This is the Internet age. Books are obsolete. Right? Borders is doomed. Right? Cities and counties that build new libraries are wasting public dollars because nobody will use them. Right?

Wrong!

Library critics would have us believe that library use has decreased as Internet use has increased. If so, how can one account for the 53 percent increase in use of the Lawrence Public Library since 2000? In 2005, 933,023 items where checked out of our library compared with 609,940 in 2000. Today, there are 78,000 people who have a Lawrence library card!

Fayetteville, Ark., (pop. 65,000) opened a new library building in 2005. Circulation increased 27 percent; library cardholders increased 60 percent; public programs increased 50 percent; program attendance increased 38 percent; computer use increased 100 percent; and reference queries increased 20 percent.

Residents use libraries more than ever. And there are no statistics from cities with newly built libraries to indicate otherwise. If helping to build and sustain community life is a goal, investing in a new library is a wise strategy.

What do people see in libraries? Here are some popular Lawrence Public Library services:

• Internet access stations and 24/7 subscription databases for research. Whether at home or in the library, the library’s subscriptions permit cardholders access to HeritageQuest to research family trees, NoveList to find a good book, or the Historical New York Times to conduct research. These and dozens of other databases are available to cardholders anytime, remotely or in the library.
• Story times for everyone. Family story time, Books and Babies and Toddler story times, Spanish/ English story times, book clubs for children ages 7-12.
• Books, books, and more books (magazines, too). With 1,500 new titles added every month, every kind of fiction and nonfiction is available, including graphic novels, foreign language and large-print book collections.
• Audio books for everyone. The library’s collection includes 4,500 audiobooks, and its new subscription service permits patrons to download e-audiobooks onto home computers and MP3 players.
• Services for seniors. Bookmobile service to several local senior living centers and even home delivery for those with limited mobility.
• Programs for adults. Author visits, book discussions, concerts, lectures and more.
• Library Web site. You can find out what is going on at the library, and also reserve items, see what you have checked out, download audiobooks and sign up for an online book club.
• Film series. Film series are offered each April, July, and October. Classic films on a large screen.
• Young adult collection and services. Listen to music, use the Internet, get homework help. “The Zone” is the place to be for ages 11-18, and there is a special collection designed for teens.
• Entertainment collection. Movies on VHS and DVD, documentary films, music CDs.

Imagine enhancing each of these services and anticipating new ones.

In addition to these uses, a new library will bring more people downtown. How do we know this? Because that is what has happened in other cities with new libraries downtown. The city commission deliberately instructed the library to invest in the downtown’s future by locating a new 21st century library downtown. That is exactly what we intend to do. The library board will soon bring to the City Commission a library proposal that reflects the progressive nature of our community.