The country’s current economic crisis has resulted in one unexpected but welcome consequence: business at the Emporia Public Library is booming.
The library has seen an overall increase in business, from computer usage to circulation, a trend that has continued throughout the recession.
Sue Blechl, director of the Emporia Public Library, said the library has seen an 8 percent increase in 30-minute computer sessions over a one-year period, and in the last year, 2,000 more library cards were issued than in the previous year.
The increase in business is happening despite the library having to shorten its hours last September by six hours a week.
“We’ve limited the number of hours we can provide service,” Blechl said, “but the numbers are still going up. So per hour, we’re busier, there are more visitors.”
The increase points to a number of trends, all tied to the economy.
For one, Blechl said, many people are using the library’s computers for work-related issues like filing for unemployment, applying for jobs, taking tests for distance learning or filing taxes.
“We have to limit our computer usage to 30 minutes at a time because of the demand,” Blechl said, “and you can hardly get anything done in 30 minutes if it’s big,” like filing for unemployment or filing taxes. “And the staff do extend times for people doing those kinds of things.”
Sarah Burke, a reference staff member at the library, said the increase in computer usage is noticeable.
“I’ve noticed more people come in to fill out unemployment and stuff like that,” Burke said. “Our computer usage is up because people are trying to look for jobs and things like that.”
For more than a year, the library has offered regular computer training classes for people who aren’t familiar with computers.
“Those classes have been more well-attended lately, and I think more and more people are realizing that they can’t get by without the Internet,” Blechl said.
Another trend is an increase in the children’s room activities at the library. Blechl attributes this to the possibility that families are trying to save money.
“People might be trying to do things with their families that don’t cost money,” she said, “so they might be trying to get back to basics. It’s not a bad thing to do.”
Circulation at the library has increased, too, not just in books but in non-print items like music CDs, DVDs and audiobooks.
“Our checkouts reflect quite a few books, but books don’t tell the whole story,” Blechl said. “A big part of our growth is in non-print items.”
Although the library can’t have a collection similar to a video retail store, it does carry titles that are in demand.
“We don’t have multiple copies,” Blechl said, “we might have one copy of ‘Mamma Mia’ or something, but we do have it, and it goes out for a week at a time. If people are patient, they’ll be able to get it here for free.”
Blechl said the trend started just after the Tyson layoffs.
“People were coming in who had not used the library before,” she said. “People using our computers, people needing different kinds of information than before. That kind of pattern was pretty apparent.”
The library already was a member of the Healthier Community Alliance, a group that was instrumental in responding to the layoffs by offering help to those who had lost their jobs.
The increase in library usage is not a local phenomenon, either. A survey of Kansas libraries in February found a 19 percent increase in circulation statewide from December 2007 to December 2008. The survey showed a direct correlation between the number of unemployment claims filed and the change in circulation.
“This increase in usage is unprecedented,” said State Librarian Christie Brandau. “Kansans are definitely relying on libraries to get them through these difficult times.”
Blechl doesn’t like to call the increase in library usage a phenomenon, though.
“I’d like to think that it’s the way it should be, and not this star in the night that’s going to go away,” she said.
And the upward trend in usage comes despite the fact that the library itself is taking a hit because of the recession.
The Emporia Public Library’s state aid check this year was 12 percent less than it was last year, and is likely to be even less next year.
Also, the city commission has told the library to expect a 2 percent decrease in money from the city budget, about $14,000.
“All the libraries are having to do more with less money,” Blechl said, “and that takes a toll. It takes a toll on your staff, on your equipment, on your building. We know money is precious, but many libraries are in a tight situation, and we are one of them.”
Because of the decrease in revenues, the library has had to make budget cuts, leading to cuts in magazine subscriptions and book titles. The library recently cut 40 magazine titles, and is deliberating about how many books and collection materials it can buy.
“It breaks your heart to have to cut materials,” Blechl said. “We chose the (magazine) titles with the least usage, but of course someone’s going to be unhappy about that.”
Still, Blechl said the library will continue to do its job, which is to serve the public in whatever ways possible.
“We really do want people to come in and use us,” she said. “I don’t want a minute of time to go by where people aren’t coming in. No matter what people need to do, we’ll find a way to help get them the information or provide what they need, whether it’s Internet or books or whatever.”