Libraries thrive as economy slows down
Published 22 September, 2008, 09:56
While the troubled economy is bringing misery to many, the downturn may be a boon for some. Public libraries across the U.S. are reporting record growth in circulation, with book borrowing showing double-digit rises in some areas.
Many people have sees their budgets cut by the recession but their appetite for reading remains unchanged. So they dump the idea of buying the newest book on Amazon or the local bookstore and opt for a lending library instead.
“We’re rocking and rolling. Each year we have been getting busier and busier,” the director Quincy Library, Ann McLaughlin, said to the Boston Herald newspaper.
In Boston circulation grew by 8.6 per cent this year, and figures countrywide show a similar trend.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantics in Great Britain, libraries are attempting to reinvent themselves to attract visitors, reports The Times newspaper. They are trying to change the atmosphere of hushed voices and strict rules to win over the younger generation.
A library in London enjoyed a 30 per cent jump in book borrowing after it opened a Starbucks café on the site, while another attracts patrons by providing Nintendo Wii games.
The centuries-old ban on speaking out loud, and the newer ban on mobile phones, is also being consigned to history.
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