English language library : slight decrease of membership, but the loans are soaring

The english language library of Angers suspends temporarily its activities during august, a period favorable for reflection about the past and the future. Located at n° 60, Boisnet street, the library, created in 1993, recorded in 2009 a little decrease of its members. Nervertheless, 1 437 persons use regularly the services of the library whom 36% are students, a increasing figure, year after year. The large majority of the members (60%) are french, so residents of Angers or the surroundings, while 17% are coming from english speaking countries.

"An important statistic to appreciate the dynamic of the library is the evolution of the loans", writes John Cassini, president. "The trend rose up to 9% in 2009, a figure unequalled for the seven last years and which is soaring since two years".

Regarding the following year, Mr Cassini worried about the policy of the Council for Maine-et-Loire which feels "the english language library has not the appropriate size" and is afraid that this local authority withdraws its financial support. So the library strives in 2010 in order to reach the "appropriate size" by opening, after Saumur, a new branch in Cholet.