Library use up in Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg area

By Tracy Bell

Published: October 10, 2008

WOODBRIDGE— Library use is not widely recognized as a leading economic indicator, but library officials notice that they get more visitors when times are bad.
Dick Murphy, the Prince William County Library system director, said they’re noticing an increase in customers now.

“We really have seen, in this past year, just a surge in business,” Murphy said.

Murphy said libraries always get busier in slow economic times, noting that with less disposable income, people turn to other things.

“The library isn’t free, you’re paying for it with your taxes. But it’s free when you’re using it,” Murphy said.

Systemwide book circulation increased in Prince William libraries by 8.2 percent from 3,107,401 in fiscal 2000 to 3,363,715 in fiscal 2008.

The reported number of books read was up over last year by 10.8 percent and registration in the Summer Quest Reading Program was up 9 percent this year, Murphy said.

The Central Rappahannock Regional Library System recently completed a study that showed people to the south are also using the library more and the numbers mirror those in Prince William County, said library spokeswoman Caroline Parr.

“We’re busy,” she said.

Library attendance was up by by 8.52 percent this fiscal year compared to last year in the Central Rappahannock system, Parr said.

“That’s systemwide. That’s everything — audio books, books — everything,” she said. “We’re seeing big increases.”

John Moorman, director of the Williamsburg Regional Library System, said he’s seen the trend before in his career that has spanned 30-odd years and four states.

“This is something that you see historically. In times of economic decline, library use goes up,” he said.

The Williamsburg system has seen a 4.7 percent increase in materials circulation systemwide and a 7.6 percent increase over last year at the system’s busiest location, Moorman said.

The last time Moorman saw similar increases from one year to the next was in the early 1990s.

Keith Walker is a staff writer at Media General’s Potomac News in Woodbridge.