Latest figures from The Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA) show library loans are down 43% in the last decade in England, with libraries still in “a terrible state” as repeated schemes to turn around the service fail, campaigner Tim Coates has said.
Figures released earlier this month showed 35 libraries closed in 2018/19, while 17.7% of libraries (around 800 in total) had shut in the past decade. Library spend was up slightly year-on-year by 0.4% but there were seven million fewer visits and a 4.4% fall in books issued.
