Library use up with economy drop

Link to January 4 Racine Journal Times article.

Excerpt:
RACINE — As the economy worsens, library use goes up.At least that’s how it looks to Jessica MacPhail, director of the Racine Public Library.“We’ve always been busy, but we noticed an increase, especially in August, September and October,” MacPhail said. “I’m relating it directly to the economy. Why pay for a book at Barnes and Noble when I can get it free? Why pay for a DVD at Blockbuster when I can get it for free?”Circulation at the Racine Public Library is up, though the library does not have official numbers for 2008.

“I know it’s tied directly to the economy,” said MacPhail, who since 1976 also has served as a librarian in Illinois, North Carolina and Ohio. “I’ve been around long enough to see it. Every time there’s a dip in the economic cycle, people turn to us.”Racine isn’t alone. Other communities throughout the state and country appear to be showing the same kind of cycle.