Survey of council library users

Highland Council runs 56 libraries across the region

The pubic is to be surveyed on how Highland Council could improve its library service.

It runs 56 community and school libraries and eight mobile libraries.

Each year, the service issues 1.4 million items and handles 50,000 requests. The Scottish Arts Council has helped to fund the survey.

The Scottish Library and Information Council previously told BBC Scotland visits to libraries could be rising as a result of the credit crunch.

Views will be sought by the council by post, on the street and online.

The local authority said the responses will be used to increase library usage, raise user satisfaction and target service improvements at specific groups of people within the Highland community, including disadvantaged and "excluded" groups.