Visits to Swansea's 17 libraries rose sharply in 2025-26, driven by the new central library at Y Storfa on Oxford Street, even as the number of books borrowed fell.
Total visits increased to 701,343 in 2025-26, up from 666,384 the previous year. Items issued dropped from 726,915 to 630,378, although some branches bucked the trend, with Fforestfach Library recording a 10.5% increase.
New Central Library Boosts Footfall
Y Storfa opened last December after the central library relocated from the seafront Civic Centre. The building houses exhibition space, council services such as housing options, and the West Glamorgan Archive Service.
Councillors on a scrutiny group were told people visited libraries for a broader range of reasons than in the past, and that reading and book borrowing had declined more widely.
Libraries as Community Spaces
Tracey McNulty, the council's head of cultural service, said: "One of the things Y Storfa has demonstrated is that a library is so much more than access to a book. It's a space for social interaction, local studies, talks, events, coming together really." She also said Y Storfa reminded many people of the old Borders bookshop.
The statistics were affected by Oystermouth Library in Mumbles being closed for a while for roof work, and a two-month period during which the central library shut and moved to Y Storfa.
Children's Books and Digital Growth
The meeting heard that many children's books, particularly Welsh language titles, were being taken out at Y Storfa. A council officer attributed this to the cost of new books rising "massively" and to library staff responding to what users wanted to read.
The 2025-26 data also showed a significant rise in library requests and reservations, while many visitors to Y Storfa have been registering to join the library service while there. Another growth area across the county's libraries is e-book downloads and online magazines and newspapers. Karen Gibbins, libraries and cultural manager, said they were easier to use and that Swansea's collection of this material was growing.
Councils have a statutory duty to provide a library service and encourage adults and children to make full use of it. Library expenditure across Wales hasn't kept up with inflation, according to a national library standards report covering 2017 to 2025, and staffing levels and opening hours have reduced. The report said its findings suggested though that libraries remained "highly valued and impactful".
