EDITORIAL: Libraries Face Era Of Change
Advocate (excerpt)

Nationwide, use of public libraries is on the rise as the recession brings more job-seekers to library computer stations and more patrons to the book and DVD stacks in search of free entertainment, according to a number of national media reports.

But as the use of Internet-based information at the library rises, circulation of more conventional library materials, such as books and magazines, dropped 3.2 percent in 2008 from the previous year. That’s in spite of the fact that the number of library card holders rose 5.4 percent in 2008, and programming attendance at the library shot up 56 percent last year, too.

Stein said she believes the decrease in circulation of more traditional library materials is tied to increased use of the Internet. Some patrons who once checked out cookbooks for recipe ideas, for example, might be finding more of their cooking ideas online. Meanwhile, audio-visual materials, which include DVDs, compact discs and recorded books, now make up 33 percent of the total circulation of the library system.