Public libraries hold an important place in people's hearts. Unlike many of the other services that are provided by councils, they are used out of choice rather than necessity. People come to them for information, recreation and advice, rather than to settle disputes or to resolve problems. And they are popular. During 2000/01, public libraries in England and Wales received 290 million visits and loaned around 400 million books and other items. Almost 30 per cent of the population are active borrowers from libraries, while almost three-quarters of adults say that they visit a library at least once per year.
Library services are one of the most valued and high profile services that councils provide. But they are a service under pressure. While the Government is expecting them to deliver more, libraries are having to compete with an increasing range of alternatives to their services - in particular, bookshops and the internet. Spending on library books and access to services have been cut significantly. Most important, usage of public libraries is in slow but steady decline, with libraries becoming increasingly reliant on their older users. With resources remaining broadly stable, this means that the productivity of library services has also fallen - the average cost per visit has risen 18 per cent over the last seven years, to over £2.60 (not far short of the cost of buying many books).