People's Network
Make a Difference: Work in Public Libraries 
You may have heard that your local public library is a great place to work and visit (click the links to listen)
Library staff help all kinds of people in their daily lives and become important members of their communities. They give access to all kinds of information and learning opportunities, from books and computers, for toddlers to business people.
If you want to make a real difference to people's lives and join the thousands of library staff across England then drop in to your local public library and ask about job opportunities or visit some of the websites below for further information:
- Details of jobs available in public libraries can be found at
- Career advice and recruitment services are also provided by The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
More about public libraries:
Public libraries today are thriving centres of the community, attracting people of all ages, from toddlers picking up their first book, through learners gaining new skills and businesses starting up, to grandparents learning to surf the web.
No wonder then that they are one of the highest valued and trusted public services on your streets and continue to grow.
In the last two years, the number of visits to public libraries in England has increased. People now make more than 285 million visits every year and more than 12 million people regularly borrow books, films and music, with staff answering more than 49 million enquiries each year.
There are also reading groups, study spaces, homework clubs, training courses, information, activities, events and, of course, the People’s Network of computers and now national anywhere, anytime online services for all, through this website.
With all these resources public libraries are a real national asset to be proud of.
Some facts about public libraries in England:
- There are about 3100 public libraries in England and 460 mobile libraries.
- More than 60% of people have a library ticket
- 96% of people believe that public libraries are a valuable community resource
- There were over 274 million visits to public libraries during 2002/3, an increase of almost 4 million on the previous year
- 35% of the population visit public libraries at least once a month
- More people visit libraries than go to cinemas or attend football matches
- There are 92.4million books in 3,500 public libraries and every year more than 318million book loans
- There are a further 34million issues of other material, including DVDs, videos, talking books
- Libraries provide over 60million hours a year of high speed access to the internet through the People's Network
- Library staff answer 58.5million enquiries a year
- More thatn 22,000 library staff run the service.