To ask you how to encourage more people to use the library?

[LibraryLibrary]

My local library wants and needs to attract more users. It's set up a group of volunteers to brainstorm ideas. Predictably, the volunteers are mostly drawn from the people who already use and value the library, which I think is limiting our ideas. Can you help with any suggestions, based on what the library you go to does well? Or based on what you'd like your local library to do? And what do you think puts people off from using the library?
A bit of info on our library: It's in a small to medium-sized town which is socially quite mixed. It's close to several schools (primary and secondary) and to a supermarket. It has parking, but the car park is sometimes full. It has a large open space, plus a couple of meeting rooms.
Among other things, it would be good to hear what you think about opening hours. When would you like your local library to be open? And if the library has to have an annual 2 week shut-down period, to save on costs, when would you prefer that period to be?
Thanks!

It takes two incomes to run most households so if you are only open during key working hours the % of the population you are able to attract an audience from is tiny.

If you could make yourself part of the early evening ( post school and work) cafe culture that some places have you would probably do much better in terms of footfall.

Our local libraries did a detailed survey and doing things like that. Running the local citizens advice center from there. Having rooms to hire. Exhibitions and events ( quiet ones) Functional clean toilets and accessible parking were all very high on the list of things that would increase visits.

Our local library was purpose built about 15 or so years ago. It doubles as a mini museum with local artefacts and history . It was even built with a roman mosaic in mind (it was found when Cadburys first built a chocolate factory in the town in the 1920s).
There is a multi purpose function space upstairs (comedian Russell Howard once did a gig there as part of the regular comedy club).
Citizens Advice and other organisations hold outreach sessions there. There's also desks where you can speak to a member of customer service staff from the council.

My local church was desperate to get people through the door post lockdown and it’s a historic building dating back to the 1500s but nobody was attending and it was threatened with closure. They put a small but fully functioning post office in as there wasn’t one within 3 miles, it’s staffed mostly with retired volunteers with a 15 hour paid role over seeing it. Then they created a small cafe ( no noisy machines) with 2 paid roles of 15-20 hours and everything wiser is volunteer run. They offer community lunches and cake/toasted. They turn over about £4-6k a month just in the cafe. They do weekly craft groups, chair yoga, bereavement cubs, creative writing clubs, history groups, and they have even produced and published their own guides for local history and walks etc. They run half term activities and makers markets and a community drop in for benefits advice , nhs health clinics run from there too etc. all money raised goes back into running the building and the community projects like free half term activities. They get 50 visitors minimum daily just for the cafe and groups, the church attendance has gone up in direct relation to the care and groups.

Adult only sessions, book clubs, evening craft groups, longer opening hours (even if just one or two evenings a week). Peace and quiet time would be great. Our local library is basically just a crèche now.

I started going got mine when I had my daughter and they did baby groups, then toddler groups for songs and book readings.

We now regularly go to lego and craft club and DD will go most weeks to change her books.

They also do book clubs and knitting club a couple of evenings a week. Once in a while they have volunteers do repairs on household items.

I also think some special events would help, like hosting a clothes/toy swap.

Engage with the local schools, encourage borrowing rather than buying.

Kids craft morning on Saturdays, book clubs, summer holiday story time. It needs to become a hub again and an easy fall back option for parents with young children (who will then hopefully come to love books)

Get them while they're young so lots of groups for kids, including at weekends. Cafe to generate some funds. Working person friendly opening hours. 2 week shutdown over Xmas.

The main challenge for me is opening hours. DH who is retired can go regularly but I work full time so my options are limited.

My local library (as opposed to the one in town) is, for want of a better way of putting it, really simplified - both the signage and the choice of books. There are a large number of non-native English speakers in the area, and I think it's to cater to that community - which I fully support - but the selection of books doesn't include much in-depth non-fiction, and only very popular fiction.

I tend to rely on charity shops for my popular fiction, and redonate afterwards as a way of supporting a good cause, and I look to the library when I want something more unusual/literary/niche. If the local library could expand its selection to cater for a wider range of readers, I would use it more.

Have a vibrant social media presence highlighting current and really popular books. Say for instance there’s an autobiography by someone really popular been published, really big this up to encourage people to borrow a copy instead of buying it from Amazon.

Alot of what our library does is already mentioned, but to add if missed.

Free computer use for 1 hour
Paper printing for 25p/40p per sheet
A 'community' jigsaw where you just do an odd piece or stay for the afternoon
Huge drive in the Summer Reading challenge
Newspaper table
Mah jong club
Scrabble club
A place for school work experience (safe place for the socially awkward)

It's a real part of the village and gets lots of retired volunteers so runs Mon to Sat 9am to 4pm and 2pm Sat

Don't forget to set up an activley run a facebook page!

Apply for 'warm space' status and organise relaxed reading clubs for people who may live alone.

Look at local Home Ed groups and put together a group to work on research skills etc.

Run book review competitions and go into local schools to promote them.

Look at issues that are facing your local community and consider setting up a community it hub to signpost to charities and services that are available.

Organise book clubs on a theme and promote them to library users e.g. "you're borrowing a thriller, it'd be great to see you at our crime night on Thursdays".

I would do the 2 week shutdown in early July when the kids haven't broken up from school yet and the weather is nice enough that people with toddlers can go to the park when rhyme time isn't on

A library near me let's you borrow boardgames, the modern sorts like Catan rather than just snakes and ladders types.

My local one organises SEN Dungeons & Dragons sessions, which helped teens & young adults make new friends

If you have the space, some places also do a library of things, such as drills and lawnmowers which helps those who needs something rarely and don't have the money/space to have it at home.

Our community library runs loads and loads of activities for babies / toddlers / OAPs / school holidays / home Ed groups but then it is attached to a big community centre. They offer free fruit for kids. Jigsaw library and a large communal jigsaw always in the go is nice. Free dog treats.

I recently re-joined my library for one reason. I can read the papers online without paying a subscription. Not many people know about this, maybe publicise it?

I came on to say similar.

OP - you’ve had a lot of advice/ideas but my hunch (I’m tangentially involved with our local community library) is that you need a clear schedule of events/activities, which are sustainable to run, publicised widely. I’d get leaflets printed with a schedule or get publicity out via local schools.

Ours is brilliant but is effectively a social welfare facility. It’s on the very rough high street and most of the clientele are local homeless people who need IT access, form filling help, a loo and a warm space during winter. Which is hugely useful, but it means that the young families from up the hill don’t want to use it - the facilities are grubby and you have a high chance of encountering someone slurring drunk. So their rhyme time etc offering has shrunk to nothing. It’s sad but fine imo - likewise, your service needs to understand its demographic.

Ours runs a chess clubs (adults and kids), it is brilliant and brings many people in.

Otherwise what has already been posted: open at the weekend and evenings, easy to return books via a letterbox, after school storytime, adult reading groups.

Some kind of book / fine amnesty! Over Covid I struggled to return books on time, when I did I was told I had a £80 fine to pay. I couldn’t pay it at that time and have never dared go back, as still can’t afford it. I would love to go back however and miss it.

Our libraries are part of a city wide group, dotted around the centre and suburbs, they are always busy, here's what they do well;

• A well run, reasonably priced cafe in each one.
• You order a book online and can choose where to collect from. You can drop the book off at any library.
• No late fees.
• Half term activities for kids.
• Weekend Lego club, free by you have to book.
• Clean, warm, inviting spaces.
• Regular groups meeting. Spare rooms are rented out.
• Toy library where parents can borrow toys and return when the kids are bored of them.
• Audio books and downloads.
• School groups are invited in to learn about the library, what it offers, how you take out a book etc.

Basically, it has to be a community hub. Depending on how much space they have, they could run toddler groups, a food bank, craft club, book club. The kids area has to be bright and be somewhere to play. A lot of parents with toddlers use the library as a free activity.

My library has mum and baby stuff in mornings. Older retired people meet ups in the afternoon, all different themes. (Knit & matter or train enthusiasts for example). Free cups of tea.

4-5.30 is clubs aimed at high school kids. Again all different themes.

Online books and opening hours until 7pm most nights.

Rent rooms to groups like Slimming World if big enough. Also do special talks once a month in the evening, local historian type things.

As for closing, not sure you would.

@BlueMum16 Can I ask what kind of clubs there are for the high school kids, and who runs them? Are they run by library staff, or by someone else?

It's not enough to have a group of like-minded volunteers; if you genuinely want to serve the community, you need to make an effort to find out what your community wants. For example:

• easy access to the library itself and moving around within it (do stairs present a problem outside of within the building, are spaces big enough to fit a walker or wheelchair etc)
• accessible toilets with baby change facilities
• buggy parking inside
• computer and printer access
• training opportunities e.g. sewing machines, 3D printers, musical instruments etc
• bookable meeting rooms
• acitivities that kids can do together e.g. rooms they can book to play computer games together
• a cafe
• parent and baby groups/activities
• toddler play areas
• story time
• study areas
• free newspapers
• board games / chess

Have a look at free resources on how other libraries have rebuilt services so they remain relevant to society. e.g:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877916624000456

Quiet space for study and good wifi speed.
Inter library loans.
Knowledgeable library staff.
Our local library has an excellent local history section.
It's an old building and there are separate rooms upstairs that most of the time are used for community activities (NCT etc) but can also be booked for small wedding ceremonies.

Some kind of cafe that sells decent coffee and buns.
Afterschool snacks that teens would like.

@DuringDinnerMints You say that mums with toddlers use the library as an activity. Do you know what the attraction is? Is it just the picture books and the toy library, or is there anything else provided for toddlers? Do you know what the age range is for the lego club? Is it run by a member of the library staff?

OP, you have been given loads of good ideas here but it would be helpful to know if your library already runs any events/activities and if so, what they are? Otherwise people are just repeating things you already know about. It would also be good to know if your library has actual staff or is just run by volunteers. Our county has a mixture of Council/volunteer-run libraries and the difficulties with the community libraries all revolve around not having enough volunteers to implement all the good idea which other people (who are unable/unwilling to commit time!) suggest!