« New Jersey towns face crash diet of budget cuts | Main | Kenilworth Library can help residents ride out the recession »

January 15, 2010

Library fund makes first -- and last -- donation

nj.com
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
STAFF WRITER
TRENTON -- A charitable foundation that collected thousands of dollars for the cash-strapped Free Public Library, but then became mired in a dispute with the system's board, made its first and last contribution to the library yesterday:

Members of the Foundation for the Trenton Free Public Library ceremonially presented new furniture and equipment worth more than $17,000 at the main library on Academy Street.

Foundation President Kevin Moriarty, who helped create the organization in September 2008, said before the event that making the long-delayed contribution would be bittersweet for members who had hoped to play an ongoing role in the library's revival.

"It does have a wistful, "what could have been' feeling," Moriarty said.

"We could have done a lot more," he said, while adding that he wanted to emphasize the positive nature of the ceremony. "We were glad to raise the visibility of the library," he said.

The foundation, and its contribution, have a complicated past.

In 2008, after the city cut its $3.5 million annual allocation for the independent library system by 10 percent, library director Kimberly Matthews said she would have to close the four branches, prompting an outcry from a wide range of residents.

Moriarty and others accused the library board of mismanaging its finances and failing to respond effectively to the crisis.

Eventually, the branches were given a reprieve after the state librarian agreed that the library could stay open for fewer hours per week.

Meanwhile, the foundation raised $17,300 and sought to craft a memorandum of understanding with Adrienne Hayling, who was board president at the time, and other officials that would establish transparency and accountability.

Posted by tumulty at January 15, 2010 7:44 PM

Comments

Post a comment