Shropshire libraries see visitor numbers boom
Monday 18th October 2010, 10:09AM BST.
Libraries in Shropshire are enjoying a boom time with visitor numbers rising rapidly across the county.
County libraries are bucking the national trend by attracting an extra 5,000 visitors and loaning 40,000 more books in the last three years.
Nationally, more than four million people have stopped visiting libraries over the same period but county numbers are on the rise.
Library visits, book loans, computer sessions, requests and inquiries are all up across the Shropshire Council-run libraries, with a similar pattern in Telford & Wrekin.
James Anthony-Edwards, head of libraries and services at Shropshire Council, said the county was home to one of the best library services in the country.
He said: “I think more people are definitely using libraries. It’s not just about visitor numbers either. We have more and more people using the online services.
“We are seeing libraries become more than just a place to read books. There is something for everyone at them.”
And his thoughts were echoed by Rawden Parslow, head librarian at Bridgnorth Library — one of the few county libraries where visitor numbers have decreased.
He said: “I think we’re bucking the trend here and in Shropshire — we’re doing really well. We want to get more young people involved.”
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I love going to the library but I do wish they’d stock more up to date books when they are released instead of my buying them!
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