At most libraries throughout the country, traffic is up — in some cases, way up — fueled in part by the lure of free computer use, according to experts and a Gannett News Service analysis of state and federal data. At the same time, budget pressures on cities and counties that provide most of the funding have forced dozens of libraries to cut back their hours or close.

More than books

Books remain a staple, but libraries also offer DVDs, CDs and electronic audio books playable on portable MP3 devices. Many allow readers to reserve and renew items online.

"As a group, libraries have embraced the digital age," said Lee Rainie, founding director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which has surveyed public attitudes toward libraries. "They've added collections, added software and hardware, upgraded the skills of their staff. A lot of institutions have had to change in the Internet age, but libraries still have a very robust and large constituency."

In East Brunswick, residents visit the library for myriad reasons, said library director Carol Nersinger — there are the 50 Internet stations and the wireless connection, computer-training classes and a newly created teen space with a large flat-screen television. Eighty percent of township residents have library cards, Nersinger said.

"What we're getting better at is trying to make the public aware of what is available," she said. "If you haven't been in your local public library since you were in school, you have to go back and visit, because there's a lot more there."

The Woodbridge library also draws residents with its varied programs, resources and events. And while the Internet stations are always full, people also visit for the old-fashioned reason — books (especially children's books).

"Our use of children's services has increased significantly — it's become the largest part of our checkouts in borrowing," said library director John Hurley. "In the summer, you come here and you can't find a parking place in the main library. I am amazed at how full the parking lot is when i come in at lunchtime."

Use will grow

A December 2007 Pew survey found that more than half of Americans — 53 percent — visited a library in the past year. That's expected to grow as more people look for free resources and entertainment in a slowing economy.

People between 18 and 30 were most likely to visit a library and also were the most likely to say they'd return, the Pew survey found.

The GNS analysis compared data from 2002 and 2006 on the nation's nearly 9,200 local library systems, using information provided by the National Center for Education Statistics and by each state and the District of Columbia. GNS also looked at state-level data compiled by the center for 2005, because in some cases that data was more reliable or complete than information from 2006.

The analysis found that libraries are thriving in the Internet age:

Attendance increased roughly 10 percent between 2002 and 2006 to about 1.3 billion. Regionally, Southern states lag the rest of the country in visits per capita.

Circulation, which measures how often library visitors check out print or electronic materials, increased about 9 percent, from 1.66 billion to 1.81 billion during the five-year period.

Nationally, library spending on day-to-day costs such as staffing and materials was $31.65 per person in 2005. The District of Columbia and local governments in Ohio and New York topped the list, spending at least $50 per capita. Local governments in Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas and Tennessee spent the least — less than $17.

The number of Internet-capable computers soared 38 percent between 2002 and 2006 — from about 137,000 to nearly 190,000. Libraries in rural states in New England and the Midwest led the country in public computers per capita in 2006.

The increase in Internet access is thanks in part to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which launched a national program in 1997 to bring the Internet to libraries, beginning with the South.

By 2003, the foundation had spent $250 million on some 47,000 computers, as well as training and tech support, bringing almost every public library online, said Jill Nishi, deputy director of the foundation's U.S. Libraries initiative.

"You should be able to walk into any library and find Internet service," she said. "It's free, unfettered access to information."

Woodbridge installed its first Internet stations in 1996. Spotswood library director Mary Faith Chmiel estimates that the small borough's library first started offering Internet access about 10 to 12 years ago.

And library Internet stations serve as more than just a gate to the Web, librarians say.

"We add value to the Internet," Hurley said. "We provide on our Web site links to recommended home pages about certain subjects; we also have Internet-mediated services — things that you might pay for at home you get for free at the library."

Woodbridge's librarians participate in a statewide service that allows people to go online and ask librarians research questions 24 hours a day. The service, www.qandanj.org, is free.

Live chat help

"If you're having trouble finding something on the Internet or you need to get information, you get a live chat session with a trained librarian who helps you find what you're looking for," Hurley said. "I don't know how many times someone has said to one of our staff members, "Gee, I've been looking for this for a couple of days and you found it in three minutes — how did you do that?'

"And that is what this is its about — having experienced staff members."

In the last few years, more libraries have been installing wireless connections to allow visitors to work off their own laptops. Woodbridge, Spotswood and East Brunswick all installed wireless connections between two and three years ago. Spotswood funded it through a grant from the New Jersey Library Network. All three libraries have since seen the numbers of visitors using their own laptops grow.

"The usage of wireless, especially after we put in a cafe, (has increased)," said Nersinger, who has been with the East Brunswick library for two and a half years. "And now that we have a brand-new quiet study area, people come in all day and bring their computers and study. It's fantastic."

Librarians in Woodbridge have noticed a similar trend. And while some visitors lounge around the library with laptops, the Internet stations are also always full.

"When I walk through the library, I see a lot of laptops flipped open, people browsing, instant-messaging, e-mailing, what have you," said Hurley, who has been with the Woodbridge library since 1997. "There have been plenty of studies that show people who may not be able to afford a computer at home fully understand the library is the place to go to get internet access."

Income a factor

Only about a third of households with incomes below $25,000 have Internet access, according to federal data.

That makes free Internet access particularly important for low-income people, said Ken Flamm, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin who has studied the role of the Internet in public libraries.

"In a world in which Internet access is increasingly important for all sorts of things, from getting a driver's license to preparing a homework project or looking for a job, this is becoming a vital lifeline for the least advantaged segment of the population," Flamm said.

Despite their success in meeting new demands for information, libraries aren't immune from budget cuts.

Portland, Maine, has proposed closing a branch that is seeing 8 percent growth in circulation, according to the American Library Association. Libraries in Modesto, Calif., reduced the hours and days they're open after their budgets were cut 14 percent.

In 2006, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library in Tennessee cut the days its branches are open because of a budget shortfall. Some residents still lament the move, praising libraries for the role they play in teaching children to read and providing Internet access to people without a computer at home.

New Jersey libraries may be facing similar fates. Gov. Jon S. Corzine's 2009 budget proposed a 10 percent cut in the State Per Capita Aid Program for public libraries. Meanwhile, municipalities with stagnant state-aid awards are often forced to pass their budget woes down to their libraries.

In Woodbridge, the cut in state aid will amount to about 2 percent of the township library's budget, or about $10,000, said Hurley. But the libraries will be able to avoid major cuts through careful budgeting, he said.

"We can cope'

"Although (the cut) is not insignificant, it's not something we can't cope with," Hurley said. "We knew it was coming so we've adjusted our budget accordingly. I know that the library is important to Mayor (John) McCormac and to the people of Woodbridge, and we have their support."

Like Woodbridge, many local libraries have evaded the budget crisis so far, while others haven't been so lucky. Piscataway's libraries were forced to end Sunday operating hours and bookmobile service in order to cope with budget cuts. Highland Park cut $40,000 from its library budget, forcing the library to lay off part-time staff and scale back on hours.

East Brunswick, meanwhile, has been able to expand its hours (from 67 to 80 hours a week) using consolidation and creative scheduling.

"We're like any other business, nonprofit or government agency — we are looking at how can we do more for less," Nersinger said. "We've been trying to increase our services without increasing the cost, but things change, you can't predict more than a couple years out."

Last year, East Brunswick received a 2 percent aid increase, but higher cost of living, combined with an rising cost of mandated benefits, meant the aid bump was more than offset by increasing expenses.

"We've had to trim back, and we really try very hard not to affect services when we do that," Nersinger said.

Spotswood has also maintained its programs through careful planning and budgeting.

"You're always preparing; you're always looking to the future," said Chmiel, who has been with the Spotswood library for nine years. "Part of whats nice about working in a library in a small community is you're forced to be creative. You don't have endless funds, but it's a challenge to see how far you can make the funds go."