc so the library and gym stays open too.
I go at least twice a week to use the gym in the last hour of the day and visit the library on the way in and I've usually got the place to myself. It's certainly needed for this small rural town.

I reckon it's down to the individual library and how they publicise themselves in the local community. In my former town, the library would have a kids' story time each week, different local authors in to do book signings...all sorts of low cost community activities and it seemed to always be a hive of activity.

The local one near me now doesn't appear to have anything going on. I saw a leaflet for it recently and they were advertising their photocopying/printing services as their biggest attraction.

Obviously not every library is going to have staff or volunteers who understand the importance of small events and marketing but I would guess that's the reason why some get used and others don't.

I used libraries a lot when I was younger and do have a local. But I prefer to read on a Kindle app now, so have no need.

🤷🏻‍♀️ I read books via the local library app.

The children's section of our local library is good but the adult section is pretty pants to be honest. A lot of reference books but very little fiction....

It's such a shame the Government doesn't value them more....

I love libraries, but my local one isn’t very good. For starters, it’s tiny. The opening hours are a bit odd. There used to be a handy machine just outside the library to bring back books when the library was closed, but that was removed during Covid and never returned. There’s rarely anything in the library for children and indeed children feel unwelcome. The staff aren’t particularly helpful. I tried to reserve a book once. I chased it up months later and was told that they had got rid of the book. Never did find out why they didn’t notify me and why they would have got rid of it when people clearly want to read it. So I can’t be bothered with my library anymore, which is a shame.

I think a lot depends on the individual library. We live near two libraries, both in the same country so part of the same group. One is great, big, welcoming kids section with a space where they run regular workshops and activities. The staff are great and really helpful. We go there regularly. The other one is only slightly smaller and is both closer and easier to park at, but the staff there are really unfriendly and unhelpful. We avoid it in favour of the nicer one.

I know what you mean OP. We have a small local library. It is usually empty. It is a great place to take small children, particularly in bad weather, and the staff are friendly and try their best. It is very focused on children with a big kids section. When chatting to other parents in the playground etc I’ve mentioned the library but most don’t seem interested (fair enough).

I get why a lot of adults don’t feel the need to go (books are so readily available now in different formats and most have internet access on phones or devices) but I am sometimes surprised that parents don’t see the value as it is basically a free, comfortable place to visit when there are so few spaces like this anymore.

Public libraries are struggling as they are funded by local councils so have been heavily impacted by budget cuts - hence reduced opening hours and libraries becoming part of multi-use spaces. I am a library volunteer at my very small local library - so that it can open on a Saturday/a couple of evenings a week and we have a lot of regular users. We are all trained and I love helping and chatting to people who come in. If you do want to improve your library services locally, there may be ways that you can get involved.

I re-signed up for my local library when I needed a book for my book club. Quite expensive on Amazon (even though published 10 years ago). The online catalogue search showed 6 copies in my local library. None was there and I also searched the stand with the recently returned and recommended books.

Tried again for another book for book club. Same: available to borrow, none on the shelves. The library assistant said he would order it for me from another branch to be delivered within 14 days. Don't have that time to wait.

Our library is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) in the county.

That's why I am not keen anymore.

I have access to libraries in two boroughs nearby. One in bankrupt Birmingham and one in Solihull. There’s a real threat of the Birmingham ones being closed for good and it really upsets me. The Solihull ones have loads more new books. I love libraries. Have been going since I was a child with my mum and then friends and I’ve taken my dd since she was a baby herself. The idea of no libraries is unfathomable to me

We read a lot but have moved over to kindles as has 10 year old DS. If he wants an actual book it's to keep so buy it, I think times have just changed a library that was more like a uni library with a cafe and internet access would be better received.

In my case because it’s a twenty mile round trip to visit. If it was significantly closer and I didn’t have to use my car to get there I would use it.

We go to the library every week. In fact, we go to two libraries! One week in Town A, the next in Town B. They're in different counties but we used to live in Town A so still have cards from there, now we live in Town B and obviously have cards for there too. We're right on the border so it's easy for us to go to either one.

My DC are 10 and 5, and both really into books. Maybe it would be different if they weren't. But I love libraries, they have a calming effect on me. And my kids, actually.

Really? I’m always ordering books and 14 days isn’t that long. Not long enough to not be bothered about the library. That said my book club always make sure we can get a book whilst choosing at the meeting before and we order from the library online at the time.