(Above) Councillor Joe Hearnshaw, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, accessing free family tracing services at Central Library
Free digital services at MK’s libraries are one of multiple Milton Keynes City Council initiatives that have helped attract tens of thousands of extra visits to the city’s libraries in the past year.
The city council, which opened MK’s tenth library in 2022, has today confirmed more than half a million visits were made to its libraries in the past 12 months, up by around 70,000 from the previous year.
Committed to keeping libraries open, its goal is to keep them busy by showing local people that libraries are about much more than books.
Free digital services
For instance, residents can visit any MK library to trace their family history back as far as 1841 with free access to Ancestry.com. More than 54,000 searches have been made so far. Also offered for free is Theory Test Pro, a highly realistic online simulation of the UK’s driving theory test.
And library members can browse more than 7,000 digital newspapers and magazines in 60 languages as well as eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines on the free PressReader system.
Community events
Events, regular clubs and activity sessions at the libraries include Lego and Duplo club, knit and natter groups and one-to-one computer help.
One of the most popular clubs at Central Library is the ‘English Conversation Club’ which runs every Thursday morning for residents who would like to practise and improve their English as a second language, which can help with study, employment, and everyday life.
Summer Reading Challenge
Milton Keynes City Council expects thousands of extra young visitors over the summer as part of the Summer Reading Challenge, through which libraries support children with their reading and literacy skills. This year, more than 3,000 local children are expected to take part. Last year, 1,394 children read and finished at least six books over the school summer holidays.
“We are committed to making sure our libraries remain a place where people can access wonderful resources and also connect with their local communities. We want as many people to use them as possible, not just to borrow books but also for our free digital services and popular clubs. We welcomed around 11,000 new members in the past year alone which is a clear signal that our libraries are valued.”
For more information on free services, upcoming events and regular clubs at the libraries, please visit www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/libraries