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February 25, 2009

Central Jersey's libraries show 'snapshot' of services, impact on residents' lives

By JARED KALTWASSER • Staff Writer • February 24, 2009

CENTRAL JERSEY — Hundreds of libraries across the state last week took a snapshot — literally and figuratively — of their daily impact on the lives of New Jersey residents.

Feb. 19 was the New Jersey Library Association's first-ever "Snapshot" day, an effort to quantify the value of libraries by tallying visitors, asking patrons to complete surveys, and photographing a typical day in the life of a New Jersey library.

Pat Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association, said the state has approximately 309 public libraries and about 60 academic libraries. All of the association's members were asked to participate.

"We're looking at ... in these difficult economic times trying to figure out what would happen if we had no libraries in New Jersey by taking a snapshot of the incredible things that go on every day in New Jersey libraries," Tumulty said.

Tumulty said library patronage goes up during tough economic times as patrons borrow instead of buy books and DVDs, use library computers for job searches, or utilize the knowledge of reference librarians to understand what state and federal programs can help those struggling financially.

Part of the survey at the Hunterdon County Library Headquarters in Flemington was a question asking residents to check the reasons they visit the library, such as to use the Internet, to do homework, or to check items out. Terry Edwards, a senior reference librarian at the library, said it was difficult to create a comprehensive checklist of possible library uses.

"I kept thinking of more things every time I thought I had made a complete form, and then when I gave it to our staff, the staff thought of more things," she said.

One Hunterdon County Library patron, David M. Kiefer of Raritan, wrote that the library was a reason he lives where he does.

"One of the primary reasons we haven't moved is to stay close to this particular library," he wrote.

Though many area libraries are seeing an increase in visitors, financial constraints also are taking a toll. At the state level, Tumulty said library funding has remained stagnant at $16 million for the past 20 years. This year, she said, library officials are simply hoping to avoid a cut.

The New Jersey Library Association also is fighting a proposal being pushed by the New Jersey State League of Municipalities that would cut in half the minimum funding level municipalities must give their libraries. That measure was introduced in the state Assembly on Feb. 9 by Assemblyman Vincent Prieto, D-Hudson. Tumulty said she will meet with Prieto next week to discuss the bill, which she says would be devastating to municipal libraries.

At the Edison Free Public Library, Public Relations Coordinator Geri Post said the library had to cut hours and increase the workloads of some staff members in order to deal with an $85,000 cut in the library's 2008/2009 budget.

"They're looking at money, and say, "Oh, we can cut this,' and people don't realize that at the lower end of the (socioeconomic spectrum), this (the library) is where they go," Post said.

Post said Edison's Plainfield Avenue branch had 1,018 people come by on Feb. 19, and she said the library's visitors regularly include "latchkey" children and the homeless.

Jim Hecht, director of the Somerset County Library System, said his library system has not faced the type of cutbacks some municipal libraries have, but he said good facilities, helpful staff and a wide range of materials will sustain libraries.

"I think our library system, just like other library systems, are going to rise to to the occasion and continue to provide excellent library services that people are going to be looking for in this economy," he said.

The New Jersey Library Association has asked libraries to submit their statistics by today. The results will be put online at www.njla.org.

Posted by tumulty at February 25, 2009 9:19 AM

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