Library income in Great Britain has increased by 18% over the last financial year, according to the latest annual library survey published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and Infoshare+.
The survey finds that library income rose from £830.90 per 1,000 people in 2022/23 to £978.9 per 1,000 people in 2023/24. This rise in income comes at a critical time for local authorities, helping to ease some of the demands of rising running costs. At the same time, total library expenditure rose by 2.0%, reaching £12,732 per 1,000 people in 2023/24.
In-person and online visits also continue to rise. Physical visits increased by 13.5%, from 2,114 per 1,000 people in 2022/23 to 2,400 per 1,000 people in 2023/24. Web visits saw an even more significant jump of 36.9%, from 1,760.1 per 1,000 people in 2022/23 to 2,410.5 per 1,000 people in 2023/24.
Despite this positive momentum, the survey finds a worrying trend in staffing levels. While volunteer numbers grew by 7%, the number of paid library employees declined by nearly 1.7%, dropping from 0.213 per 1,000 people in 2022/23 to 0.210 per 1,000 people in 2023/24.
CIPFA Senior Policy Manager Joanne Pitt said:
“It’s encouraging to see in-person visits continuing to rise, highlighting the ongoing demand for these vital services. However, rising operational costs remain a significant challenge and the rise in income will not negate cost pressures. Sustainable funding is essential to ensure libraries can keep delivering the resources and support communities rely on.
“The decline in library staff is concerning. Volunteers are providing invaluable support, but we cannot expect this to keep propping up library services indefinitely. We should be investing in a skilled workforce, so that libraries can continue serving communities across Great Britain.”
Steve Thorn, Executive Chair at Infoshare+ said:
“The increase in library website visits by nearly 40% evidences the public’s increasing comfort accessing and engaging with public services online. This is not surprising; as technical literacy continues to grow across the population, digital service delivery presents local authorities with an efficient way to meet their constituents’ needs. Savvy local authorities seeking to maintain strong service delivery in the face of squeezed budgets may indeed look at the results from the survey with an eye on how to ensure they are fully harnessing the efficiency gains that digital services can bring.”