FOLEY, Ala. — With a dwindling economy comes budgeting and cutting back on life’s small luxuries. While other local businesses are seeing a decrease in the number of customers, the number of visitors the Foley Public library is skyrocketing.

According to a Harris Poll from Harris Interactive 68 percent of Americans now have a library card, up more than five percent from 2006. Foley is no exception.

“We’ve always been a busy library,” Foley Library’s Jeanette Bornholt said. “Our library is probably the second busiest in the county, but we are seeing a steady increase in the number of people coming in everyday.”

The library is adding about 150 new patrons each month. Employees at the library have noticed increases in the number of people coming in for what they call “entertainment reading,” and checking out DVDs.

Last year’s circulation on these items was 18,903, but with four months in the fiscal year still to go the number is already at 20,476.

But, due to the slow job market and rising unemployment the staff has noticed a significant increase in people asking for books on resumes and cover letters.

“We are seeing a lot of people from that 20 to 40 age group looking for these texts and career guides,” Foley Library’s Melanie Schnieders said. “There are just a lot of people coming in looking for that kind of specific help.”

Many patrons are also using the library for the free access to computers and the Internet.

“Many employers want you to go online and fill out applications,” Bornholt said. “A lot of people aren’t familiar with that, so that’s something else we have to help them with.”

Like libraries across the nation facing an increase in usership, the Foley Public Library is also facing cutbacks they were not immune from.

“Less staff means more work for everybody and more people coming in means even more work,” Schnieders said. “We have some volunteers. We are keeping them busy, when they leave I’m not sure what we will do.”