Northern Ireland has lowest library use in UK

07 May 2012

Fewer people use their local library in Northern Ireland than any other region in the UK and Ireland.

Research from the Carnegie UK Trust found that 40% of people in Northern Ireland had used a library in the last year. Scotland had the highest level of usage at 61%, compared to 50% for England and 45% for Wales.

The survey, A New Chapter, highlighted that though 65% of people here valued libraries as either very important or essential to their community, the figure still lagged behind the rest of the UK where an average of 76% people gave it the same level of importance.

Over half (51%) of those questioned in the Republic said they had used a library in the last year.