AS it prepares to celebrate its first birthday next Tuesday, Ludlow Library can look back on an amazing year.

Senior librarian Gillian Mortimer reckons the number of visitors has doubled since the move from Old Street and issues of books, videos, CDs and DVDs have gone up 60 per cent.

The Library had 130,000 visitors, signed up around 3,000 new members, issued over 200,000 items and dealt with nearly 30,000 enquiries in its first year.

The Peoples Network computers attracted 9,000 bookings.

"This is a brand new service and is the most dramatic growth area," she said.

"It is now the second highest figure in the county."

There has been a big increase in other activities, involving mums and babies, visits from writers and artists, workshops, exhibitions and coffee mornings.

"There's plenty more to come," she promised. "The possibilities are endless and limited only by time and resources. The staff have coped brilliantly, managing to keep smiling no matter how many people came through the door."