Results from Breathing Places Section of Library Evaluation February 2007

Response Rate 63% of library authorities completed at least part of the survey 55% completed both sections

Sign-Up and Participation Sign-Up LevelParticipation Level Percentages of the 2537 libraries included in the Breathing Places survey who signed up at different levels, and who participated at different levels.

Enquiries 5777 Breathing Places enquiries were recorded across 61 library authorities (many library authorities could not answer this question). This is an average of 95 enquiries per library authority, despite 8 library authorities recording no BP enquiries at all. Sources of Enquiries Other enquiries came from leaflets and displays in libraries

Materials Percentage of libraries that used different Breathing Places materials In addition, 51% of libraries actively directed readers towards the Breathing Places website

Activities Percentage of library authorities that held activities Total number of Breathing Places activities Average Number of Participants per Breathing Places Activity Total Number of Participants in Breathing Places Activities

Other Breathing Places Activities A beetle drive Nest box making Decorating flower pots Quizzes Talks on ‘Gardenin g Through the Year’ Storytime in the Park Talks from a Park Warden A riverside walk Composting Advice

General Comments Percentage of library authorities who made these comments in response to the question, “Please give us any comments or feedback on the campaign or the materials.”

Verbatims The poster with the books along the branches of the trees was the best poster I've ever seen! It hit just the right note There are several events being planned in libraries for this year, as well as a featured Breathing Places Week in September to tie in with Autumn Watch It has been easy to promote Breathing Places as lots of people are interested in nature and the environment We are building up good relationships with local environmental groups as a result of the Breathing Places campaign, which will be useful in mounting events of this nature in the future Well-marketed by Bill Oddie and Autumnwatch Good publicity materials which have gone very well but were scarce in number Breathing Places has appealed to our staff, and they're keen to promote it

Summary 94% of libraries participated in the Breathing Places campaign, mostly at a minimal level. Most Breathing Places enquiries were a result of the television coverage. The booklets, bookmarks, posters and stickers were all very popular. The materials were very considered to be well made, but greater quantities were requested. There have not been a huge number of Breathing Places events in libraries, but many more are planned for the future. Libraries have held many different types of events, as there are high levels of staff enthusiasm for the campaign. The campaign has been useful in helping libraries to establish partnerships with other organisations.