New government statistics show that libraries are less popular than ever, with a drop
over 5 years of nearly one-third in the number who visit them. Over 60 percent of adults do not use them even once a year. Libraries seem vulnerable. With government striving to make economies and
councils made to cut budgets, libraries could see their spending cut dramatically.
Libraries face a downward spiral in which councils try to make savings by cutting hours, letting some staff go, and closing some facilities altogether. Libraries then become less convenient to use, and usage figures decline even further.
There are alternatives. Although libraries mostly loan popular bestsellers and do-it-yourself books to adults, they also introduce children into the world of reading. Despite the falling figures for adult use, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport reports that 77.9
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