Lending of music CDs at UK libraries has plummeted by 42 per cent in the last five years, according to the latest survey from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
CIPFA’s annual survey of public libraries across the UK shows that library music issues has dropped from 8.4m in 2005-06 to 4.9m in 2009-10 – a drop of 42 per cent.
Book issues over the same period went down by just 4.2 per cent.
The survey also reveals a league table of the country’s most-visited libraries, topped by the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium library.
The Norwich-based library had 1,497,760 visitors in 2009–10, issuing 1,154,563 books and other items over twelve months. The next most visited library, Birmingham Central Library, attracted 1,452,150 visitors over the same period.
Chris Greene, CIPFA’s Head of Research and Statistics said:
“The UK’s libraries are as relevant to their communities as ever. But whilst many facilities continue to attract high visitor numbers, far fewer library users are borrowing music CDs compared to five years ago. With more people than ever downloading music from the internet, the way many people access music has changed fundamentally”.
