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!

For my part it’s the ability to drop books back outside of opening hours. My local library sold off the buildings and has no ability to offer this. I might be able to pop in to borrow books one day every so often but likelihood of making it back to hand in again is low. I used to love going to the library when younger but my kids mostly have second hand bought copies. Our library is also used by local homeless people as a warm refuge. Which is an important role but means comfy seats are taken and I don’t send my children there alone.
When we lived abroad with well funded libraries (and expensive book shops) we went weekly. You could also return your library books in a post box and have this automatically register on their system.

Games night for teens. Board games d&d etc? For nerdy dcs. There's geek clubs in our town very popular.

Rather than late nights, could opening on a Sunday be possible? Even just for a few hours.

so many seem to have office hours (so just about possible if you pass on your way home from school) and Saturday morning, which is prime sports clubs/music lessons/arranged group activities time for lots of kids. Sunday would give a bit of flexibility. (perhaps close one day in the week to allow for it?)

Could the space allow evening ticketed events? Talks by local authors, local history etc.

Outreach to local primary schools. Facilitate a trip to the library to learn how to borrow and return books. Local secondary schools- if you have an extensive non-fiction section, could someone visit to talk to EPQ students in 6th form about how to search the library NF catalog, how to reserve books etc.

Our library has 'core hours' where there are staff. Usually 12-6 or something like that but is open 8-8 during the week, where you can go in and return/borrow books and it is unstaffed. I scan my card on the machine outside, put in a PIN and it opens the door.

Libraries being ran as noisy community centres surely puts many people off using them.
I only use mine once every few years when I need to print something, and leave as soon as possible. Creepy men hang out at the computers, leering at women. (Yes, every time I've been there.)
The kids area is not closed off, so the noise is inflicted on the entire room.
To pay for printing a couple of pages I need to go to an ATM, go to a shop to get change from the money I just withdrew, then to the library. They don't take cards, yet also don't have change. Rage inducing.

Plastic tat, noise, fluorescent lighting- just hellish.

Co-locating libraries with other services is smart.

I liked the food bank drop off idea.

When DD was younger, DH and I went to a particular library all the time, because it shared a reception with the leisure centre where she had swimming lessons. It was great!

Exercise classes, yoga, pilates, boxing training. All very cheap or free to benefits claimants.
Singing or dancing classes.
Boot sales.
A cafe where they train young/disadvantaged/disabled people to learn to cook and get a qualification and sell nice cakes, coffee, a hot lunch each day.

@LibraryLibrary I commuted out of town at the time so weekdays were out, Saturdays usually taken up with shopping and chores and it was nice to wander up there on a Sunday to spend time there. These days I rarely read, mainly audiobooks.

I live in Tower Hamlets where they rolled out Idea Stores as a concept instead of libraries which might give you some ideas you could ‘borrow’. They certainly get a lot of footfall.

www.ideastore.co.uk/about-us/the-idea-story

Apologies if it’s already been suggested but what about homework/ revision sessions plugged heavily on social media?

I had a very supportive family and a large house and quiet but a lot of children and teenagers have no quiet place to study. If you could get a local Round Table or Rotary to sponsor free biscuits and fruit or something then even better. That does presume the library is open until 5.30 or schools chuck out at 4.00 at the latest.

Some sort of publicity campaign about how easy it is to order any book.

Whenever I tell friends about my love of the library, they say "but they never have the books I want", and often don't realise that the library can get them for them.

@FancyBiscuitsLevelwhen our local main library started opening Sundays quite a lot of years ago now I think they said it was the busiest day for people per hour

Im in Ireland and our library's are thriving. Maybe have a Google what some of them are doing here. Our council's are even building new library's because they are in such demand

I have started to use the library more. Have access to smart library, where there are no staff in. I thought people would take the piss by playing loud music, eating (especially smelly) food etc. You scan library card with a PIN at the keypad by the door.

The users don't. In the 5-8 visits during smart hours, one of the days is all day smart and the rest of the time library is open 8-19 with staffed hours for half that time. Saturday, I believe they are open til 1pm. People behaved themselves and kept quiet.

Also if you have library membership, you can borrow e-books and e-audiobooks from the app Borrowbox. There is a licence per book and you can add your name to the waiting list if on loan. Get an e-mail when you are at the front of the queue and then have the option to borrow or not.

More toilets
Security at the entrance so it doesn’t become a place for druggies to sleep off a high
Story time for children.
Home work clubs
Have several copies of popular books for example the new Diary of a Whimpy kids. Have loads.

Book clubs , knit and natter , art clubs , baby bounce and rhyme , maybe go into local schools and hand out forms to fill in to get a library ticket .

I think you actually need to work out which groups aren't using the library (eg do parents with children under 10 use it, but not teens; retirees but not working age people) and approach them with your question. Especially if you are seeking engagement from particular ethnic or social groups. Could some of the groups that already reach those communities have meetings in the library? If it's an immigrant community, do they understand that the library is free and for everyone? Could you get resources in that appeal to them eg foreign language books?

My local area ran baby weighing/HV advice clinic in the libraries because it got people through the doors who otherwise might not have come in.

I borrow audiobooks - CDs and Playaways for free as I have a visual condition. Playaways are a solid state MP3 player with one book on them. Similar size to a pack of playing cards. Insert a AAA battery and plug in headphones and you are good to go.

In my area the libraries have open access so you can access outside of staffed hours so a bit earlier in the morning and a bit later in the evening. I take my toddler on a Monday when it’s shut but open access so it doesn’t matter if we’re noisier and there’s more space to read books without worrying about disturbing others.

The local libraries also all have baby weighing stations calibrated by the health visitor team so we used that regularly when my daughter was small - I didn’t realise this wasn’t nationwide until discussing with a friend recently.

Also my library does ‘story sacks’ which consist of a book and some toys linked to the story which you can borrow in the same way as books - they’re a nice extra offering for children.

Our local libraries are fantastic. they were built fairly recently so that helps because they were designed for the modern era.

There are children’s play areas with imaginative toys with at least one thing linked to a book. The librarians cycle the offerings regularly. it’s a free space for parents to bring young children to just come and spend some time. The hope is obviously that books will be picked up and taken home as well and they are highlighted throughout the area.

there is a variety of comfortable seating scattered throughout.

there are large meeting rooms but also small study rooms. My dd is in year 11 and uses these regularly for study groups. They can be reserved in advance and have white board walls.

the large meeting rooms host a variety of activities. Everything from children’s story times to an adult amateur musician club.

hours start late morning and run into the evening. They are open all weekend and closed mondays. Other libraries in the network have a different weekday closure so that there is still a library open somewhere.

A specific fairly large section of the library shelves serves for people to come in and get their online pickup orders. Librarians pull books and other media from the small local selection or borrow it from other local libraries and have it ready for people to come in and grab. During certain hours people can also pick up their orders at a drive through. This helps with access for people with disabilities or small children. there is a drive through book return open at all times.

Oh I forgot about the themed bags. They are marked by age and theme. A collection of books and maybe a toy or two in a big canvas tote. You can just come and grab a bag for 3yos about Halloween ready to go.

My local library has a 'seed library'. People can donate seeds in little envelopes and also pick up free seeds for themselves. Popular with gardeners.

Lots of good ideas here.

I think they should be open in school holidays and on both days weekends. 2 week shut down should prob be termtime.

When my kids were small the only time I could take them was either after school (very busy so not always possible) or during holidays. It was a great outing for them and they love reading.

I couldn't take them on saturdays and they were always closed sundays. We would have spent a lot more time there if they were open on sundays. They can close on a midweek day instead.

It doesn't bother me if libraries are a little noisy since i borrow books and bring them home.

I agree that having lots of copies of the first of kids series is a great idea.

Holding events for kids and toddlers would be a draw.

Fines - charging people late fines is going to put them off using the library.

Our library has some great little groups.
Rhyme Time, Craft time ( children), Stay and Play, knit and natter, card making ( adults), chair yoga, Warm welcome ( for older people to come and meet other people and have a cuppa and cake), book sales , book group, play reading, craft fairs, guest speakers, community police, Santa'sgrotto.......only a small library but run by volunteers ( the council wanted to close it so it was turned into a charity) and it's lovely!

So many libraries have lost the basics that so many people want:

Somewhere quiet and cosy to sit and read, with newspapers and magazines.

Separate from that a nice space with desks and natural light to work, with keepcups or similar allowed.

(Single-sex) toilets, this might actually be the most important factor.

Sensible, predictable, opening hours.

Some optional extras that would be nice but should come so far down a list below the above:

Tea or coffee facilities for a donation would make a library competitive with cafes for students and wfhers, and would be nice for elderly people and parents too. You can have restrictions on what cups people are allowed and where (the Bodleian allows cups so I reckon other libraries can).

Quiet companionable clubs - a crossword club, knitting, jigsaws.

Children’s activities - lowkey and frequent better than too busy and chaotic once a week. Something aimed at mums with babes in arms in addition to the usual rhyme time type things.

But mostly some quiet spaces and a usable toilet please.

Editing to add - someone else mentioned creepy men at computers. This is such a problem and a friend who works with the police said it is a known thing that perverts use library computers to look up god knows what because the history is then wiped. Have the computers facing out into the room where a librarian can see the screens.