“Now I come here instead,” he said.

Library budgets, so far, have escaped the kinds of cuts other areas of government have seen. It may, in fact, be the economy that’s saving them.

With more people coming through the door, now isn’t exactly the best time to take resources or funds away from libraries.

“It’s more active than it has been in the past. We’re seeing some new faces down here,” said Hayes. “People are recognizing the value of a library.”

In North Mankato, the library is actually dealing with more money because it took over operation of the Bookmobile. The service also added 14 stops and now visits 71 locations, which include schools, day cares and smaller towns in Blue Earth and Nicollet counties.

In St. Peter, Wolfe said their budget isn’t getting cut. But he said he’s finding that budget allocations don’t keep up with inflation when it comes to purchasing materials. For example, book prices have gone up in recent years, but library budgets have remained relatively constant.

This means they have to be more creative when purchasing books or other materials. Instead of purchasing multiple copies of a popular book, they may just buy one or two copies.

And all three librarians said they rely on, and appreciate, donations from patrons.