Figures Up For Highland Libraries

31st August 2009

Highland Libraries have had a successful year with statistics showing that the number of people using libraries is on the increase and the number of items issued in 2008-09 has shot up by 3.5% from the previous year.

The Scottish Library and Information Council visited the Highlands in May and carried out detailed discussions with staff, the public and other stakeholders. They also undertook a number of visits to Highland libraries with an external verifier. The report they produced after their visit highlights a number of strengths which are having a positive impact on how people access and use the service.

Singled out for special mention was the good relationship between frontline staff and their customers, the positive welcoming environment and the range of initiatives.

Feedback from users showed that they highly valued the service provided although the lack of capacity in rural libraries for service development and the costs and logistics of delivering services in remote areas were flagged up as particular challenges to The Highland Council.

The Highland Council's library service has 40 community libraries and 9 mobiles, 21 secondary school libraries and a Library Support Unit based in Inverness. Two thirds of the libraries are single-staffed and 100 adult reading groups and 15 reading groups for young people receive support. Just under 80,000 requests are processed each year.

Figures for all the major performance indicators are up on last year. Issues were up from 1,287,168 in 2007-08 to 1,331,553 in 2008-09, an increase of 3.5%. This can be put down to an increase in those actively using the library service to borrow items which increased from 46,390 in 2007-08 to 46,666 in 2008-09, up 0.6%. Overall the number of visits to Highland Libraries, including virtual visits, increased from 1,552,523 in 2007-08 to 1,852,259 in 2008-09, a rise of 19.3% with more library visitors using the People's Network up from 32,288 in 2007-08 to 32,781 in 2008-09, an increase of 1.5%.

Chairman of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee, Councillor Bill Fernie said: "There is no doubt that more people are actively using our library service to borrow items both through traditional methods and also by use of the People's Network. Around 10% of customer contact is now conducted online with the catalogue which allows customers to place requests, manage their accounts and renew items and with the subscription paid on-line resources. It is a great credit to all our library staff that feedback from users has been so positive and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their dedication and hard work. The service they provide to individuals and communities helps people to develop skills and realise their aspirations. They have an important role to play in meeting readers' needs and encouraging the use of digital technologies by providing access to information, learning and culture. At a time when other local authorities are finding the number of issues from their libraries falling, it is a very positive sign that here in Highland we are busier than ever."