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While business has lagged at store counters, checkouts are brisk at the county's 22 libraries and, particularly, at its bookmobile.

Circulation climbed about 3 percent from September through November over the same period last year, said Carol Legarreta, the library system's administrator for community engagement and development.

The opening of new libraries in Germantown in 2007 and Rockville in 2006 contributed to but did not account for the overall increase, she said.

The Germantown library and the Davis Library in Bethesda saw some of the highest circulation gains this year — 8.5 percent and 8 percent respectively —  for the three-month period, but the Silver Spring and Kensington Park libraries also saw higher than average gains of 4 percent.

Phone call and instant message questions to the Ask-a-Librarian reference service also have grown by 4 percent.

But circulation numbers don't tell the whole story.

"More people who are job hunting are coming in to use the library" and more of them are "anxious," said Davis Library manager Rita Tull.

And the tension shows, for instance, when a patron hits the two-hour limit on computer use but hasn't finished a resume or online job application.

With waiting lists for computer time now, they can't always extend the limit, Tull said.

"Staff are having to almost have the skills of a social worker," she said.

As for circulation, percentage increases were highest at two of the library system's smallest outlets.

The county jail library saw a nearly 30 percent increase during the period, a gain the librarian attributes partly to an increase in the jail population, Legaretta said.

The county's single bookmobile, which serves children in Head Start programs and low-income communities, saw a greater than 40 percent circulation increase this fall compared with the same period last year.

And there is no doubt that more children are coming to the mobile van to check out books, Legaretta said.

While demand for library services is up, resources are down.

Like other county departments, the library system is struggling to find a way to cut its budget another  7 percent, to meet the 10 percent total needed to help bridge a projected $450 million county budget deficit.

At least twice in the past 17 years, county libraries have had to cut hours to cope with budget shortfalls.

But Legaretta said she could not say yet where new cuts would fall.

"We are very aware of the services we provide to our most vulnerable population," Legaretta said, adding that as a result officials are paying close attention to foot traffic and circulation counts to help make service decisions.

"It's very, very possible we'll scale back library hours," said County Councilman George L. Leventhal, chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee, which oversees libraries.

The council is talking with the administration of County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) about the possibility of "rolling scale-backs" in which libraries would trim hours dramatically for about two months, said Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park.

Meanwhile, demand for  DVDs, books aimed at teenagers, large typeface books and books on tape has increased  by "double-digit" percentages, Legaretta said.

Browsing the used book sale at Davis Library on Monday, Eric Guckenheimer of Rockville said he still goes to Borders bookstore but more of his purchases come from the library now.