Public libraries are reinventing themselves to keep pace with the information revolution and remain relevant to their patrons. The successful ones are doing so, in any case.

As a result, most library systems around the country have become more inviting to readers and information-seekers.

But in Hawai'i, libraries must deliver that invitation much more forcefully.

To be sure, the state library system here is stepping up its use of digital resources to bring more data, literature and media closer to the public.

But a recent Gannett News Service analysis of National Center For Education statistics suggests Hawai'i library patronage lags behind the national average.

Figures show visits to libraries across the country increasing by about 10 percent between 2002 and 2006.

The same data show Hawai'i's network of libraries with 400,000 fewer visits last year compared with 2001.

Library officials counter that 2001 was a high point that declined sharply when 2003 budget cuts forced a reduction in hours; and libraries are now working their way back up.

Regardless, our state's libraries need to redefine their role in a changing world and assess how they're fulfilling it.

For starters, library officials should reconsider the hours of service. If budgets won't permit extending hours across the board, libraries should shift toward operating more on weekends and evenings, when working families have more time to use them.

Breaking the 9-to-5 mold has been a bone of contention among some staffers even before the budget became so tight. But libraries must place general public needs ahead of their own convenience.

It is good to see that libraries are increasingly offering digital media and services, including downloadable titles and databases and even an ask-a-librarian e-mail utility. There's also some — but not nearly enough — Web-enabled terminals. These improvements should be amplified and better marketed as new ways libraries can guide the public through the 21st-century information age.

Our public libraries must be rebranded, and quickly, if they are to remain a vital free service that the state truly needs.