CIPFA recently published ‘Public Library statistics for 20008/09′ which demonstrates how important and successful public libraries are in the UK.  The statistics show that book borrowing has risen for first time in a decade and library web visits are up almost 50%.  Libraries, as we know, play an integral role getting people online, and continue to improve the range of services available to users through the web, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

These new figures support SCL values and views – that libraries have a proven modernisation record and need continued investment to ensure that public libraries are progressive and offer a wide range of services reflecting the needs of the community.