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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, January 9, 2003

More people using libraries

By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer

At the same time the economy has taken a beating, more people are turning to public libraries as a free or low-cost source of information and entertainment.

Checking it out, from year to year

Hawai'i State Public Library System circulation count

1993 — 6,992,224

1994 — 7,250,318

1995 — 7,499,485

1996 — 7,374,583

1997 — 7,863,025

1998 — 7,583,170

1999 — 7,032,492

2000 — 6,638,048

2001 — 7,096,656

2002 — 7,108,439

CD/videos have been included in circulation count since 1993.

DVDs have been included in circulation count since 2002.

A nationwide study released last year by the American Library Association indicated that public library use increases by as much as 11.3 percent during economic downturns. After the national recession started in March 2001, library use rose 8.3 percent, the study said, and it continued to rise after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In Hawai'i, circulation of books, periodicals, videotapes, DVDs and other materials reached 7,108,439 in 2002, compared with 7,096,656 in 2001, according to the Hawai'i State Public Library System.

State Librarian Virginia Lowell said that while more people seem to be using the libraries, the circulation numbers don't tell the whole story.

An increase of computers, Internet use and the electronic media means that more people go to the library for computer-based research or to do things like work on résumés, she said. Those numbers aren't reflected by circulation.

"The rise of Internet access and computers in libraries had two results," Lowell said.

"One is that we don't have to check out materials so much anymore. We can find information on the Internet.

"The other thing is that our patron visits increase greatly because of the computers. People don't want to spend four hours searching for something at home on the Internet. They can come to the library and still get the research help."

The Lahaina Public Library staff says tourists often will buy the $25 out-of-state membership card so they can use computers there to check e-mail while on vacation.

Over the last 10 years, state libraries saw the highest circulation in 1997, with patrons checking out more than 7.8 million books, movies and periodicals.

Lowell said computer use increased around that time, but money available for purchases decreased. Since the mid-1990s, money budgeted for libraries has been in a downward cycle and fewer new books have been available — part of the reason Lowell thinks fewer people have checked out books since 1997.

The state library system this year had already cut its budget by $424,504, or 2 percent, over the 2001-02 fiscal year. Branches have adjusted their budgets so far without reducing the number of hours they stay open, coping with the cuts by not hiring new people when employees leave, lowering the number of student helper hours and reducing collection purchases as the cost of library materials rises by 11 percent each year.

But the governor's office recently announced a new round of restrictions that will trim 5 percent from the system's budget.

A study conducted last year of 10 other large library systems in the country showed that while Hawai'i budgeting and staffing levels have dropped, resources have grown at other similar-sized library systems.

A new computer system at the state's libraries, paid for with federal grants, will allow the state library system by the end of this month to track exactly which services, from Internet research to browsing the card catalog, patrons use when they visit the library.

Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.