Library in Scotland offering free pole-dancing lessons to encourage readers

While guests swing on poles, local singers will perform and there will be sessions on novel writing. Books will be used as bats in games of "booky table tennis" sessions held throughout the day, the New York Post reported.

Council bosses at Midlothian Council hailed the unusual event as the first as its kind, calling it a "fun and interesting" way of encouraging people to use libraries in the area.

But Laura Swaffield, chairman of The Library Campaign, said that while pole-dancing was a novel approach to whipping up interest in local services, using books as table tennis bats was "just a step too far."

"Pole dancing is a new way of drumming up support so I suppose if it works what the hell, we may as well give it a try. But books as tennis bats? I'm absolutely appalled," she said.

Bob Constable, Midlothian Council's Cabinet member for public services and leisure, defended the decision saying that the council had decided to host the pole-dancing event as a "fitness session."

Other activities on offer in Midlothian include country dancing, head massages and an Xbox challenge.