There are 4,187 public libraries in the UK, of which 625 are mobile libraries, plus almost 20,000 service points in hospitals, prisons, old people's homes etc. Young people are among the heaviest users of public libraries. Locally, library use broadly reflects the social make up of communities, with a slight over representation of social classes C1, C2 and D relative to the overall population. They provide a non-threatening environment for the reluctant learner. Public libraries are key players in the Government's literacy and numeracy initiatives.
Many adults find that the public library is their preferred place for learning.
A 1998 MORI report on Attitudes to Learning asked adults where they learned best. Of the 350,000 taster sessions for the BBC's Computers Don't Bite and Web Wise campaigns almost half were taken in the local library. The government has positioned public libraries at the centre of its policies on education, lifelong learning, social inclusion and access. One of the key pilots for the Ufl was the Libraries Access Sunderland Scheme which brought together learners and libraries across Sunderland. Ufl Learndirect centres and hubs are now being established in public libraries throughout the country.