One Cornish pub has diversified to offer library services and internet access, with its comfy pub furniture doubling as an on-site reading lounge for local residents.
The Old Inn at Mullion opened its new library at the start of September, with local resident and Battle of Britain fighter pilot Geoffrey Wellum providing the ribbon-cutting duties.
Refurbishment of the part of the pub where the library is based, to include sufficient bookshelves and comfy pub furniture for visitors to relax in while reading, has been carried out with the help of Pub is the Hub.
This organisation provides funds from the government and major industry sponsors to allow pubs in rural areas to diversify - not only ensuring their own survival for the future, but serving the local community better too.
Sara Liddle, licensee at the Old Inn, said: "I am incredibly proud of our new library. I love books and the whole thing is very in keeping with the traditional and timeless feel of the Old Inn."
One of the library's first books is First Light: The Story of the Boy Who Became a Man in the War-Torn Skies Above Britain.
Written by Mr Wellum, who is now 94 years old, the book tells of his WWII exploits and may be familiar to anyone who saw the television adaptation of it in 2010.
Ms Liddle added: "I am thrilled Geoffrey agreed to come along and officially open the library. His book will take pride of place on the shelf."
Pat Terry of Cornwall Council's Library Services said this is Cornwall's 15th micro-library in the space of two years, and eleven of those have been opened in pubs.
The library also provides internet access, with one computer terminal for public use, helping local residents to get online in the same way many conventional pubs now provide Wi-Fi access.
It is an indication of a return for pubs to being the heart of local communities - particularly in rural areas where there may be relatively few other public facilities available.
Comfy pub furniture is crucial to this trend, by ensuring patrons have a comfortable and relaxing environment in which to use the facilities on offer - and to benefit the profit-making side of the business by keeping paying customers on-site for as long as possible.