Lincolnshire library visits are on the rise, writes Lincolnshire County Council leader Councillor Martin Hill

Libraries across the county have become a hub for lots of activities, writes Councillor Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council.

Many of us will be enjoying a more relaxed time over the summer, and this often means making time to enjoy a good book or film.

We know our libraries in Lincolnshire are really popular and recent figures show that this is definitely the case in Grantham!

There are nearly 10,000 library users registered at Grantham and last year there were 133,932 items issued from the library, making it the second most popular in the county.

Last year, there was a 16% rise in visits to libraries compared to the year before, with a 17% increase in items issued across Lincolnshire. It’s great to see so many people using this free resource.

Later this year, we’ll be refreshing and redecorating Grantham Library and installing a ‘Business Bubble’ to provide flexible workspace for small businesses. The bubble will provide small businesses and start-ups with a confidential space to work from and host client meetings, as and when they need to.

We’ll also be able to use the space to work with local education providers to address employability and digital skills shortages.

Lincolnshire libraries have become hubs of vibrant activity! Across the county 87,000 people enjoyed activities and events put on at our libraries, including story time sessions, craft and coding clubs, family history and reading groups.

Another worthy event being offered by our libraries is the Summer Reading Challenge, which is on until September and encourages children to continue reading over the holidays.

Customer feedback has been very positive – both about the staff who work at the sites, and the range of resources available.

The Lincolnshire Libraries app for smartphones launched last year, allowing you to manage your account, reserve and renew items, and check stock. The app can even act as your library card, meaning you don’t need to remember your physical card on every visit.

As well as the many improvements taking place at your local library, you will also notice work has begun to improve the area’s road surfacing, drainage, footways and kerbs on Dysart Road. And there is more work scheduled to begin next week in the Station Approach area, where we will be carrying out resurfacing and pedestrian facility upgrades.

We know that these works can cause a significant amount of disruption in Grantham, however, we will be doing all we can to keep this to a minimum.