Disclosure Log

Message from Nottinghamshire County Council - 24 September 2025

Dear ***** **********,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION REFERENCE FOI/6358

Thank you for your request for information relating to Freedom of Information request - Data on the supply by public libraries of digital books to children and young people across the UK..

We are now able to provide the following information:

DIGITAL
1 Who is/are the current supplier(s) of digital books (ebooks and eaudio books) to your public library
Bolinda & Libby
2 Which other suppliers of digital books (ebooks and eaudio books) have you used in the last 10 years
Ulverscroft

QUANTITY
3 How many physical books do you currently have available to borrow aimed at children, defined as readers aged under 18 years old
330,290
4 How many ebooks do you currently have available to borrow aimed at children, defined as readers aged under 18 years old
3114
5 How many eaudiobooks do you currently have available to borrow aimed at children, defined as readers aged under 18 years old
2978
6 How many physical books do you currently have available to borrow classified as juvenile
Unused term. Children’s age 0-13 is 316,852
7 How many ebooks do you currently have available to borrow classified as juvenile
Unused term. Children’s is 2005
8 How many eaudiobooks do you currently have available to borrow classified as juvenile
Unused term. Children’s is 2252
9 How many physical books do you currently have available to borrow classified as young adult
13,438
10 How many ebooks do you currently have available to borrow classified as young adult
1109
11 How many eaudiobooks do you currently have available to borrow classified as young adult
726

SPEND
12 What is your current pa spend on physical books
£572,206
13 What is your current pa spend on ebooks
£79,308
14 What is your current pa spend on eaudiobooks
£135,369
15 What is your current pa spend on physical books classified as adult
£379,706
16 What is your current pa spend on ebooks classified as adult
Ebook and e-audio spend is not broken down by category
17 What is your current pa spend on eaudiobooks classified as adult
Ebook and e-audio spend is not broken down by category
18 What is your current pa spend on physical books classified as juvenile
£187,000
19 What is your current pa spend on ebooks classified as juvenile
Ebook and e-audio spend is not broken down by category
20 What is your current pa spend on eaudiobooks classified as juvenile
Ebook and e-audio spend is not broken down by category
21 What is your current pa spend on physical books classified as young adult
£5,500 
22 What is your current pa spend on ebooks classified as young adult
Ebook and e-audio spend is not broken down by category
23 What is your current pa spend on eaudiobooks classified as young adult
Ebook and e-audio spend is not broken down by category

USEAGE
24 How many book lends did you make in 2025 
Financial year 2024-2025 to date: 2080059
25 How many book lends did you make in 2024
Financial year 2023-2024:  2218624
26 How many books were not lent out at all in 2025
This data is not recorded.
27 How many books were not lent out at all in 2024
This data is not recorded.
28 How many lends of ebooks did you make in 2025
64180 to 8/9/2025
29 How many lends of ebooks did you make in 2024
75124
30 How many ebooks were not lent out at all in 2025
1659 – this will include brand new titles
31 How many ebooks were not lent out at all in 2024
910
32 How many lends of ebooks aimed at children - defined as readers aged under 18 years old - did you make in 2025
7763 to 8/9/2025
33 How many lends of ebooks aimed at children - defined as readers aged under 18 years old -did you make in 2024
8824
34 How many ebooks aimed at children - defined as readers aged under 18 years old - were not lent out at all in 2025
663 – this will include brand new titles
35 How many ebooks aimed at children - defined as readers aged under 18 years old - were not lent out at all in 2024
426
40 How many lends of eaudiobooks did you make in 2025
101156 to 8/9/2025
41 How many lends of eaudiobooks did you make in 2024
116711
42 How many eaudiobooks were not lent out at all in 2025
401 – this will include brand new titles
43 How many eaudiobooks were not lent out at all in 2024
117
44 How many lends of eaudiobooks aimed at children - defined as readers aged under 18 years old - did you make in 2025
15807to 8/9/2025
45 How many lends of eaudiobooks aimed at children - defined as readers aged under 18 years old - did you make in 2024
20574
46 How many eaudiobooks aimed at children - defined as readers aged under 18 years old - were not lent out at all in 2025
101– this will include brand new titles
47 How many eaudiobooks aimed at children - defined as readers aged under 18 years old - were not lent out at all in 2024
20

BOOKLIST
52 Please provide a list of all the isbns for the physical books you currently offer in your library service aimed at children - defined as readers aged under 18 years old.
Available from our Library Catalogue: https://nottslibraries.inspireculture.org.uk
53 Please provide a list of all the isbns for the ebooks you currently offer in your library service coded as juvenile or young adult. This information will be available from your digital book supplier.
Available from our public ebook website: https://nottinghamshire.borrowbox.com/
54 Please provide a list of all the isbns for the eaudiobooks you currently offer in your library service coded as juvenile or young adult. This information will be available from your digital book supplier.
Available from our public eaudio websites: https://nottinghamshire.borrowbox.com/
https://libbyapp.com/library/nottinghamshire

CONTACT
55 Please provide the contact details of the department at your local authority responsible for library services to people aged under 18 years.
Inspire: Culture, Learning, Libraries Contact Details https://www.inspireculture.org.uk/contact-us/  Assistant CEO, with responsibility for libraries, is Kirsty Ellis.

REPORTING
56 Please provide a list of the data categories you collect relating to library borrowings
Borrower, date, branch, date returned, number of times renewed, date(s) renewed
57 Please provide a list of the data categories you collect from your digital book supplier relating to library borrowings
Platform, Borrower, date, date returned, renewals

SCHOOLS
58 Do you currently operate a scheme with schools in your area for the school to register their pupils with your public library service
Yes

SYSTEMS
59 What library management system do you use
Axiell

SELECTION
60 Who selects the physical books in your collection
Librarians and Supplier selection
61 Who selects the ebooks in your collection
Librarians and Supplier selection
62 Who selects the eaudiobooks in your collection
Librarians and Supplier selection
63 What criteria is used to select the physical books in your collection
Content, Quality, Popularity, Age, Format, Cost, Coverage, Local Interest, Availability, Legality
64 What criteria is used to select the ebooks in your collection
Content, Quality, Popularity, Age, Format, Cost, Coverage, Local Interest, Availability, Legality
65 What criteria is used to select the eaudio books in your collection
Content, Quality, Popularity, Age, Format, Cost, Coverage, Local Interest, Availability, Legality

We trust this now satisfies your request and that you find this information to be helpful, however if you are unhappy with the way in which your request has been handled, then please email us at [email protected] quoting the reference FOI/6358 and we will be happy to review your request

For future reference, Nottinghamshire County Council regularly publishes previous FOI requests and answers on its website, under Disclosure logs, that may provide details relating to your query. (see link) Your privacy: we use your personal information such as name and address so that we can comply with our legal obligations to respond to FOI requests.  For further details about the use of information about you, please see the information handling privacy notice on our website at https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/media/4323566/informationgovernanceandinformationrightsprivacynotice.pdf

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review.   Requests should be submitted within 40 working days of the date of receipt of the response to your original request and should be addressed to: Complaints and Information Team, Nottinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, NOTTINGHAM, NG2 7QP or [email protected].

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, WILMSLOW, SK9 5AF or