Libraries report increased use, decreasing funding

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Submitted by Grace Cordial on Thu, 08/26/2010 - 7:47am

The general public is often unaware of just how many people rely on access to public computers at their local public library. The Office for Research and Statistics at the American Library Association has recently reported on the amount of use that library computers are getting each and every day while at the same time, funding and staffing to support library online services is diminishing. It is a trying situation as we all adjust to the new realities of the "Great Recession."

The Beaufort County Library system is not immune to these difficulties. I can only speak from personal experience in the Beaufort Branch Library building. Beaufort Branch seems to have a steady stream of customers using online resources beginning when the doors open at 9am, increasing throughout the day often peaking mid-afternoon causing a waiting line of customers, and then gradually diminishing until closing time. I am told that the other branch libraries are experiencing similar heavy use of our online resources.

For the hearty who read librarianese, this link gives you the full 101-page report in PDF format.

If you prefer a "Report (Lite)," click here for the executive summary in PDF format.

Click here to see the most recent statistics about SC public libraries.

This entry was inspired by American Libraries Direct, a weekly e-newsletter of the ALA, dated 6/23/2010.

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About the Author

Grace Cordial has been responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Beaufort District Collection at the Beaufort County Library since 1999.  The Beaufort District Collection exists to acquire, preserve, maintain and make accessible a research collection of permanent value which records the history, culture, and environment of our part of the South Carolina lowcountry.  Besides the research room, Cordial oversees the “Virtual BDC:” the BDC web pages, the Online Obituary Index, the Phosphate, Farms, and Family digital collection, and the Connections blog.  
 
Among her duties is to coordinate or present programs about local history and our coastal environment, including the occasional instructional session about how to perform historical and/or genealogical research.