Pocono News Section

Economy Writes New Chapter for Libraries

Economy Writes New Chapter for Libraries - Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 10:25PM EST

MILFORD, PIKE COUNTY - The economy is helping to write a brand new chapter for libraries all across the country. Many people are turning to the community staple because it's just too expensive to buy entertainment.

Sheila Gabriel's secret it out. She saves hundreds of dollars a year - at the library. The Milford woman said, I'm just a frugal person, I've always been a frugal person."

Sheila first visited the Pike County Public Library as a little girl. She later founded the Friends of the Library program there. She and many others have noticed the place is getting more crowded.

Library Director Ellen Schaffner said, "Last year our circulation went up by about 23 percent and it's gone up an additional 18 percent this year over that."

She believes the economy forced people to think about what they spend on entertainment. "Why pay when you can get it for free?" she asked.

In addition to books, people are checking out a lot of magazines and movies. The Pike County Library has more than 1,000 titles to choose from.

"We try to get the current releases as they come out and we find that people are really, really taking out DVDs now," said Schaffner.

She added things are also busier than usual in the used books section because people are finding great deals. Most hard covers are a dollar.

"That's turned out to be very popular and more and more now that things are so expensive in stores," said Gabriel.

Both women hope people who discovered the library during tough times return when things get better.

"To me libraries have opened up a whole world…whether you're reading a book, watching a movie. It just opens you up to so much more you can learn so much from the library," said Schaffner.

While more people are borrowing from libraries. Less people are donating to libraries. So some are having trouble maintaining programs.