UK library income drops by almost £20 million

Data from CIPFA's annual library survey shows that the total income of libraries decreased by nearly £20 million over the last financial year, a reduction of 25 per cent from 2019/20.

The survey indicates that the number of in-person visitors to libraries fell by 72 per cent compared to the previous year, from 214,624,000 to 59,655,000. Continuing trends from recent years, the number of web visits for libraries has continued to grow, with an 18 per cent increase since 2019/20 (131,108,000 to 154,723,000).

The total number of paid staff also fell by less than 100, or one per cent, between the 2019/20 and 2020/21. Volunteer figures, however, dropped sharply with a decline of almost 50 per cent from the previous year.

Rob Whiteman, CIPFA CEO said: "Given how stretched public services were during the pandemic, it's not surprising to see such a sharp decline in libraries' income, visitors and volunteer staff. It's worth noting that the reduced levels of income we've seen have occurred despite increases in specific grant funding. Without this additional grant funding, we would have expected to see lines of income even lower. The fiscal reality that libraries are facing is bleak.

"Clearly, physical visits have dropped due to Covid-19 restrictions and the closure of library facilities. But, while this decline may be steep, the increase in digital visits shows that communities still want to use library services. Libraries continue to be of significant cultural value for our communities. Only time will tell if this recent shift to digital will prove to be a long-term model for our use of libraries."