Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette Renovations to the Homewood branch of the Carnegie Library included restoring the original ceiling height in the main room. Click photo for larger image.

Here's one way to boost library circulation: Renovate the buildings.

Four recently refurbished branches of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh are showing significant increases in borrowing, and officials attribute the uptick to new digs that are better equipped and more modern, functional and user-friendly.

"New buildings definitely increase visibility in the communities," said Lane Cigna, Carnegie Library spokeswoman.

"A big part of that is [that] the layouts and designs make it easier for customers to find what they want. If you look at the self-checkout machines and the way the collections are displayed, there's just more attention to customer service."

The most dramatic example is the Homewood branch, where a $3.9 million renovation was completed in November 2003. Children and teen visitors there borrowed almost three times as many books in the following year as they did in 2002, before work began. That translates into 21,300 more books lent to younger users.

Overall book borrowing at Homewood more than doubled during that same period, accounting for almost 47,000 additional volumes. Add loans from the audio-visual collection and circulation increased 134 percent among the younger set and 69 percent overall.

"That is absolutely typical," said Clara Bohrer, president of the Public Library Association. "Whether it's a new building or a renovated one, libraries report a sharp rise in usage."

And, she said, the gains are not a short-lived novelty.

"Libraries literally go to a different level and stay there," Bohrer said. "Usage takes a jump and then it's sustained. After that they see more modest increases."

At her own public library in West Bloomfield, Mich., total circulation was 670,000 before renovation in 2000. After renovation: 1.9 million.

A similar boost took place at Carnegie Library's main branch in Oakland after its $4.1 million overhaul. Children's borrowing rose 51 percent, or by 90,000 books, and the 45 percent increase overall accounted for a whopping 250,000 additional checkouts.

Usage also rose at two other branches that completed major capital improvements. Hazelwood, which made a controversial $719,000 move last year from its grand old building to a storefront home on Second Avenue, saw increased book borrowing of 112 percent among children and 53 percent overall.

In Brookline, borrowing of all materials rose 33 percent among children and 28 percent overall after its $2.9 million overhaul.

Yearly numbers aren't available for the new Downtown and Squirrel Hill branches because they haven't been open long enough, but, Cigna said, both are getting plenty of traffic.

Also playing a role in the usage spike: more materials to borrow. Carnegie Library's spending on its collections increased by $3 million in 2001; $2.7 million in 2004 (despite a 50 percent drop in state funding for public libraries), and $3.2 million budgeted this year.

Furthermore, more computers draw more patrons.

"Computers are a big draw," said Bohrer, "especially in areas where people may not have them at home. Foot traffic spills over into other usage and it builds on itself. People discover all the media they can borrow for free, things like books on tape, DVDs, CDs and videotapes, instead of spending a lot of money on them."

Cigna said that more tailored programming is an attraction as well, from jazz on the steps of the Homewood Library to after-school homework assistance in Hazelwood.

Next up for renovation: the Woods Run building near Brighton Road.