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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, July 21, 2008

LIBRARIES SLIP
Attendance at Hawaii libraries drops

Photo gallery: Quieter libraries

By Mary Vorsino
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Visits to Isle libraries between 2001 and 2007 dropped by 7 percent, while traffic at most Mainland libraries rose about 10 percent.

Photos by AKEMI HIATT | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

The Kapolei Public Library, above, opened in 2004, during a period when Hawai'i and four other states saw the lowest spending increases on libraries in the nation.

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Hawai'i public libraries are seeing far fewer patrons than they did just a few years ago. And though that probably doesn't come as a surprise in the Internet age, perhaps it should.

Hawai'i is bucking a national trend of increased traffic at public libraries.

At most libraries on the Mainland, traffic is up — on average by about 10 percent in recent years — a new Gannett News Service analysis shows. And experts say those figures can be attributed to libraries transforming — despite hefty budget cuts — from staid institutions to hip public spaces offering Internet service, programs for seniors and kids, and a wide range of materials, from DVDs to audiobooks on mp3 players to manga graphic novels.

Hawai'i libraries, meanwhile, saw some 400,000 fewer visits in 2007 compared with 2001.

That doesn't mean Hawai'i libraries aren't trying. Libraries across the state are offering more programs than ever for residents, from adult reading clubs to story-time sessions for kids.

Some are getting even more innovative. Last month, Liliha Public Library enticed families with a Wii video game night. Kaimuki Public Library has held everything from blues music tutorials to classical concerts to bingo nights to draw people.

The state has also increased its database offerings, greatly expanded its inventory of audiobooks, DVDs and other materials outside of traditional books, and is working to better its network so that it can add to its computer inventory.

Hawai'i's 51 libraries have gradually been adding back operating hours after a cutback in 2003, which amounted to 200 fewer service hours each week systemwide.

Since then, about 100 hours have been restored across the system.

SEVERAL REASONS CITED

So why the steady drop in patrons?

There doesn't appear to be a simple answer.

The cutbacks in hours and services are a big factor, said state Librarian Richard Burns.

"You cut 200 hours and that has to have a significant effect on circulation," he said.

Carol Schaafsma, a retired librarian who is on the Friends of the Library board of directors, said she believes the Internet is also a major culprit.

"You can get the information without actually going to the library," she said, adding that's why activities at libraries are so important. "Anything that gets people in the door," she said, with a laugh.

Burns said there are a host of other projects in the works to increase attendance, from preliminary talk of opening a coffee shop at the main library to adding to popular adult and youth reading programs. The point, he said, is to get people to think about libraries as more than places to borrow books.

"We think if we can get them to come to the library, and see all the resources available to them, they'll keep coming back," Burns said.

ISLES RATED POORLY

The new GNS analysis, which used data from the National Center for Education Statistics, compared figures for the nation's nearly 9,200 local library systems. It found that nationwide, library visits increased by roughly 10 percent between 2002 and 2006 and circulation — which measures how often visitors check out print or electronic materials — rose by 9 percent.

By comparison, Hawai'i figures show, the number of visits to libraries decreased 7 percent from 2001 to 2007, from 6.1 million to about 5.7 million, even with the opening of a new library in Kapolei in 2004.

The worst year for attendance was in 2006, when state libraries saw about 5.3 million visits — a 16 percent decline from 2001.

Meanwhile, circulation has dropped about 5 percent over the five-year period from June 30, 2002, to June 30, 2006, the figures show.

In the state-by-state analysis, Hawai'i also fared poorly in other indicators:

  • The Islands ranked in the bottom five for the number of Internet-ready library computers per capita, with about four computers for every 10,000 residents. Vermont, Kentucky, Iowa, Maine and Indiana topped the list, with about 11 computers.

  • Nationally, library spending on day-to-day costs such as staffing and materials was $31.65 per person in 2005. The District of Columbia and local library systems in Ohio and New York topped the list, spending at least $50 per capita. Hawai'i spent about half that — $24.08 per person. Local governments in Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas and Tennessee spent the least — less than $17.

  • From 1995 to 2005, Hawai'i and four other states saw the lowest spending increases on libraries in the nation, with per-person spending growing by just $5. The biggest dollar jump nationally was $20, in the District of Columbia and Ohio.

    LEAN BUDGETS COMMON

    Byrde Cestare, executive director of the Friends of the Library, which runs the annual book sale at McKinley High School and also organizes other events across the state to raise money, said libraries are underfunded in the Islands — but so are a host of other government agencies.

    "We would all like to see libraries dramatically improved," said Cestare. "But I haven't seen the budgets for that."

    Libraries in the Islands have long had to operate on lean budgets.

    In 2003, then-state Librarian Virginia Lowell cut back hours at libraries and trimmed other services because of a funding shortage. The move drew criticism from lawmakers and the governor, who said the cutback could have been carried out without such drastic measures.

    Over the last several years, the operating budget for the state library system has grown slightly. Libraries are getting about $35.2 million in fiscal year 2009 for day-to-day operations, compared to $34.8 million in fiscal year 2008 and $32 million in fiscal year 2007.

    But experts point out that Hawai'i libraries aren't alone in dealing with tight resources.

    Despite their unexpected success in the Internet age, libraries across the country are seeing cutbacks in hours and even closures. Portland, Maine, has proposed closing a branch that is seeing an 8 percent growth in circulation, the American Library Association said.

    Libraries in Modesto, Calif., recently reduced the hours and days they're open in the wake of a 14 percent budget cut. In 2006, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library in Tennessee cut the days its branches are open because of a budget shortfall.

    NO WI-FI ACCESS

    Cestare, of Friends of the Library, said she expects libraries to endure even tougher hardships as state budgets tighten with the tough economic times. The organization donates about $200,000 to libraries annually. Most of that money goes to programs and activities.

    "We really encourage staff to be looking to attract a crowd to their library," she said.

    Cestare said libraries have to "keep step with the times."

    And, for her, part of that means offering wireless Internet.

    But there are no immediate plans to do that at state libraries.

    Right now, the state is in the midst of upgrading an outdated computer network — a necessary step before it can add more public-access computers. It's unclear how long it will take, but it could hold up adding to the computer inventory for up to a year.

    There are 495 Internet-ready computers available for public use at libraries in Hawai'i. That's down from 2002, when the state reported 688 computers available to library patrons. Burns said a majority — all but about 56 — of those 2002 computers were so-called "dumb terminals" whose best use was searching the library catalog.

    The terminals could technically search the Internet, but produced text-only results.

    The increase in the number of Internet-capable computers over the last several years in the Islands is thanks in part to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which launched a national program in 1997 to bring the Internet to libraries, especially those in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

    By 2003, the foundation had spent $250 million on some 47,000 computers, as well as training and tech support. Hawai'i libraries got 137 computers from the foundation.

    Burns pointed out that computers are very popular at libraries across the state. The number of Internet users at libraries nearly quadrupled from 2002 to 2006, from 119,000 to 436,000 in a year, according to state figures.

    And, says the Hawai'i Library Association, free Internet access is one solid way to get people coming to libraries.

    "Computers in the public libraries here are in high demand," said association vice president Becky Rathgeber. "And it's not only the kids, but a lot of adults corresponding with family and friends who have questions about how to e-mail or download."

    UPTURN EXPECTED

    At the state library on Thursday afternoon, nearly all the computer terminals near the information desk were taken. People were searching the Internet and looking for books in the library's online catalog. Several said they were happy with what the library had to offer, though a few did say they sometimes had to wait for up to an hour to find an open computer, especially in the afternoon and on weekends.

    "The Hawai'i library system is very good," said Jodi Pollock, of Manoa. Pollock said she has Internet at home, but rarely gets a chance to use it after her kids are finished. At the library, she doesn't have to fight for time online.

    Jim Kincaid, who lives on a sailboat at Waikiki Boat Harbor, said he keeps up with friends around the world by checking e-mail at libraries. He is also using the Internet to sell one of his boats.

    There are 27 computers scattered in different sections at the state library, and Kincaid said that during non-peak hours "you can always find one that's open."

    Burns pointed out not all the patron statistics for Hawai'i libraries are bad. From 2006 to 2007, state figures show, there was an increase in circulation, from 6.6 million to 6.8 million items.

    And, he added, he's expecting an upturn in visits this year. Tough financial times, he said, always bring more people to libraries looking for something to do that's engaging — and free.

    Gannett News Service contributed to this report.

    Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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