Issue date: 9/29/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Pauline Baniqued/DP File Van Pelt Library hasn't seen the same increase in use during economic crises as public libraries have reported.

Want a cheaper outlet for movie rentals or book purchases? More Americans than ever are realizing just where they can find these services for free.

Nationwide, public libraries are welcoming more visitors than they have in previous years to browse their collections. That trend, however, has not extended to academic libraries.

Many attribute this spike to recent economic turmoil. Free books, videos and music - available with only a library card - provide an easy lure for a number of people, including those who weren't previously active patrons.

The American Library Association estimates that 10 percent more people are visiting their local libraries than they were two years ago. This has corresponded with a 5-percent increase in library card registrations.

Reports indicate that visitors are coming for both leisure and business, borrowing books and DVDs for fun, as well as coming to better their computer skills and otherwise improve their marketability during job searches, according to the ALA.

This amounts to a growing circulation of two billion items a year in public libraries nationwide, in which the average American checks out about seven books a year.

Although public libraries are hosting more and more Americans because of the economic situation, academic libraries are not necessarily seeing the same spike in interest.

Discrepancies result from differences in mission, products, services, budget structures and audiences, Joe Zucca, director for Planning and Communication of Penn Libraries, wrote in an e-mail.

"Events in the two spheres have little or no correlation with one another," he added.

Despite significant increases in circulation of certain media, these do not necessarily result from the economic lure of free materials for students.

The number of videos circulated has spiked from 3,000 eight years ago to more than 67,000 in 2007. However, there has been a simultaneous increase in the library system's video collection, from 3,000 to over 18,500.

"In general, use of Van Pelt has been increasing, due largely to renovation and the introduction of new services, like the Weigle Information Commons," Zucca wrote.

Circulation of all materials in the entire system tops 450,000, with Van Pelt activity accounting for 300,000 of that sum.

Up to two million visitors used the library system in 2007.

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