An unexpected surge in the number of Nottinghamshire people joining the City and County Council’s libraries this summer has sent the two local authorities soaring to the top of the Library league tables.

The rise in numbers could be attributed to the popularity of events happening across libraries during summer or a reaction to the ‘credit crunch’ as people cut back on non-essential spending and make the most of the free resources available to them.

Nottingham City’s libraries saw a huge rise of 78% in new members this June compared with the same time last year, which makes them third most successful in England. Recent analysis has shown that the introduction of Citycard which doubles up as a joint library membership (launched in 2007 and rolled out to young people may/June 2008) has helped to raise the profile of library services in the city and has made it easier to access services, prompting people to join.

The County topped the league of county councils by attracting a 56% rise compared with June last year.

The figures come from The Reading Agency who are co-ordinating the 2008 National Year of Reading which aims to promote the benefits of reading and encourage more people to join their local libraries.

County Councillor for Culture and Regeneration Steve Carroll said:

"I’m delighted by these figures, it strongly suggests that our programme of library refurbishment, community work and exciting year of reading events are luring people back to libraries this summer."

Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Communities said: "Libraries continue to play a hugely important part of any community, providing access to many FREE resources and services, including an extensive programme of events.

"It’s a great time to discover what libraries have to offer and we’d encourage everyone to make a visit, you may be surprised by how much more there is to do besides reading books!"

Nottingham Central Library is the biggest and busiest library in the area and enrolled the most new members in June (35%). "Despite the recent problems involving necessary repairs at Nottingham Central Library, we’re pleased to see that the Library is attracting new people to the wide range of resources on offer” said Martin Willis, Senior Library Manager.

Reading Development Officer for Nottinghamshire Libraries, Sheelagh Gallagher, says:

"We’re working hard to attract all parts of the community. From Manga drawing classes and cheerleading for teenagers to talks on forensics for the over 50s, rhythm and rhyme for toddlers and chick lit parties for ladies – we want as many people to re-discover the joys of reading as possible."

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