Eight thousand library jobs in the U.K. have gone away over the past six years, about a quarter of the overall total, according to the BBC.
During that time frame, 343 libraries have closed — 207 were based in buildings and 132 of these were mobile services. During these years, 15,500 volunteers have been recruited across the library system.
In addition, 111 more libraries are expected to close this year. Here is more from BBC.com:
The number of paid staff in libraries fell from 31,977 in 2010 to 24,044 now, a drop of 7,933 (25%) for the 182 libraries that provided comparable dataA further 174 libraries have been transferred to community groups, while 50 have been handed to external organisations to run. In some areas, such as Lincolnshire and Surrey, the move has led to legal challenges and protests from residents.