The lay of the land at Leeds libraries as 'reading revolution' and return to these 'magical places' forecast
The draw of the library may not be quite what it once was, but the current trend for sites in Leeds indicates an ideal environment for a “reading revolution”.
With AI summaries and doom scrolling replacing the proficiency of reading in many cases, it’s easy to fear the worst for the future of libraries.
But as the Yorkshire Evening Post launches its Leeds Reads campaign to get the city once again immersed in books and wandering those halls of imagination, the current state of play for libraries in the city has been mapped out - and shows positive signs.
In 2016, the picture wasn’t too rosy, with a third of libraries in Leeds having closed in the preceding five years - bringing the total down from 53 to 34.
The decrease was described as a “tragedy”, but things have changed a lot since then.
Leeds City Council has said that there are currently 37 libraries and community hubs across the city, with no closures in the last 10 years.
Recent years have seen the service focus on refurbishing sites such as Leeds Central Library, Yeadon and Halton or moving to new, modern spots which are more sustainable and fit for purpose, such as in Calverley and Ardsley and Tingley. The additional three new libraries come in the form of satellite sites at Hawksworth, Burmantofts and Kirkgate Market.
There have also been innovative new projects, such as the creation of a new music sector at Leeds Central Library, complete with specially created walk-in recording studios, pianos and podcasting facilities, while libraries have adapted to offer more support and services like housing, customer enquiries, health, banking, post office and local PCSO meetings.
What’s more, a mobile fleet of Story Buses is offering books, IT access and support services to areas without branch libraries.
Councillor Asghar Khan, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, customer services and community safety, said: “The way people access their local libraries and the services they want to see has evolved in a host of different ways in recent years.
“Our library service has very much moved with the times to keep pace with those changes, moving away from the idea of libraries as quiet spaces and focusing more on creating places where people of all ages can attend events, access important services and have fun.”
Figures also look healthy, with nearly 300,000 books loaned across Leeds in the last quarter of 2025 and 2,301 people attending the range of cultural and learning events in the same period. A council source has said that a library card “gives you access to more than £3000 worth of resources”.
Coun Khan said: “The absolutely core principle of our libraries remains the love of reading, storytelling and exploring the world of imagination and possibilities that books can open up.
“Libraries are and always will be magical places, with a unique power to expand young minds and bring different generations and cultures together, so we’re determined to keep working to encourage current and future readers for many years to come.”
Our new campaign coincides with the National Year Of Reading, which is pushing to “rekindle the UK’s love of reading”, and comes a week after the inspiring blue plaque unveiling for Leeds literary icon Barbara Taylor Bradford at Armley Library.
At the event the chair of Leeds Civic Trust Martin Hamilton noted the amazing role libraries have played in helping shape the lives of the ‘A Woman Of Substance’ author and other literary giants Alan Bennett, Peter O’Toole and Keith Waterhouse.
He said: “We’re celebrating the life of Barbara Taylor Bradford today but also the role that the public library has in nurturing people and giving them opportunities in life that they wouldn’t otherwise have.”