Libraries See Increase in Borrowing

The American Library Association conducted a poll, showing that 68 percent of Americans have a library card. This is a five percent increase from 2006. But are borrowing rates up?

In Syracuse more people are going to libraries, but books are not the only items they are checking out.

“From December to January of this past year we noticed a huge increase in the borrowing rate of DVDs,” says Doreen Milcarek, Co-Manager of the Onondaga County Public Library.
“I rent DVDs, some of the new ones, new releases that are hard to find you know, instead of buying them,” says Arthur Jones, who frequents the public library.
Milcarek says the borrowing of DVDs has increased by 48 percent since last year but Internet access is also in high demand.

Milcarek predicts the attendance will continue to increase, and with this the library could potential receive addition funding from the construction provisions of the stimulus bill.

With the economy the way that it is, Bill Sheldon of Dewitt believes, “the library is the best bargain out there.”