Libraries an information refuge in tough times

Link to December 13 Wausau Daily Herald article.

Excerpt:

Central Wisconsin's xcpublic libraries are seeing more business than ever this year -- a fact that officials attribute to the tough economic times.

Marathon County Public Library Director Phyllis Christensen said the number of items checked out though October of this year -- about 800,000 -- was up 7 percent from the same time period in 2007.

The T.B. Scott Free Library in Merrill, meanwhile, has seen increased use of its computers, said Stacy Stevens, assistant director.

Both officials credited the increases to a combination of the economic recession and improved services.