Freckle Report for October 2023 - The Top 45 Libraries in America.pdf

pg. 3
The Freckle Project
The Freckle Report, 2023
Fourth analysis of public library services
The top forty-five libraries in America
Tim Coates
October 2023

pg. 4
Freckle report 2023
In printed form ISBN – 978-1-84381-072-8
Freckle Report 2022:
In printed form ISBN - 978-1-84381-069-8
Freckle Report 2021:
In printed form ISBN --978-1-84381-064-3
The Freckle report 2020:
in printed form: ISBN – 978-1-84381-062-9
The combined reports, 2020 and 2021 in one edition
In printed form ISBN -- 978-1-84381-066-7
Website - www.freckle.us
tim@freckle.us
© Freckle project 2020
© Freckle project 2021
©Freckle project 2022
©Freckle project 2023
© Tim Coates 2020
©Tim Coates 2021
©Tim Coates 2022
©Tim Coates 2023
Tim Coates is the author of this work
These reports are subject to the enacted copyright laws in the United States, in Australia, in the United Kingdom
and in Europe. They may not be copied or quoted in whole or in part without the written permission of the
Freckle Project: tim@freckle.us. That permission is hereby granted to bona fide journalists. The Freckle survey
questions and responses are copyrighted but may be licensed.

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About the author: Tim Coates
Tim Coates has worked in the book industry for more than 40 years: in retailing,
libraries and publishing. He has been managing director of several large book
retailers, including Waterstone's, the leading UK bookstore group, and of WH
Smith in Europe. He has been UK general manager of Gobi, which was the
academic division of Baker and Taylor, and is now part of EBSCO. He has
consulted for library authorities and library book wholesalers and systems
suppliers in the US and the UK. He is frequently called upon to write reports for
local and national government bodies on the public library sector.
On three occasions he has been named ‘The best bookseller’: once by Peter
Mayer of Penguin Books, New York, once by Paul Hamlyn, of Hamlyn Octopus
and Reed international, the publisher of illustrated books and once by the British
Book trade press. He has frequently appeared in lists of most influential people
in the publishing industry.
He is an author of fiction, of drama and of historical works and an editor of over
40 historical papers about both the US and the UK, and to be found as
‘uncovered editions’ and ‘argonaut papers’
He currently works as a lead adviser on both public and academic libraries in the
Freckle project in the US
His published work on the library service includes
- On the closure of English Public Libraries- Public Library Quarterly, October 2018, Taylor and Francis
- The Good Library Manual – Berkshire publishing 2010 ISBN 9781933782881
- The scandalous decline of British public libraries, 2008, Brill, Logos,
- (DOI: https://doi.org/10.2959/logo.2008.19.1.5)
- Britain’s plain-speaking bookman 2005, Brill, Logos
- ( DOI: https://doi.org/10.2959/logo.2005.16.3.148)
- Evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on Libraries, 2005 ISBN 021502267X
- Who’s in Charge, Responsibility for the public library service. 2002 Libri and Laser, UK
- Various articles in the UK Bookseller
- Various articles in the UK Guardian
- Freckle Reports: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
He holds Masters degrees from Oxford and from Stirling Universities.

pg. 6
Tim Coates is grateful for their contribution and their support to John Chrastka
and his colleagues at the EveryLibrary Institute in Chicago, and Freckle partners
in London, San Francisco and New York.
He is also especially grateful to Crosby Kemper with his colleagues at the IMLS
for their reading and discussion of previous reports and his understanding and
encouragement to publish with the intention of jointly addressing many of the
issues that are raised.
He would also like to thank Jurgen Boos and Riky Stock, of the Frankfurt Book
Fair for their support and publicity for this work.
Sources of material for the evidence in these reports
1. The Freckle analysis: ‘Where did you get that book?’ Consumer Survey in
the US, conducted in April 2019 through September 2023
2. IMLS: (The US Institute of museums and library services) the sequence of
annual data to 2021, most recently published in 2023 (referred to as
‘IMLS’)
3. UK: DCMS: ‘Participation’ and ‘Taking Part’ annual consumer surveys
4. Pew Research Center – “Book Reading 2016”
5. US and UK census data
6. CIPFA, the UK Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants, in
London, and
7. NSLA, the National Statistical Survey of Public Libraries in Australia
Expressions
In the United States, libraries refer to ‘patrons’ and to ‘circulations’. In Australia those are
‘customers’ and ‘loans’. In the UK they are ‘visitors’ and ‘issues’. Everyone refers to ‘readers’
This report uses all of those, but they are interchangeable.

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Does the fall in public library print
circulations matter?
Yes, because print circulations are by far the largest service
offered in library buildings, which is where most of the cost of
libraries lies.
And children prefer to read books in print rather than in
digital form.
The reduction in book holdings, reduction in print circulation
and fall in library visits, all go together. They all need to be
reversed.

pg. 9
Sections of the report
Page
1. Introduction, Background and Conclusions ……….11
2. The US national picture ……….14
3. The top 45 libraries in the US ……….22
4. Freckle consumer survey results September 2023 ……… 69
5. Public libraries and trade publishers ……… 75
6. Public libraries in the UK: new figures ……… 83
7. Recommendations from previous reports ……….86

pg. 11
1. Introduction
Background
1. Five years ago, there was very little numerical consumer research about the use of
public libraries in the US, of the kind that management of such a large public
expenditure would normally use.
2. The intention of these Freckle reports is to build such a base of information and the
conclusions that can sensibly be drawn from it. It is to help management.
Conclusions
3. The data presented in the sections here and in previous reports, appears to permit
the following conclusions:
a. About 80-90% of the population of the United States read, listen to, or
somehow make use of books. That is slightly less than the number who watch
films, but more than those who play computer games. There is no sign that
the interest in reading is falling, although the means and formats have
changed since the Covid pandemic. Americans of all ages and backgrounds
like books.
b. The overwhelming and most popular function of a public library is to give
access to and to lend books of all kinds for free.
c. The second most important function is to provide a place of reading or
private study. These two services make up 75% of all uses of libraries.
d. Since 2013 there has been a major endeavor to provide a service of eBooks
and downloadable audio books through library websites and apps.
e. The remaining services offered: social, educational and technical, are each
used very little in comparison. The educational and community role of a
public library remains to provide the books and materials that people want to
read.
f. About 8% of Americans use public library buildings to borrow books. A
further 7% of Americans read eBooks or listen to Audio downloaded from
library website or App. Combined that makes 15% of the population and
about 18% of all reading in the US.
g. The data shows that the service is well funded and the staff, on average, are
well paid. Hardly any libraries have closed in the last decade. There has been
ample capital.
Yet ….
h. Yet, visits have fallen by one third. Use of library buildings has fallen
constantly at about 2-3% each year for twelve years. The figures reported in
the US do not tell whether this comes from a fall in the number of active
patrons, or that the patrons use libraries less often. In the UK, where the
decline has been going on longer, it is mostly from a fall in patron numbers.
i. Numbers of circulations, or loans, have fallen in a similar way

pg. 12
j. The Covid pandemic, obviously, reduced library building use further and by a
large amount. That has made the task of increasing library use, even harder.
k. The number of books available to read in or borrow from the libraries in the
US has reduced by about 25% since 2008. That is a fall of at least 155 million
books. The decline of available books in US public libraries is now happening
at a faster rate than in the UK, where the fall in numbers of books is one third
since 2000.
Observations:
1. The public library service, worldwide, has an enviable reputation for its contribution
to a civil life. It is good that people read and listen to the views and writings of
others. The buildings are central to civilized communities.
2. That reputation is extremely valuable and it is obviously a responsibility of those who
manage the service that it be maintained and increased during their tenure.
3. Yet the declining use, shown by their own figures, appears to imply that there is a fall
in the libraries’ reputation for being useful on a day-to-day basis. However highly
people think of their libraries, they do not need and visit them as much as they used
to.
4. That is a concern, because, in the end, if it continues as it is, it will fossilize the
service and make political funders less inclined to pay. That has already happened in
the UK.
5. It is fair to say that there needs to be concerted action to reverse the falling ‘gate
count’. It should not be ignored.
6. This report concludes that such a reversal is mostly likely to be achieved by
improving the extent and the availability of books, particularly printed books, and
other material to read, within the library service. Despite many initiatives to offer
other services, nothing else will do, or has done, the job. That is what the reputation
calls for and can achieve.
Management:
1. Any reasonable outside assessment of the management of public libraries would say
a. The fall in use should have been addressed several years ago
b. It implies that those responsible are not sufficiently aware of key figures
c. There is a clear ‘core’ service – the provision of books for free- and attention
needs to be given to maintaining and improving it.
d. Simple observation of the alternative ways people can get books shows that
in the commercial world methods of supply to the public have improved
immensely in twenty years.
e. From other providers:
i. Book collections are more extensive and more available, not less
ii. Customer need is met immediately
iii. Supply chains to the public are fast, efficient and reliable.
iv. Presentations and displays are very attractive
v. Methods of helping discovery have improved.

pg. 13
The way forward:
1. The focus of libraries has to be on books and other printed work -libraries exist to
help people find what they want to read
2. Those managing the service need to be able to see how effective they are being in
that endeavor, in a way which they cannot easily do at present.
3. Library practices of collection management, presentation and discovery need to
produce growth
4. Supply chains of processing and cataloguing need scrutiny to make them fast and
efficient
5. There always needs to be a priority given to helping children find the books they
want and need.
6. The strategy for digital material needs to be part of, and not separate from, the
overall physical service to readers.
7. Management training and library school preparation need to reflect and explain
these priorities.
8. There needs to be a new, highest level, agreement to co-operate with the most
senior trade publishers on the joint purpose to seek and support readers.

pg. 14
2. United States national picture
These figures from United States public libraries are as they are reported to the
Institute of Museums and Library services (IMLS).
In 2010 there were 17,4781
libraries in 9,307 jurisdictions libraries. In 2021,
there were 17,3532
libraries in 9,214 jurisdictions. There has been hardly any
change in the number of libraries.
In 2010 the libraries were open 36.6m hours, by 2019 that number had risen to
37.7m hours. Naturally, the number of opening hours fell during the pandemic.
2.1
1
In 2010 there were 9,087 central libraries; 7,679 branch libraries and 712 mobile libraries.
2
In 2021 there were 9,008 central libraries; 7,697 branch libraries and 648 mobile libraries.

pg. 22
3. Top 45 libraries in the United States
On the following pages are figures for the use of 45 of the largest library systems in the
United States. The data comes directly from annual reports compiled by the Institute of
Museums and Library services in Washington from information provided by library services.
The group has been selected by the level of annual funding they receive. They have the
most money. They are shown in alphabetical order.
In addition to their high level of operational funding, many of the libraries on this list have
received extensive capital investment.
The intention of this part of the report, is to show that the national figures, shown in section
2 of this report are reflected and represented to a different extent in many large libraries.
The figures here show particularly
1. The widespread decline in overall use and in the numbers of visits to public libraries
2. In general, the increase in digital circulation has not made up for the fall in print circulation.
3. In many libraries the quantity of book stock is at a low level
4. In many libraries the level of purchasing of new books is also very low.
For each library there are four charts
- Visits per citizen
- Circulations per citizen both physical and digital
- Book collections per citizen
- Book purchases in dollars per year per person
In the latter two of those four charts there is marked a red line, which is intended to suggest when
the measure has gone too low. The line is at one book per citizen, in book stock and $1.80 per
person in book acquisitions.
These numbers are arbitrary, but they have been marked the same for every library in the list. The
intention, again, is to help libraries by giving them a point of reference to guide their own
performance and budget

pg. 69
4. Consumer survey ‘Where did you get that book?’
In September 2023 there was a new edition of the consumer survey ‘Where did you get your book?’
conducted in the United States. These surveys are conducted by the Freckle project working with the
EveryLibrary Institute in Chicago.
Combined with six previous surveys in 2019, 2021, 2022 and April 2023 they include the responses
of over 6,000 Americans. They present a picture of
- How many people read and use books
- How many people use libraries
- Where libraries fit in the ability of Americans to get the books they want to read
- The changing formats in which people read
- What people use public libraries for
- The level of service provided in public libraries
- How the Covid pandemic affected both reading habits and the use of public libraries
1. In the past year did you read or use a book, watch a movie, play a
computer game or watch a TV series? % Answering ‘Yes’
81% 87% 91% 91% 89% 88% 88%
Apr-19 Oct-19 Apr-20 Oct-20 Apr-21 Oct-21 Apr-22 Oct-22 Apr-23
Read or used a book
Book Movie Computer Game TV series

pg. 70
2. In the past year did you visit a bookstore, go to the cinema, go to a
public library? % Answering ‘Yes’
3. Thinking of the book you have read, listened to or used most recently,
is it a printed book, an eBook or an audio? % of readers.
32%
60% 56%
Sep-22 Mar-23 Sep-23
Did you visit the public library?
Bookstore Cinema Public Library
76%
54% 53%
57% 57% 56% 53%
20%
32% 30% 27% 27% 28% 29%
4% 14% 17% 16% 15% 16% 17%
Printed book, eBook or Audio?
Print eBook Audio

pg. 71
4. Thinking of the book you have read or used most recently, was that for
enjoyment, for study, for information, for work, or some other reason?
Readers only
5. Thinking of the book you have been reading most recently, what
influenced you to choose it?
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Axis
Title
Apr-19 Apr-21 Oct-21 Apr-22 Sep-22 Apr-23 Sep-23
Education 18% 26% 18% 20% 20% 18% 19%
Enjoyment 65% 52% 62% 57% 58% 59% 61%
Information 14% 17% 15% 17% 18% 20% 17%
Work 2% 4% 3% 3% 3% 2% 3%
Other 1% 1% 1% 2% 2% 1% 0%
Reasons for reading
Family
and
friends
The
author
The
subject
I just
found it
A
teacher
A
librarian
A
booksell
er
Marketi
ng
/review
s
Website
Social
Media
Other
Apr-19 24% 22% 23% 13% 6% 1% 1% 2% 2% 3% 1%
Apr-23 18% 16% 21% 18% 4% 2% 1% 8% 6% 7% 0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%

pg. 72
6. From where did you get your most recent book (in all formats)?
Readers only
7. From where did you get your printed book? Readers only.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Commercial book retailer 49% 54% 55% 57% 56% 51% 58%
Library service 19% 21% 22% 23% 24% 29% 18%
Family 26% 20% 18% 15% 15% 13% 19%
School or Church 4% 3% 4% 3% 5% 7% 3%
Other 2% 2% 2% 3% 1% 1% 2%
Book retailer, library, home or school?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Home, friends and family 38% 31% 28% 23% 22% 18% 28%
Bookstore 30% 25% 29% 27% 29% 29% 27%
Internet store 10% 23% 21% 23% 20% 14% 23%
Public library 17% 14% 17% 18% 19% 24% 15%
School, Church, Other 4% 5% 4% 7% 7% 12% 4%
Bookstore, home, internet or public library?

pg. 73
8. From where did you download your eBook or Audio? Readers only
9. If you went to the public library, what was the main purpose of your
visit?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Internet store 78% 65% 65% 69% 67% 60% 70%
Public library website or
App
5% 20% 21% 19% 19% 25% 17%
Family 8% 7% 8% 4% 5% 6% 8%
School, College or other 5% 5% 3% 6% 5% 10% 3%
Bookstore, home, internet or library website?
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%

pg. 74
10.In the past year did you use the library website or App. % all
respondents answering ‘Yes’
11.If you used the library website or app, what was your main purpose?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%

pg. 75
6. Libraries and Publishers
This section of the report is the material used in a presentation to an international audience
of trade publishers and public librarians at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2023.
Books in public libraries
Tim Coates, Frankfurt Buchmesse; 12 noon October 17 2023
Panel: Porter Anderson, Publishing Perspectives, Moderator
Jessica Saenger, German Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Association,
Frauke Unteidt, Library Director, Hamburg and Board Member of the German Library
Association
SLIDE 1 - TITLE
re there enou h boo s in
public libraries?
Tim Coates
Frankfurter Buchmesse
October 2023

pg. 76
SLIDE 2 – TITLE
I would like to describe to you a serious problem that I have identified with public libraries.
My data comes from both the United States and the United Kingdom. I know that there are
similar trends in Australia, but I do not know about any other countries.
This is a problem rather like that of climate change. It has progressed slowly over several
decades. That means that most people haven’t noticed it. It is uncomfortable to address. It
suggests the need for a contrary direction to nearly all accepted practice and understanding.
And it is a problem that is largely dismissed if not disliked. No one knows what to do. It
seems easier to deny, ignore or even deride. I have detailed all this in 4 reports. (SHOW)
A problem of any kind is always easier to face if we know what the solution is. I believe there
are solutions to this problem which I will briefly describe. However, I would urge the library
community, both librarians and political directors, but also publishers, to treat this matter
with much more attention than they have and with some urgency. I am grateful to Jurgen
Boos, Riky Stock and the Buchmesse for giving me this opportunity to speak about it and to
shine a light on the matter.
In this discussion I am not taking sides with either publishers or librarians. Some see them
to be in conflict. Particularly on some matters.
he ecline of library use
an
he importance of
stren thenin rela ons bet een
libraries an publishers
.

pg. 77
SLIDE 3 -- A COMMON INTEREST
On the contrary, I seek to build on the common ground they both share. I am, however,
firmly aligned with the general public, whose views I have taken pains to understand over
many years. The public would assume that in the matter of public libraries, publishers,
authors and librarians should speak with one voice. It is obvious that people would think
that and they are right to do so. First, though, let me mention some of the advantages a
good public library service offers to publishers. The numbers I am quoting are from the
United States - SLIDE 4
A A
A A
A
.
hy are libraries important to publishers?
i ures from the
17,000 public library buildings (more than bookstores, cinemas, Starbucks, McDonalds)
,000 buying centers
1 bn annual funding
1. -2.0bn book circulations each year
Libraries have very dedicated e pert staff
Libraries are much larger than bookstores
One fi h of the books read in America come from public or school libraries
They are places of discovery of sub ects, titles, authors, illustrators
Children are one third of library users
More than half of Americans hold a library card
Libraries have the ability to stock midlist, backlist, reference, illustrated, low sales, high quality.
Libraries can promote lists, titles, authors
Libraries retain important information about holdings, circulations and demand

pg. 78
SLIDE &6 - Libraries are for reading; libraries are for community services
About 2 years ago public libraries made a conscious move to widen the scope of what they
offered. They felt the need to keep abreast of technical developments. That should be no
problem
SLIDE 7 – But, in pursuit of making that change, in England 2 m books have been removed.
That is more than one third
And this is the consequence
ublic ibrary is
A place to find
what you want to
read
A place that
offers many
community and
digital services
m boo s ha e been remo e from n lish public libraries
reports
u bers o books in nglish ubli libraries
Public Libraries in England - Tim Coates, Freckle Pro ect 7

pg. 79
SLIDE – Fall in use
The numbers of people using libraries has fallen by nearly two thirds. These are new figures
from last month
SLIDE 9 - Little use of services
The various services of help, although much proclaimed in the library sector are hardly used
by anyone. The library community call these ‘the universal offers’ - but there has hardly
been any evidence that they are what the public want.
ust n lish popula on isit public libraries
o t uly isit at least once per year
%
%
%
%
%
%
Public Libraries in England
ercenta e of popula on see in help in public libraries
o t ar cipa on sur ey
% nglish
o ula on
answering
Yes
n a ubli library
%
Did you get help to apply for a government or council service?
%
Did you get help or training to improve your digital or online skills?
%
Did you get help to apply for a ob or se ng up or growing your business?
%
Did you receive some other form of help or training?
%
Did you seek information about health?

pg. 80
SLIDE 10 – Fall in internet use
SLIDE 11 - In our consumer surveys we ask people who have been to libraries what they
used them for - Use of libraries
Three quarters of library use is for reading. That is what people want libraries to be for, but
instead of striving to meet the need - we have shrunk the book collections
public libraries se of the internet
ubli library internet use
hat o people use public libraries for?
rec le consumer sur ey eptember
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
ead study
borrow books
or
in or a on
or an event nternet
rinter et
A rogra orrow a
ovie
se wi

pg. 81
SLIDE11A
SLIDE 12 - Fall of 1 m books
The same has happened in the United States. A quarter of the books have been removed at
a faster rate than in England

pg. 82
SLIDE 13 – Fall in visits to US libraries
SLIDE 14 – Fall in circulation
SLIDE 1 – Actions for individual libraries and their directors. I believe there should be a
small active pro ect team to assist libraries in this work. None of it is easy
“We share the common interest of finding readers”
c ons
Increase library spending on books, particularly printed books
Reduce and make e cient book processing
Revise Collection management
Libraries to make more use of publisher data, for e ample Oni feeds
Libraries to make more information available on holdings, circulations and
gate-count to authors and publishers and the public
Actively seek growth in library use, especially by children.
Resolve issues by discussion and mutual understanding, not law
Ma or statement of intention by senior directors:
We share the common interest of finding readers

pg. 83
7. Public Libraries in the UK: new figures
In August 2023, the British Government released figures from a consumer survey of public
participation in cultural activities. This is called ‘The Participation survey’ and it replaced a
previous survey conducted annually since 200 which was called ‘Taking Part’. They are
both comprehensive collections of data obtained from questionnaires on the internet. The
Department of Culture, which conducts the survey has responsibility for libraries in England,
which represents about 90% of activity in the UK
The slides that follow are a summary of public library data for England in 2023 from those
survey results. They show the continuing decline that has been reported in detail in
previous Freckle reports
In particular they show clearly what the effect has been over 20-25 years a strategy of
moving public libraries from being centered around book collections to a service aimed at
providing a variety of public information resources.
Where the service was used by half the population at the turn of the century, the services it
offers as its universal core are used by less than one percent.
n lish popula on isi n public libraries is no
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
0.0
60.0
Percentage making one visit a year to libraries for any purpose :
DCMS Taking part survey Participation survey
Public Libraries in England 2

pg. 84
of n lish public library isits are ma e by of the popula on
of library isits are ma e by of the popula on
%
%
% % %
% % % % %
Library visits in England

pg. 85
Despite removing 35m books from public libraries, books and reading are still the most
important reason for using public libraries.
ercenta e of popula on see in help in
public libraries
% nglish
o ula on
answering
Yes
n a ubli library
%
Did you get help to apply for a government or council service?
%
Did you get help or training to improve your digital or online skills?
%
Did you get help to apply for a ob or se ng up or growing your business?
%
Did you receive some other form of help or training?
%
Did you seek information about health?

pg. 86
8. Recommendations from previous reports
From The Freckle report 2020
Summary and action points
Executive comment
1. Use of public libraries is falling across the English-speaking world. In the
US, the fall is 22% in 7 years; in Australia it is 21% in the same time. In
Great Britain (GB) use of public libraries has fallen 70% over 20 years.
The decline is persistent, widespread and serious.
2. The fall has come primarily from a long term move away from the
central service of offering printed material in welcoming library buildings
3. The evidence here shows that the fall in use eventually brings
disinclination to provide public funds. In turn that reduces the quality of
what is offered and use falls further. Ultimately libraries are closed.
Once started it is a hard cycle to break
4. It is to be seen, therefore, that falls are not initially a direct consequence
of levels of funding, but rather that they are the public response to how
the service is presented.
5. Directors, funders and professional librarians do not appear to be taking
serious enough notice of this evidence of decline. They need to change
priorities and the way budgets are spent in order urgently to reverse the
fall. If they do not, the long-term provision of public libraries will be in
doubt.
Summary
6. Endeavours of the past twenty years have been made to broaden the
service of public libraries and to stress their contribution to
communities. They have provided free internet terminals, offered
learning programs, and introduced electronic access to traditional
material.

pg. 87
7. Yet, following these significant developments, use of the service has
gone down, not up. These and other changes have never come close to
matching the original, huge and continuing appeal, to all age groups, of a
public library as a private place to read, study and access as much
printed material as the library can sensibly hold or obtain.
8. Focus on these new activities appears to have led to a falling in the
experience, attention, commitment and resource for acquiring and
providing printed reading material and that has led to a reduction in its
use.
9. This decline far exceeds the current or potential gains made by the new
services and has led to the overall significant reduction in patron
numbers. The new services, particularly and noticeably the offer of
digital material have not been effectively marketed as part of what
public libraries do.
10.The virtue of private reading is rarely proclaimed. Most reading is not in
itself a community activity but the contribution to communities from
people who read is immense. That point is not often made, yet it is, and
always has been, the single greatest value of public libraries. They help
people to find what they enjoy reading. That is the way they benefit
society.
11.Public funding authorities in GB – where the library situation is worst -
are demonstrating that, whatever its theoretical social merit, there
comes a point at which a government funded authority cannot
reasonably pay for a public library service that is not sufficiently used.
Appeals that ‘measurement of use is not a fair reflection of the service
we give’ no longer work.
12.No impact or output measure or social analysis of the value of libraries
has been found that is superior to the simple question ‘Do people use
it?’
13.Nor is it sufficient to say, for e ample, that ‘use of a new facility has
increased dramatically’ when, if it is set against the whole service, that
growth has a tiny effect.

pg. 88
14.The argument ‘We need more money’ will not be sufficient, unless it is
supported by credible and appealing evidence about how such money
should be used efficiently to increase overall use of the service.
15.The survey reported here found that 0 of people ‘read or make use
of’ books and that the greatest use of public libraries is by people who
read for pleasure – yet the same survey shows that less than twenty
percent of people who read, actively use the public library
16.Increasing use is much more likely to occur among people who enjoy
reading, than among people who don’t read at all. That is because of the
immense and valuable reputation that the public library service still
holds
17.Therefore, it is important that those responsible for public libraries
understand the reasons for decline, particularly among the reading
public, and address them so that use increases.
Action points
1. Public libraries need to restore their levels of purchasing of print
material to at least that of ten years ago. It has fallen ever since, and
that needs to be reversed.
2. Public library management has a number of ma or ‘management
information gaps’ that need to be filled urgently- see section A
3. Public library strategy is currently aimed first at pleasing funders and
library professionals, rather than the public- that priority is wrong and
has to be reversed quickly- see section B
4. Advocacy for public libraries has to demonstrate that public library
needs are being met and the reputation of public libraries is understood
and that planning and funding are designed to increase library use- see
section C
5. Marketing of public libraries and their services has to be directed at the
public and not just at the library profession, or its funders- see section D
6. The public library service shares an objective to promote reading with
authors, academics and publishers and it should work in partnership and
not in conflict with them - see section E

pg. 89
7. The management training of public librarians needs to be focussed on
increasing the use of each branch library. That means providing a
worthwhile and enjoyable experience that the public recognise and want
to use. Primary among those patrons will be those who want to use the
library for reading. – see section F
8. There is a need to improve the supply chain of reading material to
patrons so that it matches or is better than the best of alternative
sources – see section G
9. There is a concern about the care of readers with eyesight problems -
see section H
10.The public library service in England needs radical change – see section I
Recommendations for a public library website or App
A ‘unified’ digital service for public libraries should not just provide access to
digital material. It should give access to printed and all kinds of resource in every
library. It should offer all the services that are available.
What should a library App and eBook service look like to be ‘ est or readers’?
• Should be as good as Kindle, but free
• Should be on one website and one app, not many
• Should provide non-personally identifiable information for the public,
authors and publishers about what is being read and where.
• Should be a high-quality reader platform, constantly improving and
competitive.
• Should contain all available and forthcoming titles, resources, holdings
and materials in public libraries, both digital and print, not just those for
which licences have been acquired
• Should hold secure membership information and authorisation to access
material

pg. 90
• Should allow people to join.
• Should contain information about local library events and activities
• Should contain information about services available at local libraries
• Should discover print, audio, documents and other related editions and
locate all library holdings wherever they are and deliver them
• Should offer ‘click and collect’ and other delivery service
• Should transact a deal at the moment a reader requires it
• Should contain back office functions, such as accounting, HR and payroll.
• Will be the service that operates the library.
From the Freckle report 2021
Summary: conclusions and recommendations
Conclusions:
Why don’t public libraries address their fall in use? (part 2)
In the US there has been a fall of 31% in public library building use in 8 years up
to 2018. In Australia the fall is 22% in 10 years. In the UK there has been a fall
every year making 70% since the year 2000.
Continuous decline of this nature shows that the public library service ignores
the figures it does have and does not strive to find the figures it should have, in
order to manage the service efficiently and effectively. This is wrong.
Consumer surveys: Where did you get that book? (part 3)
During the pandemic lockdowns : -
There was an increase in the number of people reading

pg. 91
There was a remarkable shift of reading of print books to eBooks after several
years when the figures had been stable.
There was a significant contribution to reading achieved by public libraries and
an increase in library performance and circulation especially of digital content.
What are public libraries for and how should they be measured? (part 4)
The public library service urgently needs consistent, recognisable, timely
measures of its usefulness and its performance within the wider and diverse
community. Only these will provide both the information needed to manage
the service effectively and the evidence needed by funders and the public to
support the service in the future. It does not have them at present. Without
them it is at risk.
There appears to be no mechanism within the public library service for making
these and other improvements – there needs to be
Serving diverse communities (part 5)
There is a big opportunity for public libraries to lead the way forward in
addressing diverse audiences and pulling the publishing industry with them.
Public libraries in the US – data up to 2018 (part 6)
The fall in use of public library buildings in the United States has occurred in
almost every state and size of library and is not caused by shortage of funding.
Before the pandemic, the investment in digital material was slow to deliver
circulation that matched that of physical material and that it was relatively
expensive. The cost per circulation for digital material was three times that of
printed books.
The average stock turn for print material was six time greater than that of
digital material. It would have been many times cheaper to give a patron the
money to buy an eBook than to license a copy for the library.
Initiatives to introduce eBooks and other programs and services did not
reverse the decline in use of library buildings, nor did they make up for the fall
that had occurred in circulation of print materials
Public Libraries in Australia (part 7)

pg. 92
In Australia, the fall in the use of public libraries has been persistent and
widespread. It has not been caused by a lack of funding. Nor has it been
remedied or offset by the introduction of other services
Public Libraries in the UK (part 8)
Over the past decade more than one quarter of public libraries in the UK have
either closed or been handed over to volunteers to run. There is reduced
funding in most places. That follows a decade in which library use followed the
same pattern of decline we are now seeing in the US and Australia. There is
still no credible attempt to improve the situation either from the library
profession or the administrative sector. Public libraries are likely to continue to
close down and the service to the public diminish.
Strategy after the lockdowns end (part 9)
Building print and eBook collections for the particular diverse communities –
black, Asian, indigenous, and so on- is the highest priority of all, in all those
places where there is a significant diverse population.
This is a task in which libraries can play an important role for publishers- they
can stress the need to meet all the reading needs of a small community- in a
way that publishers cannot readily do.
Relations with publishers (part 10)
Public libraries don’t buy enough books to have ma or influence over publisher
policy. This report believes that a more constructive relationship between
publishers and librarians could and should be built on a common desire to
please readers, but also a recognition that their operating and financial models
are very different.
The way to achieve this is to improve the information flow between libraries,
publishers and authors about what libraries hold and what they circulate.
Recommendations
It is characteristic of the public library service that management of libraries is
dispersed and independent. This is an agreeable way to work and brings
great pride, but it often means that the service misses important
opportunities and is sometimes taken advantage of by corporations who
supply them with goods and services.

pg. 93
1. There needs to be a clear, succinct, statement of the purpose of public
libraries. It needs to accord with what the public wants and be
recognisable to them. It needs to be understood within the library
profession and management. Libraries are essentially about helping
people to find what they want to read.
2. Library performance should be monitored against such a statement by
consumer survey of the kind that has been used in this report.
3. Library consortia need to have more stature and more resource and
work with ea h other At resent there isn’t a rodu tive data driven
national working dialog with large publishers, authors or suppliers.
4. There needs to be a unified, appropriate and believable set of timely
management performance data. It should be freely publicly available
and inform everything. Library management systems should be used
more and better to achieve this
5. The decline of the use of the services offered in library buildings needs
to be reversed as a priority. This will be achieved by diversifying
collections and improving supply chains.
6. Expenditure on digital materials should never diminish the expenditure
on physical materials: they are both essential to the quality of service

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Freckle Report for October 2023 - The Top 45 Libraries in America.pdf