Much of the credit goes to the people who run libraries. Looking back in time, it is now easy to see how so many library boards were so far ahead of the curve.

A Sunday story in the Home News Tribune noted how Spotswood introduced weekly yoga classes not long ago. Over in East Brunswick, one of the big attractions was an ice cream social that drew 600 people. Woodbridge libraries are keeping pace by hosting film nights. Computer classes are all the rage across the area. Some venues are even extending their educational efforts to help recent immigrants qualify for citizenship. Libraries also are becoming the stage for presentation of the literary classics, as the Bridgewater Library was when it hosted a recent performance of Moliere's "The Learned Ladies."

Amid all of this, libraries are enjoying burgeoning usership.

Libraries are making an especially aggressive pitch to lure suddenly older baby boomers. As the folks who run the Old Bridge Public Library have figured out, for them to stay current, that's a winning strategy, since those born between 1946 and 1964 now number approximately 78.2 million Americans. They are well educated and by in large well off. And they do one other thing that some members of younger demographic groups do not: They read - voraciously.

In Old Bridge, that is translating into a new pilot program called Senior Spaces, a change in philosophy and offerings designed to accommodate the needs, interests and concerns of this dynamic and prolific group. Smart move.

What's in the offing? To start with, cushy chairs; a "bookshop" with materials tilted toward the interests of older readers; "the front porch," with furniture and fixtures tailored to encourage sitting and conversation; a listening area featuring television, DVDs and phonograph, and a special-needs space for the visually or hearing impaired.

It's clear that anyone who might have doubted the value of libraries in the Internet world — or wondered about their future — had nothing to worry about.

As playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan wrote, "A circulating library in a town is as an evergreen tree of diabolical knowledge! It blossoms through the year!" And throughout the ages, often in spite of changing trends, tastes and technology.

That's wonderful news.