Library visits rise by 6% to almost 2m

Almost two million trips have been made to North Yorkshire libraries in a year, a 6% increase on the previous period, council data shows.

The 2025/26 review of the council's libraries found usage was on an upward trend, as libraries increasingly operate as community hubs.

But the number of book issues has fallen by 5% overall, compared to the 2024/25 period.

Digital borrowing continued to grow, with eBook and eAudio issues increasing by 11%, and eMagazine and eNewspaper issues rising by 16%.

North Yorkshire Council said the reduction of physical book borrowing reflected a national trend, although it was also under-recorded during the first two quarters of the year due to a new library management system.

Simon Myers, Executive Member for Culture, Arts and Housing, said: "It is particularly gratifying to see an increase in young users and in membership, year on year.

"Our libraries really are at the heart of our communities, and I hope that in this National Year of Reading more people will take up this wonderful, free resource."

North Yorkshire Council data covering 2024/25 indicated library services cost £7.55 per head, which is the lowest among comparable rural authorities.

Despite the lower expenditure, North Yorkshire recorded the third highest number of book issues and fourth highest number of library visits among the comparable authorities.

However, the figures also highlighted the significant contribution made by unpaid volunteers to running the service, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

North Yorkshire has a network of 42 libraries, including a mobile library, with 31 branches run in partnership with community organisations.

During 2025/26, volunteers contributed 147,924 hours to the service, carrying out roles ranging from helping to run community libraries and hosting children's story sessions to providing digital support.

The council said its volunteer numbers were the highest among the authorities included in its comparison.

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