Alisha Devi with Dede Pratiwi and Tristan Pradhitama at Wollongong Library. Picture: ADAM McLEAN
An average of 18 people a day are signing up to use Wollongong's library services, new figures reveal.
Wollongong City Council records show 6769 new library memberships were taken out last year, boosting the total number of members to more than 125,000 across the seven library branches.
Central library manager Neroli Blakeman attributed the rise to the library's focus on giving residents what they wanted and how they wanted it at a time convenient for them.
"Technology is a huge driver for our services in the library," she said.
"It's highly likely some of our new and existing members may never have set foot inside any of the library buildings, and possibly won't in the future.
"Instead, their only access is through the website, and they download music and eBooks straight to their computer whenever they want.
"To remain relevant, we have to pick up [these] new technologies and use them to stay up-to-date with how everyone else is communicating in the world."
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The library statistics show 5500 members used the internet to renew loans on more than 100,000 items last year, while downloads of music, audio and eBooks, which were only introduced a year ago, topped 26,700.
Popular teen trilogy The Hunger Games was the most downloaded book of the year.
The Lee Child thriller The Affair was the most popular over-the-counter loan. JK Rowling's novel The Casual Vacancy had the highest number of reservation requests.
Also on the list of popular titles was iPad for Seniors for Dummies - an addition Ms Blakeman said was a tell-tale sign in itself.
"That shows how society is changing," she said.
"Seniors aren't only taking up technology, they're keen to use it in the right way."
She said the library added about about 3000 items a month to its physical collections, which include DVDs, CDs, magazines and books.
Fairy Meadow mother Dede Pratiwi said the large selection of children's books was the main reason she signed up to the library last year.
"My daughter used to borrow books from the school library. A friend said to come here because there were lots of books to choose from," she said.