Advocacy Evidence
Why Libraries are Essential
Legally protected
- The provision of a public library service is a statutory requirement in Scotland. The Local Government Act 1973, Section 163 (2), enshrines in law that “A local authority shall have a duty to secure the provision of adequate library facilities for all person’s resident in their area”. The Act was later incorporated into the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994. Local authorities must also consider other legislation in relation to the provision of an adequate library service. This includes the Equality 2010, the Human Rights Act 1998, and The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024.
Popular
- In Scotland, there are 2.5 million library members. (SLIC Library Data, 2023/24)
- There were over 14.5 million physical visits to public libraries in 2023/24 – an 18% increase from 2022/23 (12.25 million). This is nearly four times more than attend Scottish Premiership football matches – 3.8 million people attended matches in 2023/24. (SLIC Library Data 2022/23 and 2023/24; The European Club Talent and Competition Landscape, UEFA, 2024). Twice as many people visited public libraries than attended the cinema in Scotland. 6.2 million people visited the cinema in Scotland in 2021. (Screen Scotland, 2023)
- Total library visits – physical and digital visits combined – increased from thirty-two million visits to over forty million visits between 2022/23 and 2023/24. (SLIC Library Data 2022/23 and 2023/24)
- Scotland’s public libraries loaned 25.3 million items in 2023/24 – a 22.7% increase from 2022/23 (20.6 million items). (SLIC Library Data 2022/23 and 2023/24)
- The library (including mobile and online) was the most frequently visited cultural event or place in 2022 – 16% of adults visited a library at least once a week, and over one third of adults visited at least once a month (35%).
Literacy
- Libraries play an essential role in increasing literacy skills, with over 1 in 4 adults in Scotland likely to face challenges related to reading, writing and numbers, and reading for pleasure has been proven to improve the mental health of young people. It is estimated that ‘the average worker in the UK with very low literacy will earn approximately 7.1% less than if they had a basic level of literacy’.
- Reading for pleasure was the most popular cultural activity in 2022 and 64% of adults participated in reading books, poetry or graphic novels or comics for pleasure. A UK- survey found that people who read for just 30 minutes a week were 18% more likely to report relatively high self-esteem and greater life satisfaction, and non-readers were 28% more likely to report feelings of depression.
- Reading for pleasure is four times more powerful on progress in vocabulary, mathematics, and spelling at age 16, than that of parental education or parental socioeconomic status. The Book Trust research also found those disadvantaged children aged 11–14 who read in their own time and take part in enriching activities at home are more likely to achieve three or more A-levels, compared to those not engaged in these activities. (Book Trust, 2024)
- Children with regular access to books benefit from increased opportunities to enjoy stories from an early age, and Bookbug songs, rhymes and stories also help children to develop the skills they need to flourish later in life.
Return on investment and economic growth
- Independent research commissioned by Suffolk Libraries shows that libraries generate £41 million worth of social value, translating to at least £6 for every £1 invested, as well as saving NHS services £542,000 annually, as well as supporting economic growth. UK library research has found that a branch library typically provides £1 million in value each year.
- Library engagement saves the NHS £1.32 per person per year. Research found that being a regular library user is associated with a 1.4% increase in the likelihood of reporting good general health. Based on reductions in GP visits caused by this improvement in health, it is predicted the medical cost savings associated with library engagement at £1.32 per person per year. In England, this is an estimated average cost saving of £27.5 million per year and the equivalent saving in Scotland would work out at £3.2m per year.
- More than 1 in 5 adults in Scotland are currently living in poverty and 1 in every 4 children. (Poverty in Scotland 2024, Joseph Rowantree Foundation, 2024). Public libraries are supporting families and individuals with the increased cost-of-living. This includes by providing free and low-cost activities, improving people’s employment prospects, and supporting access to specialised advice and welfare benefits, such as Universal Credit.
Digital inclusion
- Libraries provide vital facilities and training to improve digital inclusion, with the current digital skills gap costing the UK up to £63 billion a year.
- 15% of adults in Scotland lack basic digital skills. This includes tasks such as turning on a digital device, connecting to the internet, using a browser, or updating a password. Further, an estimated 14% are also unable to afford sufficient, private, and secure access to the internet. (Audit Scotland, 2024). Public libraries provide access to the internet for all, provide opportunities to charge phones and laptops when electricity bills are high, and support people to develop the digital skills that enable them to submit housing applicationsn and apply for welfare benefits.
Climate change
- Libraries are all about reuse and have been producing impactful sustainability projects to help educate their users.
- 74% of adults in Scotland agreed that ‘climate change is an immediate and urgent problem’ in 2023. This was a significant improvement from 2013, when only 46% of adults agreed with that statement. (Environment Statistics from the Scottish Household Survey 2023, Scottish Government, 2024)
- Around four-fifths of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from the products and services we manufacture, use, and throw away. (Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030, Scottish Government, 2024)
- Public libraries play a significant role in creating a more sustainable Scotland. Forward: Scotland’s Public Library Strategy is rooted in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals making a commitment to a greener and more responsible future. (Forward: Scotland’s Public Library Strategy, SLIC, 2021)
Physical over digital
- Research confirms that the public see digital services as ‘no substitute’ for physical library spaces, with CIPFA’s library survey also revealing that in-person visits to libraries increased by 68% since the pandemic.
Reducing Loneliness
- Libraries are key to reducing social isolation. UK research found that 95% of people who are blind or partially sighted read (through an audiobook, or another technology) at least once a week to alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation. It also highlighted that there will be 7 million lonely people over-60 by 2030 and that loneliness among older people will cost almost £2 billion by 2030.
- Across Scotland, 58% of people over fifty experience loneliness at least sometimes. 9% of people feel lonely all or most of the time. (Age Scotland, 2023)
Life changing and a trusted space
- Our recent campaign with CILIP UK gathered over 180 stories of the many ways Libraries Change Lives.
- Librarians are guided by a set of ethical principles that ensure libraries can be key in upholding, promoting and defending human rights, equalities and diversity, access to knowledge, intellectual freedom, freedom from censorship and the development of information skills and literacy. These principles have rarely mattered more than today.
- Librarians are amongst the most trusted professions in the UK,
- In the Scottish Library and Information Council’s 2023 Public Library Survey, over 93% agreed that using the library improves their quality of life.
- While undertaking Reading in Scotland research (2022), Scottish Book Trust highlighted the stories of hundreds of people who rely on and love their local library. 75% of their panel used the library to get print books for themselves and 94% of parents used the library to get print books for their children.
Reducing child poverty
- Every Child a Library Member shows that where children use libraries and are read to regularly before attending school, they achieve better attainment and ultimately better economic benefits in their adult years. A study undertaken for the Department of Work and Pensions demonstrated that being read to at age five is an ‘important protective factor against poverty at age 30’. 2 in 5 (43.4%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 in Scotland said that they enjoy reading in their spare time. However nearly 1 in 10 (9.5%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 in Scotland said they did not have a book of their own at home in 2023.
- 1 in 10 children and young people in Scotland do not have a book of their own at home. 90.5% of children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they had a book of their own at home in 2023. This figure decreased to 80.5% for children aged 5 to 8 in Scotland in 2023. (National Literacy Trust, 2023)
School Libraries
- ABCDE – school libraries support Attainment, provide Books and more, support Critical thinking, encourage Diversity and inclusion and support the Environment.
- School libraries play a key role in raising attainment, and children and young people who use the school library have better levels of reading enjoyment, reading for pleasure, reading confidence, writing for pleasure, writing confidence, and reading attainment than those who do not. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions state that ‘well-trained and motivated full-time school librarians are key to higher student reading scores and multiple literacies’.
- Reading for Pleasure and attainment – ‘Children who read for pleasure simply do better in life’ and they have a better sense of well-being and levels of attainment, in all subjects.
- School librarians work in partnership with teachers in delivering the curriculum and create a safe, supportive, inclusive and sustainable learning environment where all pupils have equitable access to learning resources, including those integral to the National Approach to LGBT Inclusive Education.
- School librarians are also unparalleled experts in matters of information and media literacy, and intellectual freedom. With the rise of book banning requests affecting schools, it is more vital than ever that professional, supported school librarians remain in place.
The current picture
- Positivity – Projects like the development of Motherwell Library’s interactive immersive pod and the restoration of Glasgow Life’s Elder Park Library (£4 Million) have been hailed by local communities, demonstrating what is possible when we prioritise community wellbeing. In the first year alone, the new OneRen Paisley Central Library and learning hub (£7 Million) has welcomed 115,000 visitors with 46,000 loans. A range of case studies are being shared as part of the Love Libraries campaign.
- Underfunded – library funding has been cut by 30% even as annual visitor numbers increased by over 40%.
- 2025 – In recent months, plans and proposals have been put forward by local authorities and cultural trusts that would lead to reductions to library provision and impact local communities. This includes in Moray (7 proposed closures), Stirling (25% cut to budget), Aberdeenshire (13 proposed closures), and Midlothian (removal of public and school library professionals, potential library closures/co-locations, and removal of the physical books budget). Clackmannanshire Council are proposing drastic cuts to its library provision, closing 4 out of 5 libraries.
- Closures – In Scotland, there are currently 463 public libraries. Fifty-three public libraries have closed since 2014, a 10.3% reduction in overall public libraries. In general, rural areas have been disproportionately impacted by library closures, including OnFife (16 closures) and East Ayrshire (11 closures) And this figure does not factor in the loss of mobile libraries which has a particular impact on rural communities. In 2010, Scotland had seventy-four mobile libraries; today, only thirty-seven remain.
- Staffing – Library staff decreased by nearly a quarter (24.6%) in Scotland between 2012-13 and 2022-23. In 2012/23, CIPFA data highlighted there were 2,483.7 FTE Library staff posts. In 2022/23, SLIC data suggests that this figure had reduced to 1,872 FTE posts. This is a loss of 611.7 FTE staff (24.6%) over the 10-year period.
- Opening Hours – Library opening hours in Scotland have decreased by 13%, on average, between pre-COVID library opening hours and opening hours in 2023.
- Concerns – A recent report suggests that 44% of local authorities expect library service levels to be reduced in next 3 years.
- School Libraries – Findings from Great School Libraries 2023 report illustrate that nearly a quarter of schools in Scotland do not have a school library space, and two-thirds of school libraries in Scotland have no library budget at all. A 2024 Scottish Book Trust Survey found that Scotland now has more than a quarter fewer schools with a dedicated librarian than the UK as a whole 32% versus 41%. Ten years of service reductions in Scotland have left some local authorities with no librarians and many with one librarian serving between two or more schools. A CILIPS Freedom of Information enquiry evidences a mixed picture of provision from early last year.