Bruce Leeke, CEO of Suffolk Libraries. Photo by Sonya Duncan courtesy of Archant.
Despite national library statistics for 2020/21 showing that libraries in Suffolk were the third busiest in the country, Suffolk Libraries is critical of the outdated methods that are still being used to rate and compare what libraries do.
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) collects and reports on library statistics every year. Its report for 2020/21 covers the height of the pandemic when libraries were closed for several months or operating under complex safety restrictions. Therefore, it’s no surprise that these figures paint a picture of much lower footfall and issues across the country.
Although footfall is still recovering, CIPFA’s figures show Suffolk's libraries had the third highest footfall in 2020/21 with 467k visits.
But this only tells half the story. The stats don’t show the rise in eLibrary growth over the past two years. Although this was initially a necessity, interest in the wide range of eLibrary services available across the UK has remained high.
Recent monthly lending figures for Suffolk Libraries also showed a 108% increase in eLibrary use in December 2021 compared to December 2019. This doesn’t mean everyone has lost interest in physical books; in Suffolk despite the Omicron restrictions over Christmas, physical borrowing has recovered to around 80% of pre COVID levels. Interestingly despite COVID, overall lending was also 19% higher than two years ago.
The real issue is that methods used to assess, rate and judge library services are old fashioned and purely based on transactions. They don’t consider the much wider range of services, activities and interactions on offer, and - more importantly – the impact they have.
The social impact of libraries was also explored in independent research commissioned by Suffolk Libraries before the pandemic. The research by national accountancy practice Moore Kingston Smith calculated that three of Suffolk Libraries’ regular activities (for older people, early years and mental health drop-ins) generate £2m in social value every year, deliver a return on investment of £8 for every £1 spent and saved the NHS locally just under £300k every year.
Although some of these activities were curtailed during COVID, the approach remained the same.
Suffolk Libraries was determined to carry on reducing social isolation, developing literacy and supporting positive wellbeing, though interactions had to be remote. Library staff delivered a regular programme of online activities and staff called the most vulnerable and isolated customers on a regular basis. Suffolk Libraries also introduced new initiatives like Laptop Loans, select and collect book bundles and a perinatal support service. None of this type of activity is recorded or reflected in the CIPFA statistics which are purely focused on transactions rather than social impact.
Suffolk Libraries is delighted to be in the top three for footfall in such challenging times but it’s disappointing that those collating and sharing data based on such archaic measures aren’t doing more to understand the true value of libraries. The health and wellbeing benefits of libraries are a huge and undervalued part of their work. Suffolk Libraries is a vital part of the county’s public health provision and a more enlightened approach from CIPFA could shine a light on this key area for library services across the country.
