Eigentlich keine Ueberraschung, aber die Zahlen sprechen wirklich fuer sich. In Calgary allein verleiht die Buecherei inzwischen ueber 15 Millionen Medien im Jahr, das sind 15 Medien per capita! Babys und sonstige Nichtleser eingeschlossen! Und die Tendenz ist eindeutig steigend.
Der Zulauf zu den Buechereien wird hier auch mit Expansion beantwortet, neue Zweigstellen und Anbauten an bestehende stehen auf dem Programm.
Wie sieht's bei euch aus?
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Bust fuels library boom
Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald
Published: Sunday, January 25, 2009
The proof is in: When the going gets tough, the tough . . . silently browse periodicals?
The director of Calgary Public Library is attributing 2008's record-high spike in book, CD and DVD borrowing to an increasingly dire economy and suggests 2009 will get even busier as people flock to their local branch to escape tough times. "Libraries across North America are recession sanctuaries," says library director Gerry Meek. "They provide a valuable service to a community. And the only entrance requirement is interest."
Calgary's recession sanctuaries did particularly well in 2008, Meek says. This past year, customers borrowed 15.4 million books, DVDs and CDs. That's an increase of 1.1 million from 2007.
The reasons for the increase go beyond cash-crunched Calgarians looking to save money by borrowing rather than buying, Meek says. Customers come to use the computer, check out how-to books, conduct job searches and access free programs for children and adults. "Our experience is that the numbers go up in good times and boom times, but they go up even higher during tough times,"Meek says. "People begin to rediscover various ways that we can assist individuals."
Calgary's libraries had the second-highest level of activity in the country in 2008 and sixth in North America, behind Toronto, Los Angeles and the boroughs of New York.
Debi Andrus, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business, says the popularity of libraries during times of economic uncertainty isn't surprising. "It's not just about cost," Andrus says. "When things start to get rough people want more escapism. The last little dip we had was when the Lord of the Rings (movies) were popular. That sort of behaviour drives increased library use."
The fact that Calgary libraries fare so well compared to cities with higher populations has to do with our education levels, she says. According to Calgary Economic Development, our city has the second-highest levels of education of all major Canadian cities, behind only Ottawa.
"Once you learn to learn, that's what you continue to do," Andrus says.