More men to be encouraged to use city's libraries

A review of Bradford's libraries found men make up only a third of members

More men are being encouraged to use libraries following a review of Bradford's services.

Bradford Council said its plans for the next five years included creating a City of Culture legacy by providing more reasons for under-served communities to visit its libraries.

The council's draft library strategy said men made up only a third of registered library membership across Bradford and young people were also underrepresented.

"While there are higher numbers of males making unregistered use of the library service, it is clear we need to do more to serve this part of the local population," a council report said.

The council hoped the UK-wide project The Big Tasty Read, part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and Bradford Literature Festival, would encourage more men to use libraries, according to the report.

It said: "Our Arts Council England-funded project The Big Tasty Read will focus particularly on engaging male audiences in reading and using libraries during the City of Culture year and beyond."

The Big Tasty Read is a UK-wide campaign using books featuring food to encourage more people to read.

A draft libraries strategy published by the council, and currently out for public consultation, suggests the service could apply for Arts Council England funding to help support libraries in the future.

A key way to improve the library service would be to "appeal to new audiences," the document said.

It added: "Teenagers and young people aged 18-25 are also underrepresented as library users, and we need to do more to engage them and co-produce the library services of the future with them, to meet their needs.

"To do this we need to use our City of Culture 2025 projects to engage with audiences who are currently underrepresented.

"City of Culture provides an unparalleled opportunity to showcase the libraries' role as cultural and community hubs."

A recent review of the library service found despite a decrease in staffing levels and funding, the service had seen a rise in the number of events held in libraries in the past five years.

Last year, Bradford Council approved £175,000 cuts and reduced opening hours, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But according to a report, there had been a 65% increase in the number of events in libraries in the past five years – up from 2,982 in 2019-20 to 4,936 in 2023-24.

More than £800,000 has been invested in the library service in the five-year period, with 10 of the 12 council-run libraries refurbished.

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