SAN DIEGO – A record 4.3 million people visited San Diego County libraries last fiscal year, up 9 percent from the previous year, it was announced Friday.

Customers at county libraries checked out more than 6.5 million items last fiscal year, an increase of 23 percent.

County library officials attributed the increase to the economic downturn, saying residents are turning to their local libraries to take advantage of the free services and materials.

The San Diego County Library operates 32 branches and two mobile libraries and has more than 4 million books, CDs, DVDs and other materials.