BY KATHLEEN QUILLIGAN, Times of Northwest Indiana
Kathleen.Quilligan@nwitimes.com
At a time when the economy is struggling, at least one local library system is surging with patrons, with use of at least one service experiencing a 50 percent increase from 2007.
"Usually, when times are tough, libraries become very, very busy," said Ana Grandfield, the assistant director of the Lake County Public Library. "People go back to the basics."
Grandfield said comparing January through November 2008 with the same period in 2007, the system's 11 branches have seen a 56 percent increase in computer use, a 14 percent increase in library patrons and a 6 percent increase in circulation. She said it's a trend that's evident in libraries nationwide.
"It's a prepay service," said Grandfield, because the library is supported by taxes. "We wish people would discover us in good times."
Lynne Frank, the director of the Crown Point Community Library, said the system's two branches also have seen an increase in computer use and circulation in every month over the past year, varying from 2 percent to 20 percent.
Like Grandfield, she attributes much of the increase to the hard-hit economy.
"It's often a rediscovery of the libraries and what we can do for (residents)," Frank said.
Grandfield speculates that computer use is up so much because many people can no longer afford online service. Within the last month, the system has added 50 percent more computers at its Munster branch.
A lot of flooding victims came to the Munster branch to use the computers to apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance and to check their e-mail when their computers were destroyed by the water, she said. Also, the library spends just under $400,000 a year on subscriptions to databases that provide information on everything from health care to genealogy.
"We have patrons who demand more information," she said. "They're pretty savvy and discerning."
Along with computers and traditional offerings such as books, magazines and movies, the library also provides services such as book club packets that come with 10 to 12 copies of a book, a biography of the book's author and discussion questions.
Grandfield said the library likes to see more people using its services, and hopes the trend continues, even when the economy straightens out.
"I think we're getting people in that even when we get back on course economically, they'll remember their library," she said.