The Toledo metropolitan area ranked in the bottom half of the "most literate" U.S. cities, but its use of public libraries tied with Cincinnati for fifth place in Central Connecticut State University's annual study of America's most literate cities.

The study looks at what resources for reading exist in each city and to what extent residents appear to use them.

Clyde Scoles, director of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, was encouraged though not entirely surprised by Toledo's impressive ranking for library use.

"I think the library remains a rather sought-after resource for literacy and learning," he said. "I think people look at it as a quality-of-life issue."

The study showed that across the country, book sales and newspaper readership have declined, but the use of libraries remains strong. Mr. Scoles said that fact is demonstrated by other key measures -- the number of visitors to the county's libraries, the number of materials borrowed, and, on a statewide basis, the overwhelming success rate of local tax levies that help support library districts.

Last year, a record 7.2 million materials were borrowed from the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, and some 2.7 million people walked through its doors -- more visitors than local ballparks or convention centers had, Mr. Scoles said.

"People are seeking our resources in a variety of ways. We're not just books anymore," Mr. Scoles said. "We're an institution with access to information and entertainment. We help people find jobs. We help them explore new opportunities."

Jim Funk, director of Read for Literacy, which has nearly 1,300 tutors working with illiterate adults to improve their reading skills, said it's difficult to analyze the study's findings, which placed Toledo's overall literacy ranking at 47th among 75 metropolitan areas. Low-income areas, generally centered in cities, have a disproportionately higher level of illiteracy than more affluent areas outside the city limits, he said.

The Washington metropolitan area was ranked No. 1 for overall literacy, which looked not only at library use and support, but newspapers, magazines, bookstores, education, and the Internet.

"Look at all of the well-to-do, well-educated suburbs, and you get a higher literacy level," he said. "What it does is hide the low literacy level of low-income areas."

Among Ohio cities, Cleveland ranked No. 14 overall but was No. 1 in library rankings, which were based on the number of branch libraries and library professional staff per 10,000 people in its service area, and the volumes and number of circulations per capita of the library service area.

Cincinnati was ranked 11th overall and tied with Toledo for fifth in library usage. Columbus ranked 16th overall and 10th for library usage.

"We are in a race not only with American cities but with cities around the world to increase the literacy level of our residents," Mr. Funk said. "To the degree we succeed, we'll have a better opportunity to compete in the global economy."

His organization has launched a Creating Young Readers program that trains volunteers to read to literacy-challenged preschoolers and kindergarten students to help prepare them to learn to read. Their goal is to increase the number of children served by the program from 100 currently to 1,000 and to double to number of adults in local literacy programs by 2018.

First Published February 3, 2012, 5:41 a.m.