Survey: People in England still love their libraries

New research by the Carnegie UK Trust shows that people in England still love libraries, with around three-quarters (74%) believing that they are either very important or essential to their community. Exactly half had used a library at least once in the last year, and just over half of those users had used it at least once a month (52%). However, the Trust, which has carried out the first survey of public attitudes towards libraries across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, argues that libraries can't stand still in a changing world. The Trust's report A New Chapter - public library services in the 21st century concludes that the public library service is at a crossroads: change is required to respond to reduced levels of public spending, the challenges and opportunities of the digital age, and changes in people's lifestyles and patterns of behaviour