The appearance of a paper on outreach in an issue devoted to practical achievement might strike some readers as odd. For one thing, outreach as a theoretical concept can appear far removed from the realities of librarianship. For another and despite any potential applications it might possess, the term is hedged about in ambiguity, misunderstanding and to an extent mistrust. Even in those circles where the term enjoys a fair degree of acceptance, one can be hard put to find a consensus as to what it actually means. And yet this is by no means the whole story because that outreach has had some influence upon library affairs during the past ten to fifteen years is quite certain. This paper re‐examines the concept and considers the extent to which it has spread among public libraries in the United Kingdom, both in terms of understanding and as regards the provision of services. An attempt will also be made to assess public library performance in respect of outreach librarianship.