One of the puzzles of Brent Libraries Transformation Project is that Increases in library visits greatly outstrip the increases in book loans. Since we passed the strategy in 2011, all Brent's libraries have seen numbers increase, but the branches where visits have gone up most markedly (such as Kilburn and Wembley) have not had a commensurate rise in book loans.
This is quite contrary to my expectations. One of the main points in the April 2011 proposals was to maintain the bookfund, meaning that it now accounts for a bigger part of the overall budget. Complaints about the range of books available was one of the most common features in the 2011 consultation, so maintaining the level of spending on books seemed sensible. Sure enough, levels of satisfaction with the physical quality of the books and the range of titles have gone up. If you go into our newest library, Wembley, the titles include a good range of the latest publications in both fiction and non fiction. In fact, the range strikes me as just as good as a good bookshop.
I was prompted in these reflections by an article in the American Libraries Association (towards the back of this link) which suggests that books are crucial to maintaining library usage.
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