TYLDESLEY's quiz king or queen is being hunted in bid to boost awareness of the town's library.

Residents are invited to enter Tyldesley Library's trivia quiz, which has been distributed throughout the area.

And the winner can pick up a first prize of £50.

The quiz is the latest in a year-long programme of promotions aimed at boosting awareness of the Stanley Street library, which has been suffering a steady decline over the past few years.

Over the last 12 months library staff and marketing officers have been involved in a number of initiatives from producing leaflets and posters to quarterly letterbox drops and school visits.

Leading the campaign is Michael Mason, chairman of Wigan Leisure Services Department's Libraries Marketing Team.

Mr Mason said: "Prior to the campaign there was a level of unawareness of the library, despite the fact that it has stood on Stanley Street since 1909.

"Many people, particularly those living on the new housing estates simply did not know there was a library in their own town."

And there are signs that the campaign is proving successful.

The general decline has now halted and the number of children's books being borrowed has risen by over 20%. The total number of book loans has risen by 2% and visitors to the library is up by over 4%.

Mr Mason added: "I'm delighted that the campaign is working. My message to anyone who hasn't visited us recently is to take a look in to Tyldesley library.

"It's free to join and with the latest compact discs, cassettes and videos for hire, there's a lot more to the library than just books."

Anyone interested in joining the library should ring 01942 882504 for more details.

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