The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

Nothing in life is free ... except the public library. As economic times get harder, the Rhinelander District Library is enjoying increasing circulation numbers, and users are beginning to appreciate just how valuable free knowledge can be.

“Usually during hard times the library booms because people can get information virtually free. We normally see a little bump in circulation at times like these,” said Pat Sutliff, adult department head of the Rhinelander library.

The library’s circulation numbers are up almost 3 percent from last year, but that number doesn’t measure the traffic the library sees at its computer terminals or from people who come in simply to read newspapers and magazines.

Sutliff said she has noticed an marked increase in the usage of the computer terminals, which are nearly always occupied.

“We do have a lot of people coming in to check Web sites for jobs or to take on-line tests for university degrees,” said Sutliff.

The business of running a library constantly changes in response to the demands of its customers, the public. For library administrators that means paying attention to people’s habits and staying in touch with current trends.

“You have to watch the trends and what people are reading and we look closely at circulation and get what the public wants. You also try to get some of the things they don’t know they want until they see it,” said Sutliff. “Our moneys are in part driven by circulation so it’s important for us to keep the circulation numbers up.”

The Rhinelander District Library enjoys a distinguished history and offers a variety of programs and services that result directly from significant private contributions. Libraries are much more than just repositories for books; they are our community centers for shared knowledge.

“The programming has been wonderful and a lot if it has been due to outside money. The Northern Arts Council, to name one, has been hugely supportive in sponsoring our author’s series,” said Sutliff.

The Rhinelander Library Foundation, the Richard Peters Foundation, and older endowments like the Bump Art Collection fund, and the Rhinelander Women’s Club fund have all contributed to the additions of special collections and programs that separate the Rhinelander library from libraries in comparable communities.

The Bump Art Collection allows the library to purchase over $1,000 of art books per year, and over the past three decades the purchases have resulted in one of the most comprehensive art book collections north of Madison.

The Rhinelander District Library was named state library of the year in 2005. Part of the library’s appeal is its history as a center of culture in a town that has seen so many of its long-standing institutions move away from its downtown.

The library has managed to flourish even as other organizations have faltered. Partly, that has been accomplished through great support from volunteers, donors, and civic institutions and partly it has been the result of the public library’s unique ability to keep up with the times while never losing its sense of timelessness.

Case in point ... the Rhinelander library has a young adult section that offers the most current titles in young adult literature alongside a slew of movies and CDs that complement its reading list. At any given time in the summer, you’ll see between 10 and 15 young adults curled up with a book, reading their emails, or sifting through the collections. You’ll also see adults reading newspapers, reading their emails, or browsing for the season’s reading list.

While the library is much more than just a place to keep books, books, and the literature and knowledge they contain, are still the library’s core offering. Pam Barlowski and her daughter, Anna, came to the library together on Thursday because they share their love of literature.

“The number one reason I come is expense. I love to read and so does my daughter and we can get all the books we want here. I quit using the library for a while and we were just picking up books but now with the way things are, it makes more sense to come here,” said Pam. “I can get different things, like biographies, and it’s easier to come here than go to a bookstore and buy them for $25 or $30.”

Anna Barlowski said she comes to library for its wide selection.

“They have a lot of books here that I can’t get anywhere else,” Anna said.

One of the unique aspects of the Wisconsin Valley Library Service, of which the Rhinelander District Library is a member, is the V-Cat system, a comprehensive ordering and courier service that allows users to acquire books from any of the libraries in the system.

Ken Winecki, a Rhinelander resident, uses the library to tutor young adults in literacy and language arts. He touts the V-Cat system.

“If they don’t have the books in the building, you can get them very easily,” Winecki said.

Devin Brook and Shana Meurer, both age 11, are two young readers who take full advantage of the library’s offerings. They walked out the doors on Thursday and took a seat in the sun to sort through the 16 chapter books they purchased at the surplus sale in the children’s section.

One aspect of the library that has declined as a result of increased Internet use is the reference section. As more and more people get their reference information online, the circulation in reference sections has declined. But the Rhinelander library has a priceless store of reference information, including The Daily News on micro-fiche going back to 1882.

In the information age, it may seem like a no-brainer to say that libraries are as relevant as they have ever been, but it’s not something you hear shouted from the rooftops. American has built its genius on the promise of free access to information since its inception, and local libraries have, and still are, crucial custodians of that promise.

That role is something Rhinelander’s librarians don’t take for granted.

“The pride is always there. It’s a place that it doesn’t matter if you have $1 million or $0, the service is the same, the product is the same. There is significant pride in providing that and I think everyone here feels that,” said Sutliff.

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