Librarian: Books still fascinate young and old alike

By Bev Davis
Register-Herald senior editor

July 27, 2008 10:21 am

— In an age of reference material available at the click of a mouse and a bombardment of electronic entertainment, who’s reading any more?
Lots of people — of all ages — according to the director of the Raleigh County Library Systems. “People are definitely reading — around our area, anyway. Libraries may suffer from a lack of funding, but not from a lack of readers,” Danny McMillion said.
And she should know. McMillion not only sees the consistent comings and goings of patrons at the main library in Beckley. She is required to keep detailed statistics on library use at all the major library sites in the county.
Take a look at these numbers from a bibliostat recording library circulation for 2007.
- 192,635 — Main library in Beckley
- 22,019 — Sophia branch
- 4,711 — Marsh Fork branch
- 33,951 — Shady Spring branch
- 62,451 — Bookmobile
The statistics are based on the number of books signed out at each of these locations. In addition, the report shows there were 52,160 visits to the Bookmobile, McMillion said.
“If there ever was an argument for not taking away our funding from the Board of Education for the Bookmobile, there it is,” she said.
So, library patrons are all reading pulp fiction, right?
Wrong.
Surprisingly, the reference section gets lots of use, McMillion said.
“Reference books are used as sources of information more than computers, especially among the 18-36-year-olds,” she said. “I can’t remember where I saw that statistic, but I think it’s pretty consistent with what we see in our library systems.”
The law is another popular feature that brings people into the library, she said.
“We have lots of people checking out the West Virginia Code. They want to know what they can do if a neighbor’s dog barks all night, what rights they have as a landlord or as a renter, how to get a divorce — you wouldn’t believe how many people come in here to look up our state laws on this or that.”
Audio books continue to be popular with an innovative new way to enjoy books on tape. “Playaways,” about the size of an iPod, can be attached to earbuds, dropped into a pocket and enjoyed while taking a walk or cleaning the house.
When it comes to those patrons simply looking for a good summer read, McMillion had these recommendations:

For adults

- “On Her Own” — This novel by Wanda Brunstetter features a young Amish widow left with four children and a harness business to run. Her bishop tries to play matchmaker, but the man hired to run the shop has already caught his boss’s eye.
- “The Front” — One of the latest offerings by Patricia Cornwell has Win Garano, a shrewd Massachusetts state investigator at the forefront of one of this author’s engaging mysteries.
- “One Helluva Ride” — A nonfiction treat for NASCAR fans with lots of pictures and statistics about famous racers and their cars.
- “Eye of Jade” by Diane Wei Liang — novel about a Chinese woman who runs a private investigation firm in Beijeng.
- “Match Me if You Can” by Susan Elizabeth Phillips — A light-hearted romance about a fictional high-profile sports figure who hires a matchmaking group to help him find a wife.

For children

- “Seekers” — New in The Warriors series by Erin Hunter, this book chronicles the life of bears in the wild as they face changes in the world.
- “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Roderick Rules — Humorous cartoon format based on typical happenings in the day of an imaginative youngster
- “2008 Book of World Records” — Fascinating collection of facts for children and adults describing everything from the largest bat in the world with a wing span of 6 feet to a profile of the youngest billionaire.
- “Go-Go America” by Dan Yaccarino — Information about some of the most unusual sites and events in each of our 50 states, including the Roadkill Cookoff held annually at Marlington.
- “Actual Size” by Steve Jenkins — This book describes the size of the world’s biggest animals and features fold-outs such as a 36-inch head of the world’s largest crocodile that measures 23 feet long.
— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com

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