From time to time, I hear the opinion expressed that we don’t need libraries anymore, since we have the Internet.
The numbers don’t bear this out. The Guelph Public Library celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2008, and it is more popular than ever. I recently received these statistics from our Chief Librarian:
- Circulation of library materials has increased by 49% since 2000, more than four times the rate of Guelph’s population growth.
- Demand for library materials has more than doubled in the past twenty-five years, with more than 1.73 million items borrowed in 2008.
The Chief Librarian also sent this presentation that makes a case for why the new central library should be 90,000 square feet. It contains some interesting facts about how our library compares with those in neighbouring communities.
It seems that Google just can’t replace a trip to the library.
Filed under: Blog
