All told, more than 156,300 people used the library last year. More recently, the library was visited by nearly 17,000 people during the summer months.

“I think the economy has made people a bit more prudent with their money,” Galbraith said.

He said people tend to limit the number of books they buy during downturns in the economy.

“Rather than running down to the nearest Barnes & Noble for that latest book, people are starting to rethink that $25, $30 or $50 investment. You can check out that same book at the library for free,” Galbraith said.

He said the library recently set a record, with more than 1,300 checkouts in a single day.

“That's a little more than 100 books an hour. That's pretty good for a small-to medium-size library,” Galbraith said.

Sweet expects that 2 million items will be checked out this year from the county library system, which includes the Westampton headquarters and seven branches throughout Burlington County.

While books continue to be a crowd pleaser for many library visitors, computers and Internet services are also a big draw.

The American Library Association recently found that libraries have experienced double-digit growth in the demand for Internet services.

The association found that libraries are leveraging technology to help children succeed in school and support lifelong learning.

More than 83 percent of libraries offer homework resources, including live tutors and collections of reliable Web sources, according to a study by the American Library Association.

The study showed that today's libraries provide free access to online resources that otherwise would be out of reach for most families.

Galbraith said not everyone has easy access to a computer or the Internet.

“Even in Moorestown, there are a lot of people who don't have access to a computer at home,” Galbraith said.

The Moorestown Library recently doubled the number of computers available to the public, which include express terminals for users to quickly check their e-mails.

“After school lets out, our public computers are pretty much full every day,” Galbraith said.

For those students who need a little help in their school work, the Willingboro Public Library offers online tutorial services and study groups.

Hill said many adults have turned to the library for help in hunting for a job.

Library users don't even have to go inside to access the Internet, according to Hill and Galbraith.

“We know for a fact there are some people that come up here at night and access our computers (through the library's WiFi system), and that's fine with us,” Hill said.

“Society has changed,” Galbraith said. “Libraries are more than just books. They are the center of the community.”

Todd McHale at tmchale@phillyBurbs.com.