Seeing how it takes $40 to fill up a Honda Civic these days, people are more than a little concerned about how they spend their money. For those whose path to Borders or Barnes & Noble is well-worn, and who may be seeking ways to cut down on monthly expenses, it would be worthwhile to check out the local public library, instead.
Consider this excerpt that I came across recently (you can read the full text here):
It has been a long held belief by librarians that when the economy goes down, public library use goes up but that theory had always been hard to substantiate. However, the University of Illinois Library Research Center has results from a five-year study that concluded in 2002. The study found that beginning in March 2001, when the National Bureau of Economic Research pegged the start of the latest recession, library circulation increased significantly. It was found that circulation was 8.3 percent higher than what was predicted. After the events of Sept. 11, circulation exceeded the prediction by 11.3 percent.
We should not give the researchers a free pass on their statistical analysis without first reading the document, but in general, the assertion being made by the study makes sense. In healthier economic times, trips in the car to the strip mall — where the warehouse-sized bookstore lives — can be passed off without a second thought. In times like these, however, jaunts to the mall feel wasteful and it begins to make more sense to take public transportation or walk to the local library.
This is not to say that librarians should be praying for the economy to tank. We have seen dozens of examples across the country of library services and staff being cut during budget crunches. However, when decisions like these are being made, it would be helpful to have studies like the one cited above to refute arguments that public libraries are not essential to a community’s functioning.
Tags: economy, public library, recession
