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September 25, 2009

Library purchase gains final OK from Washington Township council

Gloucester County Times
Thursday, September 24, 2009
By Jessica Beym
jbeym@sjnewsco.com
WASHINGTON TWP. The library board was given the final green light from the township council on Thursday to go sign a lease-purchase contract for the education building on Delsea Drive that will soon be their new library.

The township council voted unanimously in favor on the deal to buy the Education and Information Resource Center for a price tag of $2.1 million Ð at least $700,000 less than what they were close to buying it for about nine months ago. Now, not only is the price tag lower, but the township doesn't have to borrow money to get it done.

Councilman Michelle Martin joked that a drumroll was needed before they voted on the ordinance.

"It's been a long time coming," Martin said. "There's been a lot of hard work to get to this point and to get this accomplished."

The township has long been considering a new library, and all options were on the table during this latest go Ð constructing a new one from scratch, buying a skating rink on Delsea Drive, buying a former county building, or even retrofitting an existing building.

Mayor Matt Lyons said after everything was considered, and reconsidered, the EIRC building has proven to be the best option. It's 20,000 square feet Ð double the size of the current library on East Holly Drive. The space inside is already suited to be similar to a library, so not much work will need to be done. And the building also comes with solar panels that the township can use to reduce the electricity bills and earn solar rebates.

Buying the building and retrofitting it won't cost the taxpayers any additional money than what they are already required to pay to the library under the state's mandated funding formula. Using about $1.7 million in surplus, the library board will be able to make yearly lease payments on the EIRC building until it's paid off, and will still have money to retrofit the building and continue to run operations, said Mike Allen, chairman of the library board. They also hope to eventually build an addition.

"Their fiscal management over the last 10 years has made them able to do this," Lyons said, explaining that the library has not spent all of its budget on operations and has been setting money aside for a new building for many years.

The township hopes to be able to gain access to the building when the EIRC moves out, which won't be until the first quarter of 2010, Allen said.

"They great thing is we'll be able to improve the services for Washington Township with really no increase in the taxes," Allen said.

Posted by tumulty at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)
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Denville library reopening after renovations

By Eugene Paik/For The Star-Ledger
September 24, 2009, 7:04PM
The Denville library should reopen Friday after a renovation shut down most of the 25-year-old building for about nine months.

Since January, construction crews had been gutting the Diamond Spring Road building and reconfiguring it to provide more efficiency in its use of space.

The library remained open for most of the construction time, even though the main entrance was blocked off to the public. A limited selection of books, movies and music was available in a meeting room at the rear of the library.

The building shut down completely in recent weeks so that the meeting room could be redone.

This was the first renovation for the 10,000-square-feet building in at least a decade, according to library director Elizabeth Kanouse.

She described the new interior as a drastic change, saying it offers features demanded by its users.

“It’s a complete transformation,” she said.

Previously just a big room, the main section of the library is now partitioned into sections. The reference and adult sections are separated, and the children’s area is now blocked off.

“The older people wanted it to keep the noise down,” Kanouse said of the new children’s section, “and the parents wanted it to let their children be children but not disturb anyone.”

Also, the library replaced its furniture and carpet and doubled the number of computers, she said. The library now offers 16 computers.

The $1.6 million project, funded by a bond ordinance approved by the township council last year, should be enough to satisfy library patrons for another decade, Kanouse said.

But after that, a bigger library might be needed to match an expected increase in the town’s population, she said.

“Hopefully, the economy will be better by then, and people will be ready,” she said.

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September 23, 2009

Big plans for a little library

Hopewellspace.com

Richard Bidnick, the new librarian at the Hopewell Borough library, has plans to expand offerings.

You could say that Richard Bidnick’s journey to the Hopewell Public Library began in Egypt.

Bidnick, who took over as director of the library at 13 E. Broad St. this spring, developed his interest in library science while studying ancient Egyptian art in Cairo as a student at American University. He returned to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in library science, but decided to remain in the U.S. rather then seek a job with a library collection in Cairo, after enjoyable experiences working in small community libraries.

Previously the director of the West Long Branch Library, Bidnick lives in Forked River but said he was attracted to Hopewell Borough after he read a 2007 New York Times article that described the town as “Vermont-like.”

“I’m a great lover of Vermont so when this opened up last year, I applied for it,” Bidnick said.

Bidnick described the borough’s “friendly and welcoming” spirit, where he said residents pitch in on community projects with the enthusiasm of an old-fashioned barn raising with a 21st-century spin.

“When the library went to an electronic card catalog, the whole community signed up to do the work and the bar coding,” he said. “Hundreds of people came to help.”

In August, the library was temporarily closed for renovations, including installation of a new circulation desk paid for by the Friends of the Hopewell Public Library, and new carpeting.

“Right after I started I went to (the Friends) and they came up with the money for us to be able to purchase the desk,” he said.
The custom made desk cost about $12,000.

After the renovations, he said he hopes to turn an eye to drawing the public into the library this fall with a variety of programs.
“My whole plan here is to make the library the cultural heart of the community,” he said.

Using electronic databases and the Internet, small libraries today can offer patrons the same services as a larger library, he said.

The library also began a DVD collection this summer and Bidnick said he would like to start a DVD discussion group, which were popular in previous libraries where he has worked.

“One of the big challenges is having the ability to maintain the services we have during the current economic crisis,” he said.

“Libraries have been under the gun in recent years; it’s difficult in a smaller library to be able to maintain public services, staffing and materials.”

As an independent municipal library, the borough library is funded largely by the borough. Other major fundraising for capital improvements and collections is conducted through the Friends of the Library, assisted by a small amount of state aid and donations. It is open to borough residents as well as residents of Hopewell Township and Pennington.

The current building has no room to expand, but Bidnick speculated that future plans could include building a new facility some day.

This fall, library programs will include a number of author visits, including Karen Riley, who will talk about her book “Voices in the Pines.” Another author plans to discuss a book about psychology.

“I would like to reach out to local authors and use the library as a place where they can talk about their writing, do author talks, book signing, cultural programs– things of interest to the community, to the nation as a whole,” Bidnick said.

For more information about library programs, go online to http://www.redlibrary.org or http://www.hopewellpubliclibrary.blogspot.com, or contact the library at (609) 466-1625.

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Library needs help to restore funding

By: MELISSA HAYES
Burlington County Times
The Mount Holly Library and Lyceum is asking patrons to sign a petition. It says that if the funding is cut, programs will be dropped.

mhayes@phillyBurbs.com

609-267-5569

MOUNT HOLLY - The Mount Holly Library and Lyceum is asking for help in persuading the township to restore its funding.

A petition was placed at the library's circulation desk this week and signatures will be collected through December. Library director Michael Eck said the petition is "a request to the township to restore our funding."

The Township Council did not fund the library in 2008 or 2009 because of budget cuts and state aid reductions. In previous years the township provided $20,000 or about one-fifth of the library's budget.

Eck said without the funding, programs and hours could be cut.

"It's very serious," he said. "You're looking at reduced hours. We would have to close more days and I'm hoping it wouldn't come down to closing permanently, but that could happen."

The library is open Monday through Saturday and has seen an increase in users and borrowing in recent years, Eck said.

At its Aug. 10 meeting, the council voted to place a nonbinding public question on the November ballot asking voters whether they support increasing taxes to fund the library.

Advertisement But at the Aug. 24 meeting, Dwaynne Belton, president of the library's Board of Trustees, said the board disagreed with the library's being described as a "private" entity in the question.

Township officials said the wording could not be changed because of a deadline to get the question on the ballot.

At the Sept. 14 meeting, the majority of the council voted to rescind the ballot question.

The library has a long history. It has occupied the 1830 Georgian-style Langstaff Mansion on High Street since 1957. Originally known as the Bridgetown Library, it received its charter June 11, 1765, from King George III of England through New Jersey's governor-general, William Franklin.

While the library belongs to the Burlington County Library System, it is a member library as opposed to a branch, which means the county does not fund it entirely.

Township Administrator Kathleen Hoffman said the township cannot offer monetary support but has been helping out by providing painting and lawn service through the public works department.

"Hopefully in the future we are able to fund them in real dollars," Hoffman said.

September 23, 2009 03:20 AM

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Don't forget to register for the Youth Services Forum!

It's not too late to register for the annual Youth Services Forum! The event, sponsored by the NJSL, the children's and teen sections of NJLA and NJASL will be held on Thursday, October 15, 2009 at the Monmouth County Library's Headquarters in Manalapan from 9 am until 4 pm. The registration fee (including breakfast and lunch) is $25.00 for NJLA or NJASL members, $37.50 for non-members and $12.50 for students. The NJLA Store will be there so don't forget to bring cash, personal checks or a credit card if you want to shop! There will also be a free book and lots of raffle prizes this year.

The deadline to register is October 5 and the check or voucher is payable to NJLA.

The registration form and program descriptions are posted on the NJLA (www.njla.org) and NJYAC (www.njyac.org) websites.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Sharon Rawlins
Youth Services Consultant
NJ State Library
185 West State St.
P.O. Box 520
Trenton, NJ 08625-0520
srawlins@njstatelib.org
609-278-2640 ext. 116 - phone
609-278-2650 - fax

Posted by rawlins at 3:51 PM | Comments (0)
Category: Children's Services Young Adult Services

September 22, 2009

Events offer aid for job seekers

By George Mast • Courier-Post Staff • September 22, 2009

Area job seekers could stand to gain from increased job training programs slated at libraries this fall and from a proposal out of Washington to extend unemployment benefits.

From resume workshops to lessons on interview skills, Burlington, Camden and Gloucester county libraries are offering increased assistance to residents looking for work. The programs are being provided in part by matching grants from the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative, which serves more than 600 libraries in South Jersey and is funded by the New Jersey State Library.

A $1,600 matching grant provided to the Gloucester County Library System will double the amount of programs offered at its branches, said county library public information officer Nancy Polhamus.

"We're seeing more and more requests for this kind of programming," Polhamus said.
Karen Hyman, executive director of South Jersey Library Cooperative, said the JOBS Project is aimed at helping local libraries meet the growing needs of their patrons.

"What we were trying to do was really jump-start something in terms of libraries doing this kind of programming," Hyman said.
Aside from matching funds that libraries put toward programming, the cooperative developed a database of experts for libraries to call on to lead the various training programs.

Debbie Dennis, associate director of the Camden County Library System, said the county is trying to schedule programming at as many of its branches as possible later this fall with the $500 matching grant it received. Exact programming dates for Camden County have not been set.

Dennis said the additional programming will supplement help already being provided through the county's Your Library Your Lifeline initiative.
"We very much appreciate the opportunity to expand because we are serving so many people," she said.

New Jersey's unemployment rate for August was 9.7 percent, the same as the nation's rate.
Fifteen people went to the county's first program -- Starting Out, Starting Over -- last week at its Mullica Hill branch, Polhamus said.

"There was a wide array of ages and circumstances," she said, noting participants included those who had been out of work for several months and some who had been looking for years.

Those who have been out of work so long they're about to exhaust their unemployment benefits could also get help soon from emergency legislation proposed in the House this week to help millions of Americans.
A bill offered by Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., and expected to pass easily would provide 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits for more than 300,000 jobless people who live in states, including New Jersey, with unemployment rates of at least 8.5 percent and who are scheduled to run out of benefits by the end of September.
The 13-week extension would supplement the 26 weeks of benefits most states offer and the federally funded extensions of up to 53 weeks that Congress approved in legislation last year and in the stimulus bill enacted last February.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach George Mast at (856) 486-2465 at gmast@camden.gannett.com

Posted by tumulty at 4:01 PM | Comments (0)
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Carteret to build teen room at library

By LEO D. ROMMEL • STAFF WRITER • September 20, 2009

CARTERET — Construction is under way at the library on a new room that will give young adults a place to surf the Web, lay on cozy chairs, do their homework and flip through books while listening to their iPods, officials said.
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Construction of the teen room began on Wednesday and is expected to wrap up next month, library director Sharla Emery said.

Last month, Mayor Daniel Reiman said he expected a 30- to 45-day construction period.

“Teenagers can expect a new place where they call their own,” Emery said. “It will be a place where they can come in and be comfortable and do a number of things, like study, do homework and relax with their friends.”

The estimated 400-square-foot, sectioned-off room will be located at the back right corner of the library, in an area that is currently underutilized, Reiman said.

The room will have mitt chairs, state-of-the-art computers, iPod docking stations and possibly a flat-screen television, Reiman said.

“There will be glass walls going up, so that it creates a private room, but it will not be something we'll have to worry about security-wise,” Reiman said. “This way there will be full visibility in the room for the staff and anybody walking through the library.”

Emery said visitors should expect “very minor inconveniences” during construction.

“They should expect just a little bit of noise on occasions,” she said. “They also will not want to use certain sections of the library, like the back right area, where materials are laid out. They could use that area, but if they do not want to be distracted, they will want to sit in other areas.”

Construction will cost about $50,000, half of which is being paid for by the borough, from its 2008 capital fund, and the other half from the library.

Leo D. Rommel: 732-565-7296; lrommel@MyCentralJersey.com

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Millville library ready for new home

By JOEL LANDAU • Staff Writer • September 22, 2009

Millville Public Library director Irene Percelli is pleased the city is moving ahead with plans to build a new library, but said the work can't begin soon enough.
The library recently has made a number of cosmetic changes and implemented new programs, and usage at the facility is increasing, Percelli said.
Circulation numbers were comparable to last year during the first half of the year, but in the months of June, July and August, the number of books and materials checked out by residents increased 25 percent over last summer, she said.
"All of a sudden, things started changing," said Percelli, who added the facility has been busier, but she couldn't point to any one reason for the change.
The library has launched a new Web site, added more lighting, expanded some collections, added childrens' programs and is displaying more pieces of art from local residents.
"We've become a lot more visible," she said.
But the library is still operating in an antiquated space that is smaller than libraries in other municipalities comparable to Millville. The library's board of trustees recently adopted a strategic plan for a new building through the Princeton-based firm Library Development Solutions.
A community the city's size should carry between 90,000 to 100,000 items, according to a study by the firm.
The Millville library's collection is only about half that size, Percelli said.
"We don't have a lot of depth in our collection," she said. "We discard and sell materials to make room for new materials."
A new building would allow the library to hold a larger volume of items, more technology, a meeting room, more room to have displays, a kitchen so they could hold social events and possibly a small café for people to socialize, Percelli said.
The study, which included interviews with a number of local resident groups, and public meetings, said a new building was chief among its patrons' desires.
"The building is functionally obsolete," the report quotes one resident as saying.

The library is working with the city to develop the new building. The board is waiting to hear from the city about a location and then would start applying for grants and raising money, Percelli said. A construction timetable has not yet been set, however.

"We are willing to be open and flexible," Percelli said. "We have to be in this economy."
Mayor Tim Shannon said the city is trying to secure some seed money to start the process for a new library and apply for additional grants. Shannon said the study was very informative, and he wants to keep the library within the Glasstown Arts District.
"We have to stop band-aiding the Millville Public Library and try moving into the 21st century with a modern, green, highly technological library this city desperately needs," he said.
As for the present, Percelli said the staff will next start working on a strategic plan and redefine its audience.
"We need to decide what we are," she said. "We don't have a clear mission. Right now, we try to reach out to everybody. If we can understand our biggest target audiences, we can do things just for them."

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September 18, 2009

Warren County freeholders may scale back or halt plans on project

by Express-Times staff
Monday September 14, 2009, 12:31 AM
A proposed library and human services headquarters construction project that has become a central issue in the upcoming Warren County freeholder election has already incurred roughly $75,000 more in design costs than what was initially approved.

The board has spent more than $740,000 on architectural drawings and engineering services over the past two years. Five change orders have caused the expense to rise above the original $668,200 contract awarded in August 2007 to James R. Guerra P.A., of Elizabeth, N.J.

With the project scope and cost estimates rising and the revenues in the county flat, this expense may be for a facility that might never be built.

Tod Theise, a Democrat opposing Freeholder Angelo Accetturo in the November election, believes the proposal should go before voters.

"It's not really a partisan issue. It's a dollars-and-cents issue," Theise said. "I truly believe people know best how to spend their money."

Warren County Freeholder Angelo AccetturoTheise claims that the freeholders have curbed the project because he has been critical during the campaign.

He believes that the depressed real estate market could allow the county to utilize existing buildings for human services employees and suggests expanding the library branch in Franklin Township and the library at Warren County Community College.

"Anybody that knows me knows I have been questioning the size and scope of that project before I even knew Tod Theise," Accetturo said.
Freeholder Everett Chamberlain noted that some of the change orders were for a geothermal heating system and the use of solar energy, which could lead to cost savings down the road.

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September 14, 2009

Library board could soon have new library site

Sunday, September 13, 2009
Last updated: Monday September 14, 2009, 8:20 AM
BY DAVID M. ZIMMER
Suburban Trends
STAFF WRITER
0 Comments The West Milford Township Public Library's Board of Trustees could soon have a site for a new facility, as the Township Council is expected to vote Sept. 23 on a resolution that would approve the purchase of a property bordering the municipal complex with money available in the library's capital accounts.
If the council approves the resolution, the property at 1470 Union Valley Road, which currently contains a residence as well as a commercial building that houses Trinkets to Treasures and Unique Boutique, will allow the municipal complex to expand by about 25 percent.
Ultimately, the current library, parking lot and surrounding property, estimated at a combined cost of $2 million, will be donated to the township, as long as the new property is approved for a library facility, Township Attorney Fred Semrau said at the Sept. 9 council meeting. The donation from the library board will allow some of the departments currently located in town hall to be moved to the existing library, which is more accessible for those with disabilities than the basement in town hall.
Moreover, the library board has agreed to give the township the library's rights to a portion of the Wallisch Estates, which was purchased as a potential site for a new facility.
Even though the council is involved with the potential acquisition and could help the library receive financing for its project, the funding for the property, real estate transaction costs and bills associated with the construction of a new library will be the responsibility of the library board.
"The board has also been committed to building the new library without any additional taxes, by means of private donations, the use of existing savings, and independent fundraising activities," Library Board President Douglas Ott said in a press release.
While West Milford voters rejected a referendum to spend $4 million on a new library a decade ago, with $200,000 to $300,000 being generated in surplus each year from around $500,000 in state-mandated municipal taxes and an additional $700,000 from the state and other funding sources, the library now has nearly $2 million in reserve that is exclusively dedicated for a new library.
The goal, according to Ott, would be to build a roughly 14,000-square-foot library at a cost of around $3 million with the help of private donations, grants and generous bids.
If the council approves the execution of a contract, the library's $500,000 property acquisition will allow for the expansion of the municipal complex. And while the property will be owned by the township, it will be dedicated exclusively for the construction of a new public library that will be designed to meet the state standards for a community the size of West Milford.
The existing library only has around one-third of the space it needs to house the expansive book and media collections required by the state. Moreover, Library Director Deborah Maynard has said numerous times that due to the amount of books in the 3,000-square-foot public area, there is little room for computers, reading desks and even seating.
Since these size limitations keep the current facility from meeting state standards, the board has been searching for a new site for some time. In the last couple of years a few areas have been discussed including the upper lot behind the municipal complex, Random Woods, the Wallisch Estates on Lincoln Avenue, and the existing library site at Ridge and Union Valley roads.
While the purchase of 1470 Union Valley Road was discussed in the past to expand the municipal complex, an agreement could not be worked out. However, recent developments have caused the neighboring property owner to agree to a sale by the end of September.
"The search for a new [library] location went further in the last 20 months than it did in the previous 10 years," Mayor Bettina Bieri said.
The West Milford Library Board will be continuing discussions on a new library at its open public meetings, which are held the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.
E-mail: zimmer@northjersey.com

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September 10, 2009

Millville mayor wants new library and to drawsyoung professionals to city

Wednesday, September 09, 2009
By JASON LADAY
jladay@sjnewsco.com
MILLVILLE - Mayor Tim Shannon on Tuesday committed himself to the construction of a new public library to replace the current 40-year-old facility on Buck Street.

Shannon called for a modern, state-of-the-art library during a State of the City address before residents and city officials at the Greater Millville Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting.

He also called for the formation of a city youth counsel and the cultivation of professional jobs in order to attract more young professionals to Millville.

"We can't continue to use Band-Aid repairs on a 40-year-old building - we need to commit ourselves to building a new library that will replace the current one," said Shannon. "We still want to pursue a hotel and parking garage in (near Buck Street), and this will set the tone for private sector there.

"Private dollars will find itself in that area."

Shannon stated Millville Economic Development Director Don Ayres and city Planning Director Kim Ayres, who accepted the GMCC Outstanding Citizen Award during the same meeting, would seek out grants for "seed money" to get the project started.

"At that point, it'll give the city time to re-evaluate what is needed and what it's using as a public library," Shannon later added. "We could possibly use (federal) stimulus money."

Members of the library board of directors were in the audience during the mayor's speech and reacted especially favorably to a commitment from Shannon.

Earlier this year, Library Director Irene Percelli stated computer use at the library had jumped 523 percent from late 2007 to early 2009.

"There's been an enormous jump in demand for our services lately, and it's taking a lot of staff time and energy to meet all of this demand," said Percelli. "People realize they can apply online for jobs, the elderly come in to use the e-mail to save on postage."

Officials at the library expressed serious doubt whether the current facility can support the skyrocketing foot traffic.

Staff and patrons alike have also complained of numerous roof leaks, and a problem of limited space has seen the library bursting at the seams.

"This is something that's been a topic of discussion and a priority of mine ever since I (became mayor)," said Shannon. "And it's been part of the steady conversation for about eight to nine years."

The mayor, a few weeks past his 100-day milestone as mayor, also pledged to attract jobs that can "support families" to the area throughout the next four years.

He emphasized retaining residents currently in their 20s who looking to leave Millville for better-paying jobs.

"The city has to provide jobs that can become careers," he said. "We have to attract young professionals and reach out to a new generation of 20-somethings to get involved in business and city government."

To this end, Shannon proposed the development of a city youth counsel.

"A core group of young people giving their opinion on how to keep young people here and how to attract them back to Millville once they've finished college.

"I want to ask them what they want their town to look like in five years. We want to make it so they want to keep their hometown their hometown."

Shannon recognized the tough economic time experienced by many in the city, but expressed optimism that the city can overcome such hurdles.

In closing, Shannon, a Republican, channeled a certain Democratic president.

"You heard President (Barack) Obama in the campaign say Yes we can?" he remarked. "Well, I say to you: Yes we will."

Posted by tumulty at 5:35 PM | Comments (0)
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How tweet it is: Atlantic County Library begins texting patrons

Press of Atlantic City
Posted: Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Not all those teenager text messages are about boyfriends, girlfriends and drama.

One or two of them might get some of the youths to the library.

The Atlantic County Library System and the New Jersey State Library are starting a 6-month pilot program that sends text messages with library-related updates - ranging from meeting notices to information about new programs - to cellular phones and other mobile communications systems. Program participants say the Mobile Communications Pilot Program, which will initially target teenagers and the parents of young children, is a potentially groundbreaking endeavor.

"This is the first program of its kind for libraries in the nation," state library marketing director Nancy Dowd said in a prepared statement. "The Atlantic County Library System is a pioneer in our field. Their work will help libraries across the country learn more about this medium and provide the groundwork for future campaigns.

"Mobile phone usage is at the leading edge of a cultural change in communications. The New Jersey State Library realizes communication networks are continually evolving and it's important for libraries to keep up on those technologies that will help them reach existing customers, as well as inform new people of how libraries can help them."

"We are excited to be a part of this new initiative," said Atlantic County Library System Director William Paullin.

Under the program, which is being funded by the state library, teenagers and parents of young children can sign up to get the text messages from individual county library branches in Brigantine, Egg Harbor City, Egg Harbor Township, Galloway Township, Hammonton, Mays Landing, Pleasantville, Longport, Somers Point and Ventnor, or for system-wide information. Participants can drop out of the program at any time.

The library doesn't charge for the service, although regular text-messaging fees do apply.

Karen George, the county library's assistant director, said the program will start with one or two text messages a month, and could increase to about four a month.

However, she said the number of text messages won't be excessive.

"People have to pay for this," George said. "We don't want to impact on that, or be a nuisance."

The new program is just another way to get the library's message out, she said.

"People think about us as books and quiet places," George said. "We are that, but we have so much more than we can offer."

Information about the program is available by visiting or calling the county library branches, and at the county library Web site at www.atlanticlibrary.org.

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September 7, 2009

Historic library soon to get facelift

Sunday, September 6, 2009
Suburban Trends The municipality is making preparations to get the scaffolding removed from around the public library.
The mortar on this historic building was seen falling apart late last year, so the scaffolding was put up to protect library patrons from falling debris.
To fix this, the plan is to re-point the brick face around the entire library. Borough Administrator Vito Gadaleta said the borough sought out bids from contractors interested in doing the work and gave a Sept. 1 deadline for the bids to be received.
Describing what the job entails, Gadaleta said, "All the joints will be ground out, the damaged bricks will be repaired, all the joints will be re-pointed, and new mortar will be put in all of the joints."
The municipality estimates this project will cost $130,000 and should take less than two months to complete.
Gadaleta said this work will be paid for with an $80,000 Community Development Block Grant and the borough's capital improvement fund.
The administrator said if everything goes well with the bids, the Borough Council will award a contract during its Sept. 9 meeting.
"The contract is a 60-day contract so we anticipate work to begin Oct. 1 or sooner and be done before Dec. 1," said Gadaleta.
–Leslie Scott

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September 5, 2009

A consolation: No fines

A consolation: No fines
By George Tibbits

Associated Press
Sept. 3, 2009

SEATTLE - The main library in this book-loving city is an architectural landmark, a daring, contemporary temple to the written word that draws tourists as well as literary locals and those who just want a place to sit and think.
But this week, just don't try checking anything out, returning an overdue book, or even logging on to the online catalog. The city's entire library system - from its branches to book drops to Web site - is shut down to save money.

"I think it's a very sad day - week - for the city of Seattle that they can't access their local library, which is one of the most heavily used libraries in the country," said Nancy Pearl, the city's superstar former librarian and author of Book Lust, a best-selling tribute to the joy of reading.

All city departments have been told to reduce spending to plug a $43 million gap in Seattle's 2009 budget.

The library is trying to cut 2 percent, or about $1 million, and the weeklong closure of its downtown central library and 26 branches aims to save $655,000. The 700 library employees are forgoing a week of pay. The system reopens the day after Labor Day.

Libraries have been targets for branch closures, reduced hours, and job cuts as cities scramble for cash during the economic downturn, said American Library Association president Camila Alire.

Cutbacks and closures have been proposed or instituted for libraries in Philadelphia; Dallas; Hawaii; Providence, R.I.; and Norwich, Conn.

The reduced hours or closures come just as more people are using libraries for job searches, resumé writing, to entertain themselves with a free book or movie, or for a place of refuge.

In western Washington, where gray, damp winters lead to introspection, the Seattle Public Library has always been a popular escape.

In the city of 600,000, the library system estimates 80 percent of Seattle adults have a library card, and visits to libraries jumped from under seven million in 2004 to more than 12 million last year.

Friends of Seattle Public Library, a support group, says that as of July, library visits were up 8 percent over the same period in 2008.

"It seems so bizarre for a city so steeped in its literature and cultural roots for its library to be closed," said Scottish tourist Cameron Burt, an architecture student at Glasgow's University of Strathclyde as he gazed at the building from the sidewalk.

Burt had hoped to stroll through the Rem Koolhaas-designed central library. Its angular, steel-and-glass walls enclose large, airy spaces and Seattleites have adopted the library as downtown's de facto living room since it opened five years ago.

Seattle has closed its libraries before, for two weeks each in 2002 and 2003 during earlier economic downturns. The city announced this week's closure in April.

City Librarian Susan Hildreth, who is taking a 4.5 percent salary cut, said this week was chosen because school is not in session and library use is low at this time of year.

Cutting branch hours could have saved the same amount of money, but the impacts would have lasted longer and meant layoffs.

Bill Dennis, a representative of the library workers' union, said the closure was the most equitable way of handling a bad situation in which all city departments have had to share the pain, including jobs gone unfilled, reduced training and overtime, and deferred maintenance.

Furloughs were better than eliminating jobs, Dennis said.

No materials will be due and no fines will accrue during the closure. Library officials cautioned people not to simply leave books or materials on library doorsteps, saying patrons will be responsible for any damage or thefts.

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Warren County slows down library and human services project to re-examine costs

Thursday, August 27, 2009
By BILL WICHERT
The Express-Times
WHITE TWP. | Warren County officials are putting the brakes on the proposed library and human services headquarters.

Slightly more than a year after formally dedicating the site, county officials said Wednesday the project's estimated costs have roughly doubled to nearly $30 million. They're concerned about moving forward at a time when county revenues have flattened.

County freeholders agreed Wednesday to send the proposal to the county's projects committee to re-examine the proposal and make recommendations.

"In light of the economy the way it is, in light of the expenses on (the) county balance sheet, I'm very concerned," freeholder Director Rick Gardner said after Wednesday's meeting. "We're going to stop and re-examine what we're doing and then make our best decisions after that."

The county had hoped to break ground on the project in late fall, but the groundbreaking should now take place by early spring, Gardner said.

The county might phase in the proposed project or develop alternative plans for the affected county agencies, Gardner said.

The project, whose original price tag was between $15 million and $17 million, is expected to house the library headquarters, county department of human services, election board and the public health nursing agency. The proposed location is beside the county's Wayne Dumont Jr. Administration Building on Route 519 in White Township.

The projected cost gradually escalated as more county agencies were included in the building's design. The county made other changes, such as adding a geothermal heating system, Gardner said. The estimated cost of that system as of a year ago was $2.1 million.

The county has saved more than $20 million in capital funds to put toward the project, but Freeholder Everett Chamberlain said the governing body has been committed to spend no more than what it has on hand.

Chamberlain said he supports taking a hard look at the project to maintain a pay-as-you-go philosophy.

"I think this is an opportunity to do that before we go any further," Chamberlain said during Wednesday's freeholder meeting.

Gardner said the county has some options, even if it just does the library portion of the project.

The project's delay comes as the existing library headquarters in Belvidere continues to pose space constraints.

The aisles are too narrow, bookcases are up against windows and there are few places to sit, said Maureen Baker Wilkinson, the county's library director.

"I'm just happy that it's still on the table and that they're still considering it," Wilkinson said. "We're anxious to get it moving."

Reporter Bill Wichert can be reached at 610-258-7171, ext. 3570, or by e-mail at bwichert@express-times.com.

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September 3, 2009

Seattle libraries close for week to save money

Posted on Wed, Sep. 2, 2009

Seattle libraries close for week to save money
GEORGE TIBBITS

The Associated Press

SEATTLE - The main library in this book-loving city is an architectural landmark: a daring, contemporary temple to the written word that draws tourists as well as literary locals and those who just want a place to sit, read, rest or think.

Just don't try checking anything out, returning an overdue book or even logging onto the online catalog this week. The city's entire library system , from its branches to book drops to Web site , is shut down to save money.

"I think it's a very sad day , week , for the city of Seattle that they can't access their local library, which is one of the most heavily used libraries in the country," said Nancy Pearl, the city's ex-librarian superstar and the author of "Book Lust," a best-selling tribute to the joy of reading.

"And even beyond that immediate sorrow is that people can't go in and check out or find a good book to read" in a time of economic trouble, she said.

All city departments have been told to reduce spending to make up a $43 million gap in Seattle's 2009 budget. The public library is trying to cut 2 percent, or about $1 million, and the weeklong closure of its downtown central library and 26 branches aims to save $655,000. About 700 library employees are forgoing a week of pay, with the system to reopen the day after Labor Day.

Libraries have been targets for branch closures, reduced hours and job cuts as cities scramble for cash during the economic downturn, said American Library Association President Camila Alire, adding that the group did not have statistics on similar closures around the country.

Among other places, cutbacks and closures have been proposed or instituted recently for libraries in Dallas, Philadelphia, Hawaii, Providence, R.I., and Norwich, Conn.

The reduced hours or closures come just as more people are using libraries for job searches, resume writing, to entertain themselves with a free book or movie, or for a place of refuge.

In western Washington, where gray, damp winters lead to introspection, books and the Seattle Public Library have always been a popular escape.

In the city of about 600,000, the library system estimates 80 percent of Seattle adults have a library card, and visits to libraries jumped from under 7 million in 2004 to more than 12 million last year. Friends of Seattle Public Library, a community support group, says that as of July, library visits were up 8 percent over the same period in 2008.

"It seems so bizarre for a city so steeped in its literature and cultural roots for its library to be closed," said Scottish tourist Cameron Burt, an architecture student at Glasgow's University of Strathclyde as he gazed at the building from the sidewalk outside its locked doors.

Burt had hoped to stroll through the Rem Koolhaas-designed central library, whose angular, steel-and-glass walls enclose large, airy spaces that Seattleites have adopted as downtown's de facto living room since it opened five years ago.

"Libraries should always be there for everyone," he said.

Seattle has closed its libraries before, for two weeks each in 2002 and 2003 during earlier economic downturns. The city announced this week's closure in April.

City Librarian Susan Hildreth said this week was chosen because school is not in session and general library use is low this time of year. Cutting branch hours could have saved the same amount of money, but the impacts would have lasted longer and meant layoffs.

The system also is reducing training, putting off buying some staff computers and cutting administrative costs, including a 4.5 percent salary cut for Hildreth and library directors.

Bill Dennis, a representative of the library workers' union, likewise said the closure was the most equitable way of handling a bad situation in which all city departments have had to share the pain, including jobs gone unfilled, reduced training and overtime, as well as deferred maintenance.

Because much of the library's budget is for personnel, that's where cuts had to be made, and weeklong furloughs were better than eliminating jobs outright, Dennis said.

"Simply to cut jobs and put people out on the street doesn't help anybody," he said.

No materials will be due and no fines will accrue during the closure. Library officials especially cautioned people not to simply leave books or materials on library doorsteps, saying patrons will be responsible for any damage or thefts.

Despite the April notice that the libraries would be closed this week, a steady stream of would-be patrons still tried the doors or the locked depository bins on Monday.

Katie Gallegos, a baker who had just gotten off work around noon, was frustrated she couldn't get a book and check her e-mail before heading home for a nap. The closure is "stupid," she said, adding that it shows the city's priorities are out of whack.

"The city needs to spend its money more wisely and not let budget cuts close something like a library, a public service," she said.

Others seemed resigned to yet another consequence of the bad economy.

"It's more of an inconvenience than anything else," said Matthew Greenham, who had tried to drop off books and DVDs.

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Library trying to evolve to meet Irvington's changing needs

by Richard Khavkine/For The Star-Ledger
Tuesday September 01, 2009, 4:55 PM
IRVINGTON -- Irvington, according to its library's motto, is "the township that reads."

Increasingly, though, it's becoming the township that surfs the Web. And like a beach with monster waves, the library is becoming a crowded place on a near-perfect summer day.

To help alleviate the crunch, and to meet what's become more of a need than a diversion, the library is in line for a $400,000 federal grant that would help it add 25 computers, three years of salary and benefits for a full-time staffer, and supporting software and peripheral hardware.

"We're keeping up with the needs of the community, and the need is not for old books; the need is for technology," said Joan E. Whittaker, who has been with the library since 1994 and director since 2000. "This is really a responsibility to the needs of the community. We're giving people the opportunity to help themselves."

Suton Ragland, who has been coming to the township library for years, doesn't come for the books or DVD's.

"I come for research, to look for jobs, to stay in contact with relatives," Ragland, 30, said yesterday afternoon.

To do all that, Ragland was waiting on line, albeit a short one, for the next available Hewlett-Packard desktop in the library's mezzanine.

The Irvington library currently has 15 public access computers. A computer lab on the first floor has 12, and the children's room another six.

But that's not enough, Whittaker said, and with school starting up again next week, demand is about to skyrocket.

"During school time, we'll have up to 30 people" waiting for a one-hour slot, she said.

According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which provides millions of dollars in technology grants to public libraries, more than 70 percent of people using computers in a library say it's their primary source for connecting to the Internet.

A separate, but related grant application put together by the township would rewire the library with fiber cable, which would speed up users' ability to retrieve data, whether it's a comprehensive trade manual, occupational tests, job applications or just e-mail.

Although Whittaker said the library will continue to provide its core services, it has an obligation to meet patrons' demands.

"We have to rise to the occasion," she said. "Sometimes you have to reinvent yourselves."
Most of the library's mezzanine has been altered to meet, and accommodate, patrons' shifting needs.

The stacks there, spanning books on the arts and recreation - the 700s, in Dewey Decimal parlance - were taken down a few weeks ago.

"Most are 10 to 20 years old," Whittaker said. "People can access most of that information off of the Internet."

Without access to the library's computers, Ragland, the longtime patron, said he would likely be spending much more time, and money, chasing job leads that would disappear before he

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September 1, 2009

John Cotton Dana Portrait Comes to Rutgers Library Named in His Honor

by Carla Capizzi
Friday August 28, 2009, 10:48 AM
Library patrons know his name; now they know what he looks like.

The John Cotton Dana Library announces the installation of a portrait of John Cotton Dana in the Dana Room on the Library's fourth floor. The oil painting, by the distinguished artist, Douglas Volk, is on long-term loan from the Newark Museum. The 1923 portrait was given to the Museum by C. W. Feigenspan, a prominent Newark citizen and president of both the Feigenspan Brewing Company and the Federal Trust Company of Newark.

The portrait may be viewed during Dana Library's events or by request to the Media Services Department (973 353-5917).

John Cotton Dana served as Newark Public Library director from 1902 until 1929. His accomplishments in providing innovative services and programs to equalize and expand access to information brought him national acclaim. Newark Public Library offered books to children in the Library's Children's Room, in their schools through circulating "trunk" collections, and in their neighborhoods with bookmobiles.

The Library also offered specialized sources for members of the business community at a branch in the city's commercial district. Newark's teachers had access to a collection of practice and research materials, including a remarkable picture file. The Library made reading materials in languages other than English available to Newark's newest residents. In 1909 Dana acquired a series of Japanese prints that were displayed on the Library's fourth floor, an area set aside for the new Newark Museum. Dana began to add pieces of American art, handicrafts and utilitarian objects. The Museum was moved from the Library building to its present facility in 1926.

In addition to his work at the Public Library and the Museum, Dana was very active in city life, serving on educational and cultural committees and boards of trustees. He was a board member of the New Jersey Law School, one of Rutgers-Newark's predecessors. When the School's Pre-Legal Department became a four-year program, the new school was named Dana College. Although Dana College was quickly followed by the Newark College of Arts and Sciences, the library continues to carry his name. In honor of his contributions, John Cotton Dana was known as Newark's First Citizen.

The painter, Douglas Volk (1856-1935), was a contemporary of Dana (1856-1929). During his lifetime, he enjoyed a national reputation for his portraits, as well as his historical studies of the colonial period in New England. Born in Pittsfield, MA, and raised in Chicago, Volk studied with Jean Leon Gerome at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts (Paris) from 1873 to 1879. On his return to the United States in 1879, Volk began his lengthy career as an art educator in New York City, teaching first at Cooper Union and later at the Art Students League, the New York Society of Ethical Culture, and the National Academy of Design. Volk's paintings have been collected by the National Gallery and the Corcoran Gallery (Washington, D. C.), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and the Carnegie Museum (Pittsburgh). His murals decorate the walls of the Court House in Des Moines, IA, and the Capitol building in St. Paul, MN.

Volk received his first medal for paintings displayed at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Many awards followed, including the Proctor Portrait Prize and the Saltus Gold Medal of the National Academy of Design in 1910, as well as the Academy's Maynard Portrait Prize in 1915. Volk was recognized by the American art world when he was elected to membership in the Society of American Artists (1880) and the National Academy of Design (1899).

For more information, please contact: Ann Watkins ann.watkins@rutgers.edu (973-353-5162).

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Library, volunteers part ways

By JANE ROH • Courier-Post Staff • August 31, 2009

For 14 years, Ken and Alice Skinner volunteered at least one day of the week at the Vogelson Regional Branch library, sorting and shelving donated books and helping out at fundraising sales.

And then they were out.
In an undated letter postmarked Aug. 14, the Friends of the Camden County Library System, a group of volunteers who worked to raise funds for the county's public libraries, were told that they and the library system were severing ties.
"The Library and the Friends have worked for several months to resolve differences about the operation of the Friends group and their relationship to the Library. Unfortunately, our visions for the future differ and we have reached an impasse. The Library Commission voted at their August 11th meeting to end our relationship," read the letter from commission Director Linda A. Devlin.
But the Friends dispute the commission's account.
The mostly senior-citizen volunteers said they feel as if they were blindsided by the commission's decision to cut them off, and are miffed by the fact that as a group of unpaid workers they've essentially been fired.
"Frankly, I feel degraded and I feel that my integrity and my character has been besmirched," said Iris Cook, an 83-year-old retiree who's been a volunteer for 20 years.
"In the last six years we've brought in about $200,000. We buy books for the library, we sponsor programs, we give money to buy books, equipment, and furniture," Cook said.
The group also said the commission's leadership never outlined what their competing vision for the library was, they contend.

Differences
In a statement released Friday, Devlin said, "It is inconsistent with the policies of the Camden County Library System to be affiliated with an organization that restricts the voting rights of its members and does not conduct periodic audits of its books."
At issue was a proposal from the commission to give all dues-paying members of the Friends -- even ones considered "inactive" -- plus library staff a vote in decisions concerning library funds.

"People who work for the library should not become voting members of the organization because it would be a conflict of interest," said Evalyn Gelhaus, a trustee in the Friends organization and a former president. "Not only for them, but it would not be fair to other branches."

Disadvantage
Since Friends headquarters was in Voorhees, Gelhaus said, commission employees based elsewhere and unable to attend meetings would be at a disadvantage.
Gelhaus and other members of the Friends leadership also dispute the charge that they weren't transparent, pointing out that their 501(c)3 tax filing status makes their finances open to anyone who wants to view them.
While the commission asked the Friends to codify annual audits into their bylaws, Gelhaus says that at the advice of their attorney they changed the language to "periodic audits."
"We could actually have audits more often, then," she said, noting that the revised language gave the commission the option to check the Friends' books quarterly.
Dear John letter
But it was while the attorney was still going over the proposed bylaws that Devlin broke things off in what Friends described as a Dear John letter.
"Our taxes go toward the library and they want us to pay $15 a year to be members," complained Bill Nieder, who with his wife Shirley has been a Friend who nearly six years. "They did this without even talking to (us], all of the sudden."
"The decision wasn't mine to make," Devlin countered. "This (process) has been going on for quite some time.
The decision was made by the commissioners formally, through continued communication with the library administration and the library commission."
Commissioners could not comment on the matter, directing all queries to Devlin.
Calls to Freeholder Riletta L. Cream, the county's liaison to the library system, were not returned.
The seven members of the Library Commission are appointed by the freeholders, but it was not clear which body the commissioners answered to, or if to anyone at all.

"As far as the county is concerned, the Camden County Library System is separate from the county. It has its own board and is responsible for its own operations," said Ron Tomasello, a spokesman for the county.

"We stand behind the fact that the library is performing its fiduciary responsibility. Ultimately it is their responsibility to make those judgments," said Joyce Gabriel, a county spokeswoman. "We do stand behind the library's administration of this."
Devlin described the library system as a "semi-autonomous" agency. Most of the library's operating budget -- $9.2 million in fiscal year 2009 -- comes from the county's library tax. The state contributed $258,000 in aid this year, and a 2008 tax filing shows that the Friends of the Camden County Library raised more than $51,000 for the library last year.
Priscilla Mahon, president of the Friends, would not comment for this article, citing a meeting scheduled next week with Freeholder Cream.
Meanwhile, in her letter, Devlin invited members of the Friends to continue on as volunteers.
"We would welcome your participation in other types of organizations under consideration where you can support the Library through book sale volunteering, advocacy, fundraising and contributions," she wrote.
But the spurned Friends exhibited little enthusiasm for sorting books and running fundraisers gratis for the commission.
"I'm done," said Skinner, a 59-year-old retired social worker in Cherry Hill. He noted that the commission changed the lock on the room where Friends met and sorted books. A page reserved for the Friends had also been taken down from the commission Web site.
"I won't go back," vowed Nieder, a 75-year-old retiree in Voorhees. "It's all volunteers. You don't get paid for it. Why would you throw them out? We didn't have a coffee pot, we didn't have a telephone, we didn't have anything up there."
Reach Jane Roh at (856) 486-2919 or jroh@gannett.com

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