Some library facts and figures...

Some facts about public libraries in England:

There are about 3100 public libraries in England and 460 mobile libraries.
More than 60% of people have a library ticket
96% of people believe that public libraries are a valuable community resource
There were over 274 million visits to public libraries during 2002/3, an increase of almost 4 million on the previous year
35% of the population visit public libraries at least once a month
More people visit libraries than go to cinemas or attend football matches
There are 92.4million books in 3,500 public libraries and every year more than 318million book loans
There are a further 34million issues of other material, including DVDs, videos, talking books
Libraries provide over 60million hours a year of high speed access to the internet through the People's Network
Library staff answer 58.5million enquiries a year
More thatn 22,000 library staff run the service.