Economic Hard Times and Public Library Use:

Abstract

This research examines the librarians' rule of thumb which suggests that public library use increases during economic hard times. A report of British research by Warr and Payne is men- tioned to show that American response to economic stringency does not mirror British behavior regarding similar stimuli. Research find- ings from the American study indicate that a stringent test of the librarians' axiom reveals no significant relationship between library use and the economy. A more relaxed interpretation of the data sug- gests a positive relationship between library cards in force and local unemployment rates but a negative relationship behveen circulation figures and local inflation rates. Overall, the study uncovers no com- pelling data to support the librarians' axiom.

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