New figures have shown that more visits are being made to libraries across Waveney.

A total of 844,030 visits were recorded across the district's seven libraries in 2010-11 – which is a rise of more than 11,500 on the previous period as 832,332 visits were made in 2009-10.

However, fewer books and other items have been issued to visitors at the libraries in Beccles, Bungay, Halesworth, Lowestoft, Kessingland, Oulton Broad and Southwold in this same period. This dropped by almost 45,000 in the past year – with 714,028 books and other items issued in 2009-10 as opposed to 669,875 issues in 2010-11.

The library-use figures were unveiled in a new Suffolk County Council report, which was produced after Waveney District Council's overview and scrutiny committee sought clarification on a number of points at a meeting last night.

After the county council undertook 'an in-depth review of its library services' last year, a new chapter for Suffolk's libraries was announced this month as an Industrial and Provident Society was established to manage the county's libraries and to involve local groups in running their own branches.

This means that no libraries are ear-marked for closure, although changes will be made to the mobile library service after the county council's cabinet decided to reduce the frequency of the visits from every two weeks to every four weeks, and to remove stops from places which have a static library.