Since they're not selling anything, libraries don't profit directly from the increased traffic. Like many things funded by taxpayer dollars, libraries take a hit when the economy does.
A public library in Georgia recently considered closing most of its branches because of funding issues, Alire said, and school libraries in Maryland have been hit particularly hard by budget cuts. Closer to home, the main library in Long Beach was in danger of being closed to save money, although the City Council voted down the proposal after widespread opposition.
Without a library, Crystal Fu wouldn't have anywhere to sit in comfy chairs and read newspapers and tabloid magazines that she says she "wouldn't be caught dead buying."
Fu, a lawyer who recently returned from a four-month sabbatical in India and is searching for a job in public interest law, said she loved reading but didn't want to spend on books until she found work.
"I've got to be a little frugal these days," she said.
The shift from buying books to borrowing them is hurting bookstores and publishing houses.
Barnes & Noble Inc. last week reported a third-quarter loss of $18.4 million, which Chief Executive Steve Riggio attributed to "a significant drop-off in customer traffic and consumer spending." In late October, Amazon.com Inc. cut its sales forecast for the holiday season.
"October was probably one of the toughest, slowest retail months that many of our members have had since their stores were in business," said Oren Teicher, chief operating officer of the American Booksellers Assn.
Many bookstores won't let their bookworms wriggle away without a fight.
Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena is planning special holiday events and promotions this year to boost sales in a slow season, including a partnership with the Pasadena Symphony and holiday bingo, said Allison Hill, the shop's president.
Skylight Books on Vermont Avenue in Los Feliz is publishing a more sophisticated holiday guide than it has any other year, said Kerry Slattery, general manager and co-owner. It's also returning unsold books to publishers to keep up cash flow, she said.
But that approach passes the pain on to publishers. Scholastic Corp. reported sluggish sales in the last quarter, which President Richard Robinson blamed on a "challenging" market. Random House Inc. froze the pensions of current employees and did away with them for recent hires. Other publishers have laid off employees.
