Legal Research

Libraries Get Busier As Budgets Get Tighter

"Tough economic times means more people are checking out their local libraries, hoping to cut down on the amount they spend on books, magazines and movies," reports Channel3000.

From the article:

In Madison, libraries are getting busier as household budgets get tighter. "We're seeing increases most frequently or more often in our more economically diverse neighborhoods," said Tana Elias, Web resources coordinator for the central branch of the Madison Public Library....

"Nationally, library use had been up even before the economy down-turned. But now with the economic situation, we're seeing even more growth and use of libraries," said Lisa Strand, executive director of the Wisconsin Library Association.

The Wisconsin Library Association said the bad economy means that while library usage is up, funding will be tighter than ever.

But officials said libraries make excellent use of taxpayer dollars. "For every dollar of taxpayer investment, there's a $4.06 return," said Strand.

"It's a taxpayer service, and you might as well get your money's worth by coming down to your local library," Elias added.

Full post as published by WisBlawg - From the UW Law Library on October 22, 2008 (boomark / email).