NY Times: Traffic Up at Your Local Library

It seems like only yesterday when libraries were reflecting on how they could survive in the face of stiff competition from bookstores and the like. What a difference an economic downturn makes (NY Times):

People are flocking to libraries after forsaking Barnes & Noble or ditching their HBO service and subscriptions to Netflix, library officials said, because libraries’ books, DVDs and CDs have a significant advantage: They are free.

Some people are showing up at libraries for the first time for free entertainment — movies, lectures, concerts and puppet shows, library officials said. Still others are capitalizing on their newspaper racks, books and free Internet service for job searches and investment advice or advice on a topic that the title of a much-thumbed book makes obvious: "Surviving a Layoff: A Week-by-Week Guide to Getting your Life Back Together."

'Puppet shows'?