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The Perris Library in Riverside County, Calif., serves a diverse community of 69,000 hard hit by the economic crisis. The local unemployment rate in Perris is 20 percent, with 16.4 percent of families living below the poverty line, almost twice the national average. As the economic woes in Perris persist, its citizens are relying on the library more than ever, even as it faces drastic budget cuts that limit its ability to expand collections to reflect the community’s diversity. Perris has long had a large and dynamic African-American community, which the library supports through maintaining a collection of materials by African-American authors. “Budget cuts and attrition have, however, weakened it substantially,” said Thomas Vose, branch manager. “An infusion of new books would spark new interest.”