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I posted a few weeks ago about library use in times of economic downturn and thought it was about time I summarized the responses. Generally speaking, quite a few respondents out there are seeing an upturn in library usage, but are wary of attributing solely to the economic conditions because of the influence of initiatives such as NYR. (see below) Here in Devon overall issues are up about 6% y-o-y. This is the first such increase in several years. In fact I believe that the national peak of borrowing was in 1995 at the end of the last recession! Membership has also increased by 27,000 but it’s difficult to assess this against the background noise of NYR. Several respondents mentioned publicity, promotions and press releases with titles such as ‘Buy none, get 10 free’, ‘Credit crunch? Let the Library Service give you something for nothing’ and ’10 ways libraries can help with the credit crunch’, to name but a few. One or two respondents mentioned targeted initiatives as a way to attract new customers. Here at the City Business Library we are offering lunchtime seminars aimed for people in small businesses and business start-ups. These are all free and many have been oversubscribed within a couple of hours of promotion via our web page and email list of contacts. We have just held a session called "Finding business leads in a recession". Which is an in-house seminar encouraging both users and non-users to use the electronic resources we provide. Beating the downturn Find out how libraries can help your business survive and prosper in the economic downturn. 11 Feb 17.45 – 19.45 Manchester Central Library. Join us at our informal open evening to find out how you can boost your business from some of the biggest names in business information. We have seen a big increase in demand by customers wanting help with CVs and covering letters so it would seem that some customers do know exactly where to go for assistance during difficult economic times. I hope this is helpful, if I receive any further information I will of course summarise for the board. Cheers Mike Michael Stores Senior Librarian - Community Engagement Dialstone Library Lisburne Lane Stockport SK2 7LL