FLORIDA TODAY - September 2, 2008
By SUSANNE CERVENKA
The Internet was supposed to send America's public libraries the way of eight-track tapes and pay phones.
But it turns out, they're busier than ever.
Libraries have transformed themselves from staid, sleepy institutions into hip community centers offering Internet service, classes for kids and seniors, and even coffee and video gaming nights.
Some have classes on citizenship for recent immigrants or provide sessions on improving computer skills.
Most offer wireless Internet service, and many consult teen advisory councils for guidance on how to attract young people.
At most libraries, traffic is up -- in some cases, way up -- fueled in part by the lure of free computer use, according to experts and a Gannett News Service analysis of state and federal data.
At the same time, budget pressures on cities and counties that provide most of the funding have forced dozens of libraries to cut back their hours or close.
"We're busier than ever," said David McMurrin, north area director for Brevard County libraries, where attendance is up more than 3.5 percent, according to the analysis.
"Our challenge is to maintain our services with the increased demand."
The newest improvement in local libraries services begins today as the library system reopens after a new computer system was installed over the weekend.
The new system tracks library inventories and will improve the process of checking out and renewing books and searching for materials online.
It will also make librarians' work more efficient.
Books remain a staple, but libraries also offer DVDs, CDs and electronic audio books for MP3 devices. Many allow readers to reserve and renew items online.
"As a group, libraries have embraced the digital age," said Lee Rainie, founding director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which has surveyed public attitudes toward libraries.
A December 2007 Pew survey found that 53 percent of Americans visited a library in the past year. That's expected to grow as more people look for free resources and entertainment in a slowing economy.
People between 18 and 30 were most likely to visit a library and also were the most likely to say they'd return, the Pew survey found.
At the Central Library in Cocoa recently, 27-year-old Scott Dunlap of Cocoa said he visits the library almost every day to use its wireless Internet connection.
He dropped his home Internet service to save money and now brings his laptop to the Forrest Street building to keep in touch with his daughter and do legal research.
He also regularly checks out books on CD and DVDs.
"There's a lot of interesting stuff people don't even realize is here," he said.
The GNS analysis compared data from 2002 and 2006 on the nation's nearly 9,200 local library systems, using information provided by the National Center for Education Statistics and by each state and the District of Columbia.
GNS also looked at state-level data compiled by NCES for 2005, because in some cases that data was more reliable or complete than information from 2006.
The analysis found that libraries are thriving in the Internet age:
Attendance increased roughly 10 percent between 2002 and 2006 to about 1.3 billion.
In Brevard, the total number of visits were up almost 112,000 to about 3.2 million, more than 3.5 percent over the earlier year's totals.
Circulation, which measures how often library visitors check out print or electronic materials, increased about 9 percent, from 1.66 billion to 1.81 billion during the five-year period. Brevard library visitors checked out materials almost 4.6 million times, an increase of about 13 percent over 2002.
Nationally, library spending on day-to-day costs was $31.65 per person in 2005. Brevard County spent $31.68 per person.
The number of Internet-capable computers in the nation's libraries soared 38 percent between 2002 and 2006, from about 137,000 to nearly 190,000. Brevard County libraries increased the number of computers 70 percent during the span, from 165 to 281.
The increase in Internet access is thanks in part to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which launched a national program in 1997 to bring the Internet to libraries.
By 2003, the foundation had spent $250 million on some 47,000 computers, as well as training and tech support, said Jill Nishi, deputy director of the foundation's U.S. Libraries initiative.
Free Internet access is particularly important for low-income people, said Ken Flamm, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin who has studied the role of the Internet in public libraries.
Only about a third of households with incomes below $25,000 have Internet access, according to federal data.
"In a world in which Internet access is increasingly important for all sorts of things, from getting a driver's license to preparing a homework project or looking for a job, this is becoming a vital lifeline for the least advantaged segment of the population," Flamm said.
More often, businesses and government offices are pushing customers to their Web sites for job applications, assistance needs and other contacts, Brevard County's McMurrin said.
Still, the most popular material used in libraries remain the books, McMurrin said.
"Books are the perfect technology," he said. "It doesn't need batteries. If you drop a book, it doesn't break."wong
Ledyard King and Robert Benincasa of Gannett News Service contributed to this report. Contact Cervenka at 242-3632 or scervenka@floridatoday.com.
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