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Area localities find renewed interest in libraries
(Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 2--While the amount of time Americans spend reading has dropped, many library systems in the Richmond area are expanding and attracting more people.
At least 10 area localities have added, upgraded or expanded branches or are planning to do so. And several area libraries say they are seeing dramatic increases in circulation -- by 20 percent or more at some.
In addition to the traditional shelves of books, they're offering Internet service, movies, video games, compact discs and even coffee to entice patrons.
"If they pick up a DVD, hopefully they walk by and pick up a magazine or a book and rediscover reading," said Scott Firestine, director of the Appomattox Regional Library System, which serves the city of Hopewell and Prince George and Dinwiddie counties.
According to the National Endowment for the Arts, the number of people reading has dropped nationwide since 1985. Among other things, a study released last fall found that less than one-third of 13-year-olds read for fun every day and nearly half of the adults 18 to 25 read no books for pleasure.
The percentage of adults 18 to 44 who read a book not required for work or school dropped from 61 percent in 1992 to 57 percent in 2002.
The study found that youth are being distracted by technology.
But circulation statistics provided by area libraries suggest that technology also can be an asset.
. . .
In Cumberland County, the public library is one of the few places with high-speed Internet access, said Melodi Goff, library director.
Goff said the number of people using the library has increased about 15 percent since last year. In a county where the population is less than 10,000, the average library usage was 1,586 people per month last year, she said. This year, it is 1,819 per month.
Since the Colonial Heights library expanded two years ago, circulation is up 22 percent as more patrons check out books, educational software, audiobooks and films, said Bruce Hansen, library director.
The library that serves Prince George also is a center for Internet use. Firestine said about 35 percent of the county's residents still have dial-up service and many visit the library mainly for computer use.
Libraries also are getting bigger, with government bonds and grants helping to fund expansions.
"The fundamental difference is 10 years ago, the branches were from 4,000 to 8,000 square feet," Firestine said. Now, 20,000 to 25,000 square feet is standard to provide adequate space for working, reading and computer use, he said.
He said the Appomattox library system received grant money for a new branch in Prince George because the Fort Lee Army base is expanding and an increase in patrons is expected. The branch is expected to open in 2010.
But while the majority of suburban libraries have seen sharp increases, the circulation numbers for some urban and rural area libraries, such as Richmond's public libraries and Appomattox Regional Library, have been relatively flat.
. . .
In contrast, Henrico County's library system recorded 114,957 young-adult books checked out through May during the 2007-08 fiscal year. That's up about 70 percent from the 67,450 young-adult books checked out three years earlier.
Although circulation numbers include DVDs and books on tape as well as books, the library only holds a book-based DVD collection, said Gerald McKenna, library director for the Henrico system.
Borrowing an idea from bookstore chains, Henrico's new Tuckahoe and Twin Hickory libraries have their own cafes inside.
Libraries in Henrico and elsewhere also are reaching teenagers and young adults through such programs as book clubs, teen advisory committees, and teen councils that plan events.
"We get a lot of students who come in for last-minute research projects," said Adrienne Minock, a young-adult librarian for Twin Hickory, "and don't realize the library also has an online database, and you can access it from home with a library card."
Stocking books that appeal to younger readers is another strategy. Some of those include Japanese anime and manga. Both book forms are graphic novels that tell a story.
Raja Kavuru, a 14-year-old Deep Run High School student who visited the Twin Hickory library last week, said graphic novels are the only books he reads.
"I read like 10 of them a day," he said. "They only take 30 minutes to read."
But sometimes after reading the manga novels, teenagers put them aside for something with more heft.
. . .
In Amelia County, after checking out 10 manga books at the James L. Hamner Public Library, one 15-year-old girl went on a Shakespeare kick, said Dora Rowe, library director. The girl read the Shakespeare plays and came back and talked to the librarian about them, Rowe said.
Teenagers also are reading more nonfiction, she said. The number of nonfiction books checked out at the Hamner library increased 50 percent from fiscal 2004-05 to fiscal 2006-07.
Amelia's library also holds a popular "Gaming Day" on Tuesdays, when patrons can play games on the Wii system that the library owns, Rowe said.
Like most area libraries, the Amelia library has a teen council that plans events and recommends books for other teenagers to read, as well as books for the library to buy.
"Any of the teens in the county can come in and recommend books, and I will buy them -- within reason," Rowe said.
Contact Sarah Alfaham at (804) 649-6435 or salfaham@timesdispatch.com.
To see more of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesdispatch.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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