Public libraries see surge in use

Amy Ko
April 16, 2009
Filed under Features

Avid reader Mr. Robert Tano, 57, stopped going to Barnes & Noble. Instead, he fingers through the rusty shelves of a public library to find books.

“Why spend money when you can get it for free?” he asks.

Mr. Tano, a retired middle school teacher, visits the Salt Lake Public Library twice a week to borrow books, DVDs, and CDs.

“I use the library more often than I did before,” he said. “I used to buy books from bookstores. But the economy is bad these days, and this is just one of the ways to save some money.”

Mr. Tano is one of the many people who have flocked to public libraries in today’s slumping economy. To counter rising prices, an increasing number of people are seeking area libraries instead of bookstores

According to Ms. Lynn Masumoto, administrative assistant of the Sate Librarian Office, circulation of library materials in Hawaii went up 4 percent this past December compared with December 2007.  The number of requests placed for books also increased by more than 5 percent.

“Looking at the stats, we expect the trend to continue in 2009,” Ms. Masumoto said. “We’ve heard from several libraries that they are busier, and that more people are coming in to use other resources such as magazines and computers.”

High school senior Sarah Heindl, 17, also found the public library to her benefit. Although she has lived all her life three blocks from a local library, she got her first library card only a few months ago.

“I prefer having books on my shelf,” she said. “But book prices are $20, $30 for hard covers nowadays. I just can’t afford them anymore.”

With smaller allowance from her parents, she is willing to wait for best-selling books instead of buying them.

“I’ve been waiting for two weeks for Twilight,” she said. “The last time I checked, there were more than 20 requests on the book.”

eople are also discovering other resources public libraries offer. Instead of borrowing DVDs from a video store or Netflix, people are borrowing them at a one-dollar rate from public libraries. Although the selection of films and music is limited, people find the bargain price hard to resist.

Social worker Ms. Felicia Yamamoto, 43, sees the library as an alternative to going to the movies or purchasing DVDs.

“My husband picks up DVDs after work from the library,” she said. “Since most of us don’t watch the same movie twice, there’s no point of spending 20 bucks on a DVD.”

The high demand for library computers is another indicator of the boom in library usage. The total number of Internet sessions on library computers increased 3 percent since December 2007. The number of total hours of Internet usage increased 5 percent.

“Some libraries have reported that the computers are jammed in the afternoon,” Ms. Masumoto said. “Sometimes there are lines of people waiting to use the computers.”

Library officials welcome the increased traffic.

“It’s always good to see new people,” Ms. Masumoto said. “The more people using the library there are, the better the community.”

At the same time, she expressed concerns about the libraries’ ability to accommodate growing numbers of people as their budgets become tighter.

“Although we try our best to accommodate our patrons, they have to endure longer waiting periods for services,” she said. “We hope to see even more people using the libraries so we can keep the library service going.”