AURORA — As city officials struggle with budgets all across the state, public libraries tend to be the first on the chopping block.
Yet during downturns in the economy, libraries are vital, some say.
Aurora had planned to cut library hours across the board and even close its flagship Central Library one day a week next year but decided against it, citing a quality-of-life issue.
“In tough economic times, people just can’t go out and buy books and rent DVDs as much,” Ben Cook said as he strolled the aisles of the Iliff Square Library in Aurora.
As Cook grabbed several books and browsed through a shelf loaded with CDs, a half-dozen people across from him surfed the Internet on computers, some looking for jobs or homes, and others playing video games.
And everything was free.
“Libraries are one of the most important things in a community, especially during times like this,” Cook said. “It helps (people) get the knowledge and entertainment they need and want.”
During down economic times, library use increases, according to studies.
In Aurora, the number of visits this year is up 16 percent from last year, when the city’s seven libraries saw 1.2 million visits.
At the Denver Public Library, 3.7 million people have visited this year through August. In 2007, total visits were 3.9 million. DPL had 530,000 card holders in 2007, an increase from 484,000 in 2006.
And in Boulder, nearly 64 percent of the population had library cards in 2007, according to numbers compiled by the Library Research Service.
Library visits and the number of cardholders have increased statewide.
Almost every library now provides computers for public use. Some have E-books that can be downloaded to a computer or PDA, audio books you can download onto MP3 players or iPods, wireless Internet and more.
“We hear stories of people dropping cable and Internet and now coming to the library to do that,” said Jo Haight Sarling, director of collections and technology services for the Denver system.
The Central Library in Aurora has a business resource center that includes a job-search center. A library in La Junta recently eliminated a reference area and turned it into a job-search area.
“We are seeing the importance of libraries as an engine of economic development,” said Martin Garnar, president of the Colorado Association of Libraries. “People can go there and put themselves back in the job market.”
Many companies now receive applications online only, and for someone who doesn’t have a computer, a library could be the only way to get back into the workforce.
People don’t even have to visit a library to take advantage of one. Most have online resources on their websites, such as business databases. Catalog searches (everything available in the library) over the Internet in Aurora are up 115 percent from last year.
Dejene Kasa was using one of the computers at Iliff Square because his computer broke and he could not afford a new one. He’s there twice a week to check his e-mail and perform other online tasks.
He’s not sure what he would do without it.
“It’s a great service that is available almost every day,” Kasa said. “It’s been really helpful.”
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
