SOUTH Shropshire’s mobile library service is ‘under review’ following a decline in user numbers over the past five years.
The county’s library vans – in the south they operate from Ludlow and Bishop’s Castle – serve the rural areas and for many are a welcome social occasion rather than a mere opportunity to check out or return books.
The council runs nine mobile library vehicles, seven for the general public, one for the house bound and nursing/residential homes and one for schools – paid for from subscriptions from the schools.
The mobile library service currently costs more than £500,000 a year.
But, a report to the Shropshire Council cabinet recently says mobile visits have fallen five per cent in the period 2004/05 to 2008/09 while visits to ordinary libraries had increased by almost ten per cent.
The number of books loaned has fallen by 26 per cent in that period, says the report and “a general decline is apparent across the nine mobile libraries currently in use.”
The average cost per visit is £6.05. Costs have risen at above inflation rates, particularly costs relating to leases and fuel. In south Shropshire more than half of all mobile library stops serve between one and five houses.
The stop-start nature of the service also produces a large “green footprint” – against the council’s adopted carbon-cutting policy.
Most stops receive a visit once a fortnight, although some larger locations are visited weekly.
The frequency of stops should be reviewed to ensure it meets customers’needs, says the report.
The review is looking at the mobile library service as a whole including opportunities for new ways of delivering the service provided by the community care library.
It will also consider the number and type of vehicles needed to provide the service in future and make recommendations on ways other than mobile libraries to bring library services to rural areas.