Shropshire libraries buck trend to celebrate rise in visitors

The council has reported soaring figures for library attendance over the last 12 months.

The region's libraries are bucking the national trend of declining library usage, as the most recent research from Statista demonstrates a gradual, national decrease since 2005.

Despite this, people in Shropshire are turning out for their libraries, having increased their library visits by 60 per cent since this time last year.

Special events such as Dungeons & Dragons, author visits and creative writing sessions have seen attendance figures rise by a staggering 412 per cent in the same period.

Book lending is also up by ten per cent.

Cecilia Motley, the council's cabinet member for health and communities, said: "We are delighted to see the people of Shropshire clearly value the libraries service and are making good use of it.

Rob Gittins, cabinet member for culture and digital, added: ‘Throughout 2022 we’ve seen a steady increase in the use of libraries across the county, following the huge impact of Covid lockdowns.

"In terms of overall visitor numbers we’re not quite back to where we were pre-Covid but we’re heading strongly in the right direction.

"The figures we’re really excited about are the numbers of people attending library events and activities. Library staff have put in a huge amount of work to get our events programme back on track and we’re now seeing the benefits of that with good levels of support and really positive feedback."

He added: "Whether it’s open mic poetry, author events, creative writing, Dungeons & Dragons, or learning how to trace your family tree, our libraries open up a world of knowledge and entertainment for everyone from 0 to 100+ years old.

"We have a brilliant programme of activities in libraries that bring communities together. Find out more about all the ways we can take action together to make a difference to people’s lives. Everyone is welcome, and the library is free to join."