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December 2, 2008

Libraries offer solace in hard times

Sunday, November 30, 2008
Last updated: Sunday November 30, 2008, EST 11:12 AM BY DENISA R. SUPERVILLESTAFF WRITER

PATERSON — Before heading to his job at a carpet company in Hackensack, Jorge Maradiegue stopped by the main library on Broadway to check out three DVDs and browse the Internet from his personal laptop.

"You know how much this [costs] to rent at Blockbuster?" Maradiegue asked, motioning to copies of "The Bourne Identity," "Las Mejores Canciones Del Mundo" and "Da Vinci Code" he had borrowed. "It's more than $4 [each]. That's a lot of money.

As consumers continue to look for ways to save money in a slow economy, more and more are heading to the local public library.

People who otherwise would have gone to Barnes & Noble to buy the latest thriller or to Blockbuster to rent a new release are now giving the public libraries a second look, library directors across Passaic County say.

Although the highest increases are in DVDs and audiovisual items, library directors say that patrons are not just using the library for entertainment.

"You have people checking their mutual funds, the stock market; some are working on résumés, searching for jobs," said Jody Treadway, director of the Wayne Public Library, where book circulations have increased by 5 percent. "Some of it is economy driven. They are watching their money. They might still have jobs, but if they can save and use something that their taxes already support, why not."

The result has been longer wait times for computers and Internet use and more patrons putting holds on books at some libraries.

During recessions, library use tends to increase, said Camila Alire,president-elect of the American Library Association.

"When times get tough, public libraries get busy," Alire said recently.

Earlier this year, the American Library Association reported that more than 2 billion items — including DVDs, CDs and books — were checked out of libraries last year, a 10 percent increase over the last recession in 2001.

"If you think about it, when people have lost their jobs, or have to retrain or retool, they go to their public libraries," Alire said. "We provide not only access to materials, we also provide access to databases, access to computers, so that people can fill out job applications online, access information on how to write resumes, and cover letters."

In Paterson, for example, library circulation increased by more than 5 percent, from 87,921 between January and October last year, to 92,732 from January to the end of October this year, according to library officials.

And it's not just large libraries reporting an increase in users. In Bloomingdale, Library Director Jean Rubin said she noticed the trend in March.

Year-to-date, library circulation there has increased 7.88 percent, from 33,375 items circulated from January to October in 2007 to 36,005 items during the same period this year, Rubin said. The biggest increase has been with DVDs, she said.

In West Paterson, where circulation has been growing steadily in recent years, the library has also seen an increase in patrons this year, said Robert Lindsley, the library director. In all of 2007, the library had 33,288 items in circulation. This year, 39,916 items have been circulated, surpassing last year's total.

Some patrons are people who always use the libraries. Others are returning after a number of years of inconsistent use, said Threadway, of the Wayne library.

They are finding that the library is not just a place to get books. Some libraries now allow users to download entire movies online, something that was unavailable until recently, they said. Others offer yoga classes.

But if the downturn continues, libraries could see their funding decease while having to serve more people.

"If the economy is down and the tax base continues to dwindle, and you have to share services for the dwindling pie of funds, it's not a pretty picture," said Alire of the American Library Association. "We are all affected by the bad economy."

Still, directors say they are pleased that many are rediscovering the joys of combing through the stacks, despite the circumstances under which they are returning.

"It is a good thing," said Treadway. "It's always good when we are used. The worst thing would be for us to be sitting here empty."

E-mail: superville@northjersey.com or (973) 569-7135.

Posted by tumulty at December 2, 2008 12:36 PM

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