I covered this a bit last week but there’s a great story in the Wall Street Journal today which also highlights the essential role that public libraries are playing in helping people deal with the current financial crisis.
According to the article, American libraries are reporting up to a 65% rise in attendance over the past 12 months as droves of people visit their local library to make use of the free services on offer.
It seems that the bulk of these new visitors are turning to the library after being made redundant from their jobs, with many needing urgent help and advice on how to search for jobs, update their CVs and survive the credit crunch. In addition to ever popular lending services, free broadband internet access, counselling services and careers workshops are also proving a massive draw.
Surely this current trend of people turning to their libraries in times of crisis highlights one of the most important aspects of the public library; the fact that it exists!
The Library of Digress 