Out went hundreds of books that no one had checked out in more than 30 years, sold to new owners through a yard sale.
Soon, the two rear rooms of the Mount Holly Public Library where the unread books had been housed will be one multipurpose media room with a big-screen television, a pool table, a Ping-Pong table, and a movie projector.
"We want something that is hip and happening," said Paul Musgrove, a library trustee who is spearheading the project.
What is happening in Mount Holly comes as no surprise to librarians such as Claudia Sumler, the head of the Camden County Library System and a member of the board of trustees of the nationwide Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association.
"Libraries aren't just for books anymore," Sumler said. "Our mission hasn't changed, and that is to encourage reading and lifelong learning, but increasingly libraries are also technology, family, cultural and entertainment centers for the community."
Also changing is what is being checked out at area libraries.
Although audiovisual materials, such as CDs, videos and audio book tapes, make up only about 6 percent of the Camden County Library System's collection of more than 435,000 materials, audiovisuals account for about 26 percent of the circulation.
"At our main library in Voorhees, the percentage of audiovisual materials checked out by adults is much higher, nearly 50 percent," Sumler said.
It's a similar story for the library systems in Burlington and Gloucester Counties. In Burlington County, audiovisual materials account for about 3 percent of the library's collection but 21 percent of its circulation. Audiovisuals account for about 12 percent of the Gloucester County library system's collection, but 31 percent of the materials circulated.
In May, audiovisuals accounted for 31 percent of the materials checked out from the Gloucester County system's headquarters in Mullica Hill, where the bulk of the nonprint materials are located, said Victoria Rosch, the Gloucester County library director.
"Audio books have really taken off, perhaps because more because adults have longer commutes to work," Rosch said.
Libraries in the past were places where people came to get just books and left quickly, said Carol Murphy, the director of the West Deptford Library.
