INSIGHT President’s View
Sue Lacey Bryant is CILIP President.
How shall we count the ways in which libraries make a difference?
Public libraries have a bigger and more diverse reach than any other cultural institution. Staff play an important role in the creation of social capital and trust. Libraries are powerful community connectors.
T
HE value that libraries deliver is multidimensional. Over this year I have highlighted several studies that show the value we deliver in different sectors (
https://tinyurl.com/IPPresS25).
A good return on investment
Starting with the ‘bottom line’, it has long been understood that “public libraries, first and foremost, contribute to long- term processes of human capital formation, the maintenance of mental and physical wellbeing, social inclusivity and the cohesion of communities. This is the real economic contribution that public libraries make.” (
https://tinyurl.com/ ACEevirev)
A study of libraries in the East of England estimated a national value of £3.4bn (
https://tinyurl.com/LFLALB). A Better Libraries survey of 2,000 adult users identified that individual library users save just under £1,500 a year by using services such as loans, wi-fi and hot-desking (
https://tinyurl.com/BetLibSur).
Reading is good for us
Readers are 10 per cent more likely than non-readers to report good self-esteem than non- readers. People reading for just 30 minutes a week are 20 per cent more likely to report greater life satisfaction (
https://tinyurl.com/ReadBTL). While reading is good for us, loneliness is not. Loneliness and social isolation correlate with a 29 per cent increased risk of heart disease and a 32 per cent increased risk of stroke (https://
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5831910/) so the work that public library teams do to encourage reading is vital. Almost one in five readers say that reading stops them from feeling lonely (
https://readingagency.org.uk/our-work/our-research/reading-facts). Looking forward to the National Year of Reading ahead, we will all know that for the one in 11 of disadvantaged children who do not have a book at home, public libraries are a reading lifeline (
https://tinyurl.com/NLTPLLR).
A sense of belonging
Seventy-two per cent of people who read for 30 minutes a week are more likely to have a greater sense of community spirit (
https://tinyurl.com/ReadBTL). Public libraries have a bigger and more diverse reach than any other cultural institution (
https://tinyurl.com/23exktde). Staff play an important role in the creation of social capital and trust. Libraries are powerful community connectors. Fifteen per cent of participants in the Better Libraries survey made a new friend in a library, 10 per cent found emotional support or a sense of belonging. Twenty-one per cent of young adults say a library helped support
14 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
them when they moved to a new area (
https://tinyurl.com/BetLibSur). The magic ingredient is surely the relationships that staff and volunteers build with customers face-to face.
Education and employment
The House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee recognises that public libraries act as “engines for entrepreneurship, economic growth and job creation.” (https://
tinyurl.com/mwn7wxwv) Libraries are essential to building real-world digital skills and careers, to finding a job and starting a business. Calderdale Libraries told CILIP about the Drop-In Job Club in Halifax: “We have changed the lives of many women, helping them to find secure part-time employment, allowing them to be less isolated… and be economically active.” (
https://tinyurl.com/CalderFB)
Health and wellbeing
Being a regular library user is associated with a 1.4 per cent increase in the likelihood of reporting good general health (https://
tinyurl.com/ACEben1). One member told us about the Creative Wellbeing Café at Holmcroft Library, in Staffordshire where relaxed sessions allow participants to escape the stresses and strains of everyday life.
NHS libraries shared a great example of partnership working from Gateshead. The Hospital Library and Knowledge Team worked with the public library to develop a Book Share service, including Easy Read titles, making reading accessible across the hospital community (
https://tinyurl.com/4a4eu24k).
Green libraries
The environmental perspective is another lens through which to consider the value of public libraries (
https://tinyurl.com/23exktde). Bridgemary Library in Gosport has shared a wonderful case study with CILIP. With an eco-friendly building, powered by renewable energy, special book collections, a secret nature garden, and community activities, Hampshire’s first Green Library champions sustainability and celebrates nature for everyone. Public IT usage went up 14 per cent, Storytime attendance up 20 per cent and overall footfall by 0.3 per cent (
https://tinyurl.com/ms3td8zu).
Making a difference
Together librarians, knowledge managers, information professionals, make a real difference to our communities. There are further infographics on academic, health and school libraries to complement the one above. We are agents of positive change and innovation, at the heart of successful communities, supporting learning, literacy and social mobility, and helping to build the economy. What’s more, we have data to back that up. IP
Winter 2025
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