Book Buying Survey 2009: "It’s the Economy"

How bad is the economy? Bad enough that in LJ’s annual book-buying survey of public libraries, circulation took the biggest leap recorded since the survey was launched in 1999. Historically, circulation goes up when the economy founders, and this year’s whopping 5.16 percent increase overall suggests just how many people are saving pennies by borrowing materials instead of buying them. In fact, libraries are being swamped; nearly eight in ten respondents report increased circulation. In this regard, at least, the library business is booming.

Of course, hard times mean less hard cash to spread around, and materials budgets last year did slip, falling on average 2.31 percent after having grown steadily since 2004. At least that’s not as bad as the 3.3 percent dip reported in 2003. Interestingly, only 28 percent of this year’s respondents reported decreases, with 42 percent claiming that budgets were holding steady, suggesting that where the axe did fall it cut deep (see “Ups and Downs at Public Libraries,” p. 35). In fact, cuts averaging ten percent were noted in the South, where half of respondents’ budgets got a drubbing. Northeast and Midwest libraries did better, however, and West Coast libraries in the survey had a surprisingly strong showing, which helped salvage the final figure.

That was last year. This year, with industries collapsing, tax revenues shrinking, and jobs, stock prices, and consumer spending in freefall, libraries know that retrenchment is just around the corner. Fully seven in ten of this year’s respondents anticipate budget cuts in the forthcoming year, and they’re already making plans. “We haven’t been hit with actual cuts yet, but next year’s budget, which was just submitted, was leaner,” says Helene B. Defoe, Mashpee Public Library, MA (pop. served, 10,000–24,999). “If we get midyear cuts, we’ll have to cut back on book purchases and defer buying some supplies, if possible.”

Reducing book purchases. Reducing multiple-copy purchases. Reducing hours. Minimizing standing orders, magazine subscriptions, and database licenses. Leasing those really hot titles. Cutting staff, freezing raises, and turning full-timers into part-timers. Closing branches. Delaying the replacement of aging furniture and equipment. Scaling back on programming. Saving money by ordering through Amazon. Even turning down the thermostat and letting the grounds get a little weedy. All are tried-and-true means of managing with less that librarians told us they are ready to put into practice.

Many of LJ’s respondents report that they expect to be more selective than ever about book purchases in the coming year, trimming fringe and even mid-tier titles while focusing on what users really want. Those hoping to keep some breadth in the collection are looking to work with other systems. For the first time ever in this survey, a small percent of respondents say that they manage budget cuts by maintaining collaborative collections.

For many, purchasing multiple formats for a single title is going the way of the dodo. “Perhaps we’ll purchase a title in one format only, for example only a large-print edition of some titles and only a regular-print edition of others,” observes Debbie Lozito, Edythe Dyer Community Library, Hampden, ME (pop. served, under 10,000).

Still others will shift formats altogether, “getting popular titles and quality literature via paperbacks,” says Jay Criswell from mid-sized Stillwater Public Library, OK. And when it comes to new formats, some libraries have decided not to make the leap. “We aren’t going to add any new formats (downloadable video or music, for example) this year due to budget constraints,” notes Kathryn King, Fort Worth Library, TX.”

There’s no better time than economic crunch time to rethink policies, and many respondents are doing just that. Librarians at Chesterfield County Public Library, VA, have launched an ambitious circulation and collection analysis to determine where their priorities really lie. And at St. Charles City-County Library District, MO, which also falls into the 250,000–499,000 population served range, reserve ratios may increase from 3:1 to 4:1. Some of LJ’s respondents will be relying more heavily on interlibrary loan, while others plan to scale back on branch deliveries. Charlotte County Library System, FL, is thinking of dropping county-purchased databases in favor of those provided by the state.

Of course, libraries are still trying to find money as well as save it. Even in these parlous times, one in ten respondents say that they plan to hunt down new avenues of revenue. They’ll be appealing to the community for more funding through increased taxes, encouraging donations from individuals or Friends groups, and ramping up their grant-writing efforts. A few scrimped at the end of last year so that they could bring funding forward to this year. But as respondents repeatedly noted, the main aim is to maintain service.

Though library budgets have yet to feel the full impact of the economic downturn, the impact on circulation is already showing. As noted, this year circulation had its best showing ever in LJ’s annual survey, which aims to provide a snapshot of public libraries throughout the nation, distributed evenly using federal breakdowns for population served and geographic location. The number of respondents posting circulation increases jumped more than 25 percent over last year and was nearly double those reporting increases in 2000.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons for this year’s circulation success story, among them better promotion/outreach, cited as a contributing factor by nearly four in ten respondents. Spiffed-up news coverage (including a new web site) at the C.E. Brehm Memorial Public Library, Mt. Vernon, IL (pop. served, 25,000–49,999), and small Fremont (IN) PL’s bold new teen section, Columbus (OH) Metropolitan Library’s numerous and well-placed bookstore-like displays, and the efforts of several respondents to enlarge the new books section and keep materials there longer—all have helped boost circulation.

So has the ability to reserve from home, also cited by nearly four in ten respondents. “We’ve seen a huge increase in online reserves from patrons,” says Marie Bruni, Huntington Memorial Library, Oneonta, NY. “Over 85 percent of our reserves are now placed by borrowers themselves.”

Other circ boosters include Houston Public Library’s reopening of the central library, closed to browsing for two years as major reconstruction was completed; Bastrop (TX) PL’s expansion; and the thoroughgoing renovation of the historic Elaine I. Sprauve Library in the Virgin Islands. The second annual adult winter reading festival at Fayetteville Public Library, AR, a book-club boom at the Blanding Library, Rehoboth, MA, and Fort Worth’s hiring of two new selectors charged with implementing a patron-oriented collection policy all helped push numbers up in their respective organizations.

But for 35 percent of LJ’s respondents—nearly as many as sang the praises of promotion and reserving from home—the circulation upswing can be traced to our money blues. What’s more, among reasons for the rise in circulation, the economy got the most number-one mentions—all the more remarkable because it was a write-in answer, not even listed as a factor when the survey was crafted in the early fall.

As respondents stated again and again, people always turn to libraries in hard times. Says Cynthia Exterkamp, Richard C. Sullivan Public Library of Wilton Manors, FL, “The economy has affected everyone in some way, and libraries are cost-effective, that is, we are free.”

The economy is affecting not just how much more is circulating but what is circulating. Notably, for the first time since this survey was launched, health/medicine did not get the most mentions among respondents’ top five nonfiction circulators (see “Top-Circulating Nonfiction over Eight Years,” p. 35). That honor goes to how-to/home arts, suggesting how many people are building the back porch, redecorating the dining room, and fixing the dishwasher themselves instead of calling in experts. “We are continuing to see the do-it-yourself culture move into the mainstream. Given the economic downturn, emerging green consciousness, and prevalence of 'you can do this’ reality shows, urban homesteading and homemade is here for the long haul,” says Lisa Bitney, Pierce County Library System, WA.

Speaking of homemade, cookery is now the second-ranked nonfiction circulator, pushing health/medicine to third place. Nearly 60 percent of respondents cited cookery among their in-demand nonfiction, more than double the number citing it back in 2001. Meanwhile, health/medicine fell hard in just one year, with the number of mentions dropping from 65 percent to 53 percent. Why is cookery so hot? “Maybe more people are eating at home due to the economic downturn,” muses Shawna Thorup, Fayetteville PL. In keeping with the current concern to roll back excess, reports Thorup, sustainability titles are also galvanizing readers at her library.

Not surprisingly, as people lose jobs and must hunt for new ones, sometimes switching careers or launching small businesses of their own, business/career titles are grabbing the spotlight at public libraries. Just a year ago, fewer than one in five respondents cited business/career titles among their hot nonfiction circulators; now these titles are cited by one in four. “Leisure reading—biographies, travel, current events, etc.—once carried the day. Now it is retraining, résumés, do-it-yourself repairs, and home-based business information that are hot topics,” observes Donna Howell, Mountain Regional Library System, GA.

In another sign of the times, self-help/psychology took as big a leap upward as business/careers. Evidently, as the skies grow dark, readers are looking for comfort and understanding, as well as a measure of personal renewal—more change they can believe in. Politics, which emerged as a player four years ago (see “Book Buying Survey: The Turnaround,” LJ 2/15/05), continues as a hot nonfiction topic, though interest may die down after inauguration fever has subsided. But while history and biography remain library staples, they aren’t what they once were to readers. Five years ago, both were singled out as top circulators by about four in ten of LJ’s respondents, but they make the grade for only 22 percent this year.

“It’s the economy”? Yes, even as our current financial crisis forces libraries to cut budgets, it’s pushing circulation sky-high and changing what people borrow. But it’s not just the economy that’s creating the rush of materials from library shelves; librarians have paved the way with a focused effort to find out what their communities want and to deliver the goods. “Fort Worth Library has been transitioning toward a patron-driven collection for several years,” says King. “I think this philosophy is finally taking hold in all aspects of our selection, from new items to retrospective collections and replacements.” For many libraries, that philosophy—and the patron response it engenders—is truly money in the bank.