In relation to mobile libraries, please provide:
1. All available data for 2022 and 2023 for numbers of active users, number of customer visits at each stop, and numbers of loans, broken down by months or weeks if possible.
Items borrowed:
| Tiverton Mobile | Ivybridge Mobile | Exmouth Mobile | Torrington Mobile | |
| Apr-22 | 1342 | 977 | 1036 | 1370 |
| May | 1562 | 1081 | 895 | 1607 |
| June | 1339 | 1043 | 756 | 1219 |
| July | 1422 | 1220 | 727 | 396 |
| August | 901 | 1171 | 853 | 958 |
| September | 1688 | 1192 | 938 | 1164 |
| October | 959 | 842 | 773 | 867 |
| November | 1729 | 1291 | 971 | 1565 |
| December | 777 | 627 | 134 | 400 |
| Jan-23 | 1061 | 19 | 250 | 1037 |
Please refer to this library spreadsheet, we do not hold the data for 2023.
2. Number of missed journeys and / or stops for each month for each mobile library route for 2022 and 2023 resulting from a) vehicle breakdown b) maintenance, c) staffing issues d) weather, e) other (please specify reasons).
Please refer to this library delays spreadsheet.
3. Latest available accounts for mobile library service showing costs broken down into relevant categories such as staffing, vehicle maintenance, fuel, book purchase, etc.
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
4. If answer to Q3 is not provided or predates 2022, any available data for 2022 mobile library service showing costs broken down into relevant categories such as staffing, vehicle maintenance, fuel, book purchase, etc.
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
5. Any available data for 2023 mobile library service showing costs broken down into relevant categories such as staffing, vehicle maintenance, fuel, book purchase, etc.
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
6. Existing full time equivalent (FTE) staff and headcount who work for the mobile library service.
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
7. Existing staff FTEs and headcount who are expected to leave if the mobile library service is terminated broken down by any relevant category including: voluntary severance, compulsory redundancy, non-renewal of contract, other termination, etc.
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
8. Please confirm age of the newest library vehicle and its registration number if possible.
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
9. Please confirm the current number of stops on each of the 4 mobile library routes.
374
10. Which organisation is currently responsible for replacing mobile library vehicles when required?
Devon County Council.
11. Does the Libraries Unlimited charitable status mean that they are able to access any loans / grants / matched funding / VAT relief or other preferential finance for replacements and / or hire or lease of vehicles?
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
12. Annual total figures for each of the years from 2013 to 2021 giving number of active users, number of customer visits, and number of loans for each year.
| Year | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| Loans | 161,317 | 134,191 | 90,236 | 74,514 | 72,239 | 64,191 | 59,285 | 59,110 | 28,610 | 40,296 |
| Visits | 55,793 | 48,813 | 26,601 | 23,322 | 22,142 | 21,044 | 15,466 | 15,930 | 8,459 | 11,663 |
| Active Users | 5,546 | 5,110 | 4,067 | 3,332 | 3,219 | 3,193 | 2,930 | 3,061 | 2,995 |
13. Have any promotional / marketing / awareness events or publicity campaigns explicitly promoting or broadening awareness of the Devon mobile library services been undertaken since 2011?
If YES, please give details for each year for the years 2012-2022 with the number of such events / activities broken down into relevant categories such as the number for each of:
* Local newspaper articles / advertisements published
* Articles in local / parish magazines in Devon
* Regional newspaper / magazine articles / advertisements published
* Local radio features / interviews / advertisements
* Regional TV features / advertisements
* House-to-house leafletting in mobile library area
* Others (please specify type)
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
14. All available data for 2011, 2012 and 2013 for numbers of active users, number of customer visits at each stop, and numbers of loans, broken down by months or weeks if possible. Please also provide the raw data as collected on the vans for numbers of visits at each stop on each route.
Devon County Council do not hold all of the data requested. However, we can provide you with the following:
| Active Users | ||||||||||||
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
| 2011 | 6,390 | 6,367 | 6,395 | |||||||||
| 2012 | 6,095 | 6,008 | 6,029 | 5,992 | 5,932 | 5,890 | 5,836 | 5,803 | 5,718 | 5,667 | ||
| 2013 | 5,627 | 5,603 | 5,546 | 5,498 | 5,454 | 5,406 | 5,380 | 5,385 | 5,338 | 5,308 | 5,225 | 5,163 |
| Number of Visits | ||||||||||||
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
| 2011 | 4,975 | 5,443 | 4,792 | 5,609 | 5,263 | 5,694 | 4,832 | 5,445 | 4,302 | |||
| 2012 | 4,454 | 3,945 | 4,486 | 4,765 | 5,184 | 4,660 | 4,746 | 5,140 | 4,728 | 5,493 | 5,245 | 3,485 |
| 2013 | 4,434 | 4,065 | 2,372 | 4,519 | 4,539 | 3,959 | 4,356 | 4,698 | 4,307 | 4,241 | 4,575 | 3,225 |
| Number of Loans | ||||||||||||
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
| 2011 | 12,224 | 13,132 | 11,955 | 13,823 | 13,097 | 13,166 | 11,223 | 12,549 | 10,450 | |||
| 2012 | 12,745 | 11,014 | 12,568 | 13,904 | 15,427 | 13,665 | 13,783 | 14,635 | 13,640 | 15,234 | 14,559 | 10,143 |
| 2013 | 12,213 | 11,265 | 6,966 | 12,628 | 12,473 | 10,917 | 11,559 | 12,716 | 11,863 | 11,192 | 11,694 | 8,705 |
15. For each year in the period 2011 – 2023 please confirm the number of mobile library vehicles in the fleet each year and the number of scheduled stops planned to be visited. For the year 2023, please provide all data that you have up to the date you received this request.
Devon County Council do not hold all of the data requested. However, we can provide you with the following:
| Year | Number of Vehicles | Number of scheduled stops |
| 2011 | 8 | |
| 2012 | 8 | |
| 2013 | 8 | |
| 2014 | 4 + relief | |
| 2015 | 4 + relief | |
| 2016 | 4 + relief | |
| 2017 | 4 + relief | 443 |
| 2018 | 4 + relief | 447 |
| 2019 | 4 + relief | 447 |
| 2020 | 4 + relief | 381 |
| 2021 | 4 + relief | 386 |
| 2022 | 4 + relief | 379 |
| 2023 | 4 | 380 |
16. In the period 2011-2023 has data for existing mobile loans been recorded consistently when the mobile library has been unable to return for the next visit for any reason or a customer has missed the visit (eg illness)? For example has the existing loan been:
a) automatically renewed
b) ignored
c) issued in the same way as a new loan
d) other – please specify details
If different answers apply in different years please specify by year.
No. The message given to customer is to bring them back on the next visit. There are no late fees on the mobile libraries if a book is not returned on time so the customer is not disadvantaged.
17. In the period 2011-2023, if a mobile loan has been renewed the following month, would this be recorded in the data as one loan for 2 x 4 weeks or 2 loans of 4 weeks each? If different answers apply in different years please specify by year.
1 loan.
18. What is the definition of an ‘active user’ and has this changed during the period 2011-2023? If so how?
An active user is someone who has used their library card within the past 12 months. This includes borrowing items physically or electronically or using public pcs in our libraries.
From 2011 to 2017 this was defined as the number of people who had physically borrowed, at least, one item of stock within the previous 12 months
19. Please provide copies of any printed documents, minutes computer files, letters, reports, emails, text messages, or telephone recordings from 2019 onwards where any of the following topics are discussed or proposals made:
a) how to organise and run consultation processes
b) what information to provide or not for consultations
c) how to deal with and answer questions arising during consultation processes, and how to resource this process
d) anything relating to any aspect of setting up, and running, the mobile library consultation, and how to deal with questions arising
Should any of 19a) – 19c) prove too onerous to be answered, please prioritise 19d) plus any of a), b) or c) that are possible.
Devon County Council believes compliance with this request would exceed the appropriate cost limit under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which is £450 or 18 hours of officer time. A manual search would be required of every member of staff’s mailbox, every team mailbox, every digital recording system whether that be on a laptop or Sharepoint etc, as well a physical search of all DCC premises. This would take 100’s of hours of work simply to locate the information, and more time again to extract it all.
In the interests of providing advice and assistance, we are able to provide you with this consultation document. This is a draft document, as such details of the final document may have differed. For example, staff consultation started on 19th May and will continue to 18th July, with outcome then being communicated in w/c 24th July.
You may notice some redactions within the document. This information is exempt under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act (Personal Data). Devon County Council are not obliged to provide information that is the personal information of another person if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the Data Protection Act 2018.
20. What is the earliest recorded date referring to an established mobile library service in Devon? How many stops were there on the routes then?
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
21. Regarding the destruction of the Torrington mobile library by fire in July 2022:
a) how was it replaced and at what cost?
b) for what period were the Torrington-based routes not served as a result?
c) If an existing vehicle was used to replace the destroyed Torrington vehicle, please describe what its status was before used for this purpose, current age of vehicle, ownership, date of purchase and purchase price.
d) If the replacement was a ‘spare’ vehicle please describe how it is planned to replace this, whether any insurance claim(s) has been or is expected to be
made in respect of the loss, and the amount of such claim(s) itemising vehicle-related costs, book replacement, IT, consequential loss, environmental damage and any other costs which may be claimed.
The mobile library was replaced by our ‘relief’ library which was previously used to help cover vehicle services, MOTs, times when other vehicles need to be off the road, DCC already owned the vehicle so no costs were incurred. As a result no service was provided on the Torrington based routes from July 11th to August 11th. The ‘relief’ library was first registered in February 2007, it is owned by DCC. We do not hold any further information. The vehicle is owned by DCC and insured by Libraries Unlimited. The claim is processing and DCC will receive the value of the claim for the vehicle which will return to the Capital Programme. Information in relation to insurance claims is not held by DCC.
22. Please provide data for the entire Devon library service for each year for the periods 2010-2013 and 2021-2023 giving for each year: active membership
total, number of loans of physical items, number of loans of electronic audio books, loans of other electronic books. Specify end date of each annual period please (eg 31/12/2021 or 31/3/2022 etc).
Devon County Council do not hold all of the data requested. However, we can provide you with the following:
| Calendar Year | Number of Active Users (as at 31st December) | Number of Physical Loans | Number of eAudiobooks | Number of eBooks |
| 2010 | ||||
| 2011 | ||||
| 2012 | ||||
| 2021 | 87,795 | 948,540 | 179,012 | 229,479 |
| 2022 | 112,619 | 1,402,407 | 207,000 | 213,444 |
| 2023 to end April | 116,083 | 462,778 | 79,248 | 71,118 |
23. Please confirm that where the consultation refers to ‘an average of 5 visitors each in stops for 2022′ that this is based on figures adjusted to account for ‘missed’ stops owing to vehicle defects, staff shortage, etc in 2022?
All figures used within the consultation are actual figures, no figures have been adjusted.
24. Please confirm which other 2022 figures and percentages in the consultation information at https://www.devon.gov.uk/haveyoursay/document/mobile-libraries/ are also
based on revised figures and which are based directly on the published figures of ‘51,130 loans, 14,872 visits by 3,080 active members’.
All figures used within the consultation are actual figures, no figures have been adjusted.