‘They are a lifeline to the lonely and disadvantaged’

Despite being an indispensable service, in the UK, the number of libraries has reduced. In London in 2020, there were 305 libraries, including mobile facilities, that were open for more than 10 hours per week. However, this has declined from 383 in 2004, as shown in Figure 1.

Although there are fewer outlets, this does not mean the quality of services available is any lower. Closing facilities is one way that local authorities can moderate spending on libraries. Therefore, within the sector, libraries can invest money into resources to improve their offering, rather than overheads, bricks and mortar.  

“Though there has been a worrying pattern of libraries closing across the country, Merton has bucked the trend,” said Merton Council’s cabinet member for commerce, leisure and culture, Councillor Caroline Cooper-Marbiah.

 She added: “Not only have we kept all seven of our libraries open, but we’ve also upgraded all but one of them and extended their opening hours. I’d encourage all our residents to make good use of these great resources.”

Wider offering

The pandemic has changed our lifestyle with digital technology integrated into every element of our lives.

Even before covid, we were becoming a digital society and therefore less dependent upon books and the physical resources libraries have to offer.

Although libraries already had more online services, the pandemic has put more pressure on them to provide these and meet the needs of their users alongside traditional resources.

“Libraries are now looking to deliver ‘hybrid’ services, offering the best of both,” said Swaffield.

“The one big change is the vastly increased demand for online services. People in lockdown discovered libraries' online goodies, including e-books and audiobooks, reference works, newspapers and magazines all for free. Usage went up 600 per cent in some places.”

Swaffield acknowledged how libraries managed to host their usual workshops and events virtually including toddler rhyme times, book groups, author talks and more.

She said: “These were a godsend to many. Library events attracted huge new audiences, with people joining in from all over the country and even overseas. It was a whole new world.”

Maintaining this wider outreach will be important for libraries going forward.

See what each borough has to offer on the interactive map in Figure 2.

Decline in users

Even though the resources provided by libraries have adapted, the number of people using library services in London has decreased from 25.33 per cent of the population in 2004-05 to just 9.41 per cent in 2019-20.

This decrease in active users, people who used any library service at least once throughout the year, is a worrying trend as it undermines the position of the sector.

Despite overall users in London declining, Merton is the only borough to have sustained a relatively high number of active users, at 32 per cent in 2019-20. They have experienced an increase of 77 per cent since 2004-05, as shown in Figure 3.

This is not due to the borough’s demographic or wider offering of resources. Instead, Hopkins recognised that the staff running their services are responsible.

He said: “In particular we have focussed on staff development and supporting staff to act more as ‘community curators’, supporting customers and facilitating work with our local communities to make them more reflective of the communities we serve. As part of this, we also have a very active volunteering base.”

A different perception of library staff from both the local authority and the community could contribute to reversing the decline of users in other areas.

Previously, in times of hardship such as after the 2008 economic crisis and subsequent recession, the library sector saw growth. A similar pattern could occur over the next year as the UK economy starts to bounce back from the impact of Covid-19. This gives a projected increase to 9.88 per cent, as shown in Figure 4.

However, this could be even higher as Swaffield said she thinks libraries will not change what they have to offer but the use of their services will surge significantly.

She said: “I anticipate an explosion of unmet need. There's a lot more poverty. Many need a new job, or to sort out benefits. Some will need or want to start a new business. Many will be desperate for human contact. Think of lonely old people or mothers trapped at home with demanding infants, or those who have endured domestic abuse or kids needing to catch up on their education or those who just want some fun for free.”

She added: “We need to hang on to all this. But it costs.”

Merton’s libraries demonstrate how the library sector can succeed. Through other local authorities following their example and changing their perspective on libraries to see them as more than a provision, the sector’s decline could be reversed. 

Swaffield said: “Libraries save other services a fortune. Whether it’s information, internet access or simple human contact with vulnerable people, libraries take the heat off social services, schools, job centres, health services - you name it. It’s time to recognise this, and fund them properly.”

This article was written as part of the Digital Detectives: Data Journalism module investigation package assignment. I have chosen to write my investigation for The Guardian because they have a liberal audience. This demographic would be passionate about libraries and besides being concerned about a decline, they are interested in their role in the community and therefore the future outlook of the sector. This article would extend their audience’s understanding of libraries and add to existing coverage of library campaigns, cuts and closures, as well as regular coverage of reading, education and community projects. A team of data journalists could also expand the investigation to look at the country as a whole and identify further areas of interest to explore. 

I believe that this article is worth publishing because it has an extensive dataset behind it spanning 17 years with information from all 33 local authorities in London for a wide range of variables. This is presented in an interesting and informative way, supported by a range of interactive visualisations and relevant interviews. I think the library sector is often overlooked and deserves more attention within journalism and society. This investigation has the potential to be part of a larger story, and can also act as a resource of information for the public and library staff as well as journalists undertaking further investigations.