Staff Blog
Recession = need for services
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Via YPP, I see that the Boston Globe is reporting that libraries around the country are seeing big increases in circulation and new-card applications.
To be fair, I don't see any definitive, across-the-board stats here, just striking numbers from a handful of public library systems. But as Freakonomics points out, it makes sense. The recession is causing people to purchase fewer books, CDs and DVDs, and to attend fewer movies and shows. But that doesn't mean we're less interested in content. So the free library's role is increased.
As Isaiah Thompson has reported, the same phenomenon (rising circulation) applies to 9 of the 11 libraries Mayor Nutter is working to close.
Aside from the obligatory observation about how Philly appears to be doing the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time here, I think it's worth pointing out that this is not a phenomenon unique to libraries. A lot of the problems that public services ameliorate may be exacerbated by the recession. You can certainly see how there'd be more crime. You can imagine that people trying to save on heating will accidentally start fires. More families won't be able to afford private summer camps, and use the city pools this summer. Hey, even tax cuts (not a service, but something the city is stepping back from) factor in here: If that extra economic boost meant something to your business before, it'll mean even more when revenues are down.
I believe the mayor is attending an Obama speech on the economy today. Presumably he's seeking another opportunity to make the case that the new administration will need to get federal help to cities, or see the quality-of-life in them deteriorate meaningfully. He's right.
