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February 26, 2010

Congress Extends Patriot Act, No New Protections

By REUTERS
Published: February 25, 2010
Filed at 9:07 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation to extend expiring provisions of the anti-terror USA Patriot Act won final congressional approval on Thursday, with Democrats unable to add additional civil liberties protections.

On vote of 315-97, the House of Representatives approved the bill, a day after it cleared the Senate. It now heads to President Barack Obama to sign into law.

The Obama administration wanted to extend the measure because of provisions it says are important in tracking suspected terrorists, including roving wiretaps to track multiple communications devices. But some lawmakers wanted additional privacy measures to protect against abuses.

With the Patriot Act provisions set to expire on Sunday, lawmakers agreed to extend them for a year, and effectively put off a showdown on efforts to bolster safeguards.

Democrats had sought changes to protect law-abiding U.S. citizens, but Republicans managed to tie up their efforts, arguing that changes would undermine the tracking of suspected enemies of the United States.

Democratic Representative Jane Harman opposed the extension, citing abuses of the law during the administration of President George W. Bush.

"While I strongly support using the most robust tools possible to go after terrorists, Congress must revise and narrow -- not extend -- Bush era policies," Harman said.

The Patriot Act was quickly passed by Congress after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The extended provisions include: authority for "roving wiretaps" to track an individual's use of multiple communications devices; gaining access to certain personal and business records; and tracking so-called "lone wolf" suspects who are not members of an organized enemy group.

The provisions have been cited as necessary by lawmakers in the aftermath of the failed attempt by a Nigerian man to blow up a U.S. commercial passenger jet and the shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas by a military psychiatrist who had been communicating with an anti-American cleric in Yemen.

(Reporting by Thomas Ferraro and Andy Sullivan; editing by David Alexander and Todd Eastham)

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February 25, 2010

Editorial- Library support

Daily Journal , Tupelo, Mississippi
Feb. 23, 2009

Mississippi’s budget cuts – whose adverse impact on K-12 schools, community colleges and universities is reported almost daily – also strikes at a less noticed but popular and heavily used state-funded source of information and knowledge: public libraries.

Gov. Haley Barbour’s budget cuts so far have sliced $600,000 off the statewide appropriation for the network of libraries serving every region – and people of all ages.

That $600,000 cut, while small compared to the millions cut from other agencies, is arguably more quickly damaging to libraries’ ability to serve users because operating budgets have little room for adjustment.

State budget impacts in library systems’ budgets vary – based on the amount funded by counties’ tax sources.

In Northeast Mississippi the percentage of total budgets provided by the state ranges from 35 percent in the Northeast system (Alcorn, Tippah, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties) to 14 percent in the Lee-Itawamba system.

Every library will experience qualitative impacts – either service employee reductions or cuts in budgets like collections, the funds used to buy new books, computers and other resources demanded by today’s library users.

As Emily LeCoz noted in her reporting in Sunday’s Journal, the cuts from the state couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Library usage is soaring. Administrators and staff are making the link between bound information and digital information, plus innovative services and programs to attract more users.

The Lee County Library in Tupelo is a good example of how cuts will affect services:

- The state cuts will take $20,000 out of the library’s budget of $1.3 million, and the impact will be felt in spending on the collections: $53,000 in a typical year, $35,000 this year.

- Library use increased from 239,905 visits in 2008 to 252,130 in 2009. Use so far in 2010 is on track to exceed the 21,000 per month average in 2009. Library director Jan Willis said he anticipates as many as 27,000 users per month during the summer, when children’s reading programs are at a peak.

Additional reductions in 2010 are expected, and even larger cuts are forecast for budget year 2011 – almost $1 million less in the proposed funding legislation making its way through the Legislature. (Follow the progress of proposed funding at http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/ for HB 1624.)

Libraries – all 50 systems – are as integral to our state’s intellectual infrastructure as universities and community colleges. Adequate funds must be a legislative priority.
Do you support restoring state funding?

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February 23, 2010

Woodbury libraries get new computers

February 22, 2010

WOODBURY — A $20,000 grant from the Public Service Enterprise Group Foundation to the United Way of Gloucester County has provided additional computers at the Woodbury Public Library and Woodbury High School Library to give students more access to the Homework Help New Jersey Web-based tutorial program.

The library's new computers will be powered up at 3 p.m. today for the students in the library's after-school program. The grant added four additional computers to the high school library to provide more access to the Web site.

Homework Help New Jersey provides real-time assistance for all grade levels and subjects, including college and adult education. Job seekers can access the site for assistance in writing a resume. The free service is accessible to anyone with a valid library card.

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Local libraries need the public's support to survive

Burlington County Times
Feb. 23, 2010
Opinion Column

Librarians and those who love libraries may feel as if they're in an upside-down world these days.

Funding is down.

Way down.

And still tumbling.

All of this despite the fact that library use is up - way up - because now, more than ever, people, especially those who were damaged economically, emotionally and physically by the evil deeds on Wall Street, need them.

Thanks to libraries, those who cannot afford home computers can use the ones at their local libraries to do homework, write research papers or find jobs. All free of charge.

"Business is booming," said Gail Sweet, director of the Burlington County Library System.

The Friends of the Burlington County Library recently hosted a lunch reception for library workers and friends from across the county.

The meeting was designed as a brainstorming session.

Participants were asked to share their thoughts on raising money for projects and, perhaps more important, how to make everyone - from a kindergarten student visiting a library for the first time to a current CEO who owes much of his or her early success to library access - become an advocate for libraries.

The meeting was organized by Burlington County Library Friends president Charles Bruder, and a formal presentation was guided by headquarters librarian Joan C. Divor. It quickly became clear that libraries are in a crisis mode, especially small ones like Beverly, which temporarily closed its doors recently due to a lack of funding.

So what seems the best path for those seeking to save libraries in this higher-use/less-support era?

Janet Lowe of the Beverly Library suggested asking children to write letters to legislators seeking help, and Celeste Poin-sett of the Bordentown Library Association talked about going directly to residents by mailing a pledge form and requesting a donation.

Of course, libraries aren't alone in seeking public and official support during these dismal financial days.

Theater companies may have their seasons threatened, youth sports teams may have trouble paying fees, and dance troupes may find they don't have enough money for rehearsal space, let alone the funds to put on performances.

That shared pain is understandable, but libraries are something special.

Very special.

They level the playing field for those of all incomes and backgrounds and give users a jump-start on the road to success.

They truly offer something - from computers to classics, as one marketing slogan noted - for everyone, help users achieve their goals, and have the grand ability to change lives in major ways.

The goal of the meeting was to turn up the volume on the importance of libraries, and that came across loud and clear.

One can only hope our elected representatives are listening.

As Bruder said, "We must advocate for the survival and existence of libraries."

Amen.

Calkins Media film critic Lou Gaul is a trustee for the Friends of the Burlington County Library and a trustee for the Moorestown Free Library Association.

February 23, 2010 01:20 AM

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February 21, 2010

Opening of Plainsboro's state-of-the-art library around the corner

Sunday, February 21, 2010
Megan DeMarco
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES OF TRENTON
PLAINSBORO -- Residents awaiting the opening of the new, three-story library in town center have only a few more months to wait.

The library will have its "soft opening" at the end of March or beginning of April, according to director Jinny Baeckler. A more formal dedication will take place in May to thank those who donated nearly $3 million toward the construction of the new 34,000-square-foot building.

The process has moved particularly slowly because of weather difficulties, Baeckler said. A shipment of new furniture was just delayed because of the recent snowstorm, and in the spring, the ground was "horrendously wet," slowing the process.

"We've had normal problems in the sense of weather primarily," she said.

The new facility will be almost entirely wireless, and will have many power outlets for visitors' computers. At the present facility, wires sometimes crisscross as patrons try to plug laptops into the few available outlets, she said.

"This building was really built pre the Internet boom," she said, referring to the current location.

New computers will be added to the new library, she said.

The first floor will be the "Main Street," Baeckler said. It will have a cafe, computers, newspapers and community rooms.

The second floor will be quieter, with a section set aside for research, rooms for study, areas for tutoring and a nonfiction section. There will also be a health education room, where visitors can do medical research in private.

The third floor will be for children, complete with a reading pit.

There will also be a tower room, several patios and outdoor reading areas.

"I'm very excited," Baeckler said. "Now we have the space to do what we really have been doing all along and doing it better."

The new library has been a long time coming. The original plan was to expand the current building, but that was problematic because it would cut into parking areas. When a spot opened in the town center, Baeckler said she was more than happy to be in a central location.

"We really would like to be in the middle of the community," she said, adding that collaboration has already begun with the surrounding businesses, cafes and stores.

The current building, located in the municipal complex, will be used by the recreation department.

The Plainsboro library will be one of the largest in the area, doubling the size of the current library, Baeckler said, but she hopes visitors will still feel at home in the new location.

"It's my hope that everybody will feel welcome," that everyone will be able to "find their corner," she said.

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Major upgrades planned at county college's library

Sunday, February 07, 2010
Lawrence Ragonese
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
It's a bit like an old-fashioned town library. Tall, dark brown book stacks lined in a row. Old, dated tables and chairs filling empty spaces. Dull lighting. Rumpled and worn carpeting on the floor.

It's not the modern, welcoming place John Cohn wants for students at the County College of Morris. But some big changes are planned to brighten up and modernize the Sherman H. Masten Learning Resource Center that Cohn manages, plus other facilities on the Randolph campus.

It's part of a continuing capital effort to keep the school up to date and make it attractive to an increasing number of students seeking affordable education in a declining economy, say college officials.

"You have to constantly maintain the college," said CCM president Edward Yaw. "The more you put things off, the more they end up costing. And it is particularly important to upgrade as enrollment, and the need for education, is growing."

The college trustees last month approved $3 million in capital improvements, including a $1.5 million makeover of the Masten center, the college's library and media center. The board also approved $500,000 to renovate the landscape and horticulture technology building, $500,000 for ceiling and restroom renovations in the academic center and another $500,000 for parking lot repaving and new curbs.

The cost is expected to be split with the state, via Chapter 12 education dollars, if the capital work gets expected approval this week by the CCM Board of School Estimate, which includes two trustees and three county freeholders.

Meanwhile, the college, with nearly 8,000 full- and part-time students, is moving ahead with several other already approved facilities improvements:

"¢ Construction of a new $2.5 million horticulture/landscape building. A contract is expected to be awarded this month for a 6,000-square-foot building, to be attached to the existing structure, that will include classrooms, laboratories, offices, a conference room, rooftop garden and a small retail center.

"¢$2 million upgrade of nursing and biology laboratories in Cohen Hall. The project is 65 percent complete, with eight nursing and four biology/chemistry labs being renovated.

"¢ $750,000 renovation of the planetarium complex is scheduled for completion next month. New equipment to show the stars and skies is being installed, with new seats, carpeting and handicapped access being added.

Cohn, who has been at CCM since 1978, gave a tour of the Masten Center last week, pointing out some obvious deficiencies: old ceiling tiles and substandard lighting, utilitarian furniture dating to the center's 1968 opening, patches of old yellow carpet in floor areas that used to be under book stacks, cluttered and plainly visible storage under the main staircase.

"a kind of gloominess'

"It's too dark. There's a kind of gloominess here, a washed out feeling,'' said Cohn, as he toured the first floor of the 42,234-square-foot structure, which has a separate media/communications annex.

"This needs to be more modern and should be more of a destination for students, an open and welcoming place," he said.

Planned improvements include new carpeting and lighting, new and smaller bookshelves, more comfortable furniture and a reallocation of space to create areas that would be conducive to group study and collaboration. The "new" learning center also may have a coffee bar and the outside balcony may be reopened for student use, he said.

The plans were greeted enthusiastically by students at the center last week.

"Yeah, there's a lot that could be done here," said Selvete Boj of Randolph, as she studied with fellow student Khoa Dao of Mine Hill. "They need more computers, more relaxing chairs, a better environment."

Ivan Mendoza of Roxbury, treasurer of the CCM Student Government Association, said students want more spaces to allow them to more easily collaborate and work on projects.

"This place looks pretty old. There's a lot of wasted space," said Mendoza, as he stood amid the stacks and searched for a book. "The changes would be great, awesome."

Cohn said the improvements will be done in stages, starting with replacement of carpeting and book stacks, which he hopes will be done this year. However, that depends on when the cash-strapped state approves its portion of the funding, he said.

Lawrence Ragonese may be reached at (973) 539-7910 or lragonese@starledger.com

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February 19, 2010

Boonton preparing to take over library's building

By Eugene Paik/For The Star-Ledger
February 18, 2010, 5:44PM
BOONTON -- Town officials are about to reach an agreement to gain control the historic Holmes Library building, a move that would allow major rehabilitation work of the Main Street structure.

The board of aldermen scheduled to vote Tuesday night on a resolution that would make the deal official, but the vote was postponed until March 1 to iron out issues with the document.

A 2005 file photo of the Holmes Library in BoontonIf approved, the current owner, a board of representatives from local churches, will transfer the building’s deed at no charge, Mayor Cyril Wekilsky said. The library board, which is separate from the town’s governing body, would continue to run the library.

For about 116 years, the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has been used as Boonton’s library and has been owned by the board of churches.

The board of churches was created in the early 1890s based on the will of deceased property owner James Holmes, who said he wanted the building to become a public library. The board, which represented the five churches in Boonton at that time, controlled library services for almost a hundred years, Boonton history librarian Joe Gasparro said.

In 1993, he said, the town formed a separate public board to take over the library and give the municipality more authority in its operation. The new library board now controls the services of Holmes Library, while the board of churches owns the building itself.

The separation of the building owner and the library, however, made it difficult to secure grant money to renovate the aging building, library director Sam Pharo said.

The library board, which is appointed by the mayor, hopes that by taking full control of the Holmes building, it can begin some badly needed renovation work, Pharo said. But in order to do that legally, the deed needs to be signed over to the town, he said.

The terms of the lease, such as its length and rent, are some of the details that held up the approval of Tuesday’s resolution. Pharo said a lease has to last for at least 20 years.

Once the deal is official, the library plans to focus on the rehabilitation work and to explore an expansion. The library currently occupies the three-story building’s ground and basement floors, while three apartments take up the rest of the structure.

What hasn’t been determined yet is the fate of the two apartment tenants still living in the building, Pharo said. They could be required to leave in order for the library to receive the grant funding.

“Having private citizens makes it tricky,” Pharo said. “I can’t say what’s going to happen.”

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February 18, 2010

NYC judge expresses doubts about Google books deal

Feb. 18, 2010
LARRY NEUMEISTER and TOM HAYS
The Associated Press

NEW YORK - A hearing to decide the fairness of a deal that would let Google create the world's largest digital library has ended , but not before a judge expressed skepticism.

Judge Denny Chin raised questions toward the end of a five-hour hearing in federal court in Manhattan indicating he had doubts about the $125 million settlement of two lawsuits.

The judge questioned why the settlement gave Google publishing rights well into the future rather than merely rectifying harm that led authors and publishers to sue it five years ago.

He said settlements typically do not give companies a release from legal claims in the future. Lawyers for Google and authors and publishers who reached the deal defended it as fair.

The judge said he'll rule later.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

NEW YORK (AP) , A hearing to decide the fairness of a deal that would let Google create the world's largest digital library has ended , but not before a judge expressed skepticism.

Judge Denny Chin raised questions toward the end of a five-hour hearing in federal court in Manhattan indicating he had doubts about the $125 million settlement of two lawsuits.

The judge questioned why the settlement gave Google publishing rights well into the future rather than merely rectifying harm that led authors and publishers to sue it five years ago.

He said settlements typically do not give companies a release from legal claims in the future. Lawyers for Google and authors and publishers who reached the deal defended it as fair.

The judge said he'll rule later.

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Judge says no quick ruling on Google book plans

Feb. 18, 2010
LARRY NEUMEISTER
The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Supporters of Google's effort to create the world's largest digital library Internet told a federal judge Thursday that it would benefit society.

Marc Mauer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the audio capabilities of Google's system "will give us access to 10 million books."

One of the opponents , which include authors, foreign governments, corporate rivals and even the U.S. Department of Justice , countered at a packed court hearing in Manhattan that Google's plans were more about commerce, not access to books.

"It's not going to be a great library, it's going to be a good store," said Sarah Canzoneri, a member of the Children's Book Guild and plaintiff in a lawsuit by authors and publishers.

The hearing put technology giants at odds: A lawyer for Sony Corp., which makes electronic book readers, said the company supports Google's effort because it would promote competition. But an attorney for Microsoft Corp. complained that it would violate copyrights and give Google an unfair advantage.

"The deal was structured to solidify Google's dominance," said Tom Rubin, the Microsoft lawyer.

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin already has read more than 500 submissions about a $125 million settlement aimed at ending a pair of 2005 lawsuits that tried to stop Google from scanning books into a gigantic online database.

On Thursday, he was hearing statements from interested parties before deciding whether changes made to a deal first announced in October 2008 are sufficient to withstand constitutional scrutiny.

"To end the suspense, I'm not going to rule today," he said at the start. "There is just too much to digest."

He added, "Voluminous materials have been submitted. There is a lot of repetition. Some of the submissions even quote other submissions."

In court papers submitted last week, Google Inc., which is based in Mountain View, Calif., defended its deal with authors by saying its digital library lives up to the purpose of copyright law, which is to create and distribute expressive works.

"No one seriously disputes that approval of the settlement will open the virtual doors to the greatest library in history, without costing authors a dime they now receive or are likely to receive if the settlement is not approved," Google said.

The Department of Justice said Google and the plaintiffs have made substantial improvements to the original settlement, but it said "substantial issues remain."

It said the new deal raised antitrust concerns and suffered from the same core issue as the original agreement because it establishes forward-looking business arrangements that "confer significant and possibly anticompetitive advantages on a single entity , Google."

Still, the Department of Justice said it believes an approvable settlement may be achievable, perhaps by requiring rights holders to opt in to the settlement.

France and Germany, which oppose the settlement, noted they support a European book-scanning project, Europeana, because it is in compliance with their laws and requires permission from copyright holders before books are scanned.

Obtaining permission beforehand is what Amazon.com Inc. said it did when it engaged in a similar book-scanning project. Amazon's lawyers oppose the Google settlement and have asked to address the court. Other Google rivals including Microsoft and Yahoo Inc. also oppose it.

Among authors opposing the deal are folk singer Arlo Guthrie and writer Catherine Ryan Hyde, whose novel "Pay it Forward" was adapted and released as a movie.

"While I believe that the proposed Google Books Settlement has the potential to provide authors with additional exposure and perhaps additional sources of revenue for their works," Hyde wrote, "I continue to believe that the proposed settlement as amended remains critically flawed and is unfair to authors in a number of crucial respects."

Lawyers for the plaintiffs who brought the 2005 lawsuits defended the settlement. Their submission to the judge said there were relatively few complaints, considering the ambitious plan to digitize all the world's books, and that many opponents "advance competitive and other parochial self-interests" that conflict with the broader interests of the publishing industry.

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February 17, 2010

Pressured libraries feel recession's financial pinch

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

BY ANDREA ALEXANDER
The Record
STAFF WRITER

WAYNE — The township library managed to avert a budget crisis this year that threatened its Sunday hours and even prompted a suggestion of furloughs. And those money troubles in the affluent township of 55,000 people may be a sign of what’s to come for libraries across North Jersey.

While the state’s budget crisis and its effects on schools and local governments have been making news, area libraries are quietly facing their own financial strife just when usage is skyrocketing.

"There is no question people are using fewer Netflix subscriptions, fewer Amazon purchases and definitely heading into the library," said Robert White, executive director of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS).

"The problem with libraries is their funding has been pressurized, but it doesn’t stop people from wanting to come use them," White said.
Library funding is tax-based: It’s tied directly to property values in a community. By law, libraries receive a minimum funding level equal to a certain percentage of the township’s overall equalized valuation — the worth of taxable property in the entire municipality. But for many communities in North Jersey, that number has been shrinking as the recession brings about foreclosures and successful property tax appeals. In Passaic County the minimum funding for libraries has decreased by more than 3 percent, and by about 1.75 percent for libraries in the Bergen County system.

While some local governments provide more than the minimum funding, a majority of libraries, including Wayne’s, receives only the amount required under law.
"Wayne was the flag-bearer here in that they got their information early and realized what it was going to be, but it will be happening all over the county,’’ said Ruth Bogan, executive director for PALS Plus, a consortium of libraries in Passaic and Essex counties.

Both BCCLS and PALS Plus promote resource sharing, provide computer services and advocate for their member libraries. BCCLS, with 75 members in the counties of Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex, represents about one-quarter of all libraries in the state. PALS Plus represents 18 libraries in the counties of Passaic and Essex. Directors of both systems worry that there are more bleak times ahead.

"For the most part, the assessed valuation for all of our communities has gone down because of the economy, and that is directly related to the amount of money libraries get to run," Bogan said. "That to me is the most threatening aspect right now. … I think we are waiting to hear what the bad news will be."

The change has left some libraries, such as Pompton Lakes’, waiting to hear if the municipal government will provide more than the minimum funding required to maintain a stable budget. The New Milford library may consider closing on Sundays, and the River Edge library could face staff cuts if funding is reduced.

Most area libraries are in the early stages of compiling their budgets and determining what measures, if any, are needed to deal with a possible decrease in funding.
White says he warns libraries in BCCLS to plan for a 10 percent drop in minimum funding levels when new numbers come out in the fall. And, he said, libraries can expect continued funding troubles.

"I think this is the first of it," White said. "I think the hard times are still to come."
In addition to serving as a place for people to check out books, movies and music, libraries provide services for people job hunting and dealing with other realities of the recessions. For example, statewide 100 librarians were trained to help patrons fill out electronic unemployment forms.

If libraries were forced to cut back on hours it would mean people like area resident Mary Cunningham would have less time for job hunting on the computer or John and Theresa Chironis of Wayne, would have to find somewhere else to take their grandchildren on Sundays.
"I’m usually here for six-seven hours a day looking for jobs, then I go to Mapquest to see how far they are," said Cunningham, who visits the Wayne library every day to job hunt.
Reduced funding, White said, also would mean "there may not be as many copies of best sellers on the shelf, there will be more self help along the way in terms of staffing and Sunday hours are one the things that could absolutely get cut."

Officials in Wayne were able to divert a crisis this year by closing a $93,000 budget gap while avoiding staff cuts or closing on Sundays. Because the township’s tax base has decreased in value, the library budget dropped from $4,011,646 in 2009 to $3,939,483 this year.
Township auditors allowed the library to carry over about $29,000 in unspent funds from 2009 from salaries, electricity, phone usage and postage line items that otherwise would have been lost, said Director Jody Treadway. The library also used about $15,000 in state aid usually set aside for emergencies and received an unexpected $13,500 grant to cover the costs of a homework help program to balance the budget. It additionally has received $3,000 in donations since its money troubles have become known, Treadway said.

"It’s a big relief," she said. "We are not reducing anyone’s salaries, there are no furloughs, the part-timers are not taking a reduction in the hours they work and we are going to be able to stay open Sundays."
E-mail: alexandera@northjersey.com

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The Record: Libraries matter

Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Record

PUBLIC LIBRARIES are educational bulwarks in communities. If there is a legitimate argument to be made for the home-rule mentality that created hundreds of tiny municipalities in New Jersey, it would have to include the easy accessibility of good public libraries. That could change.

Public officials champion their own jobs, clinging to two offices if they can, to multiple pension-padding positions and to the distribution of political pork. School districts are championed by powerful unions. But libraries lack for powerful defenders, and now many are lacking for cash.
Public libraries receive funding from a formula tied to the overall value of taxable properties in a municipality. If property values decline, so does funding. Property values have declined.
The effects of the current recession on state and municipal budgets have been well-documented. New Jersey has been spending more than it takes in for years. And now the piper must be paid with something other than a promissory note.

In this fiscal crunch, libraries are needed more than ever. They are filling a void for unemployed workers seeking assistance in finding a job, through the use of free computers, and help in filling out unemployment forms online. With less discretionary income, more people are using libraries to take out bestsellers or videos. Libraries are in demand.

But this demand comes when there is less revenue available to pay for these services. New Jerseyans already are paying high taxes; they cannot be charged more. Tough times require creative solutions.

There may be a lesson to be learned from the chain booksellers that have become ubiquitous fixtures of our society. Their coffee bar areas are filled to the brim with browsers and buyers, sipping coffee while reading or working on a laptop.

Public libraries should not morph into a Starbucks, replete with loud blenders, fancy drinks and sweets. But coffee bars — whether run by small local businesses or franchises — could become a source of new, recurring revenue for many libraries. Instead of spending that money outside the library, patrons will spend it in the library.

It is not the panacea for declining revenue. Selling java is no more the answer to funding libraries than the lottery is to funding education. But it can be a part of the equation.
We urge libraries to take stock of more than their books. Some libraries have rooms that could be rented out for academic programs, as well as larger spaces that could be booked for receptions and fund-raising events. Many older libraries are architectural gems and would be an attractive and less expensive alternative to a catering hall.

No single solution will plug the budget hole. A multitiered approach, one that raises revenues, not user fees or taxes, is what is needed. The people most affected by cuts or diminished services are often the people least capable of paying for an alternative.
In the best of all possible worlds, libraries would not have to go hat-in-hand for revenue. But even Voltaire's Dr. Pangloss would know these are not the best of all possible times. And if you do not know the Voltaire reference, your local librarian would be happy to explain it and direct you to the book, "Candide." It's all there waiting at the local library.

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February 15, 2010

Fanwood, Scotch Plains consider combining libraries

By Tracee M. Herbaugh/ For the Star-Ledger
February 14, 2010, 7:12AM
SCOTCH PLAINS -- Scotch Plains and Fanwood are trying to gauge public opinion for a multi-million dollar plan to combine the two communities’ libraries and build one new facility.

The proposed 35,000-square-feet facility would be constructed at the site of the current Scotch Plains Library and cost more than $26 million. About 50 people gathered Thursday at the Scotch Plains Library for a presentation unveiling a year-long feasibility
study.

“We looked at both libraries in Fanwood and Scotch Plains, and neither building would be able to deliver on what the community said they wanted even with substantial repairs,” said Leslie Burger, a consultant with Library Development Solutions, an agency that conducted the study. “This new library, we believe, will be a model to other communities in New Jersey that are thinking about combining.”

Fanwood and Scotch Plains have been involved in a shared services study for the past year that has considered combining municipal services including public works, police services, trash collection and the libraries. The two towns have shared a school district for decades.

The library study concluded that residents want more meeting space than the current libraries offer, Burger said. The proposed building would have a glass atrium and be built with green technology. There will be about 10 fewer parking spots than the current library, but architect Joe Rizzo said a one-level parking deck could be added in the future if needed.

Cost and details of the plan are only in the initial stages of drafting, Burger said. According to the study, it will take about $10 million to keep both facilities operating for the next 10 years.

Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr said the goal of combining libraries is to build a better facility than what both communities have presently.

“Right now, both facilities needed significant improvements,” Mahr said on Friday. “If we’re going to spend $2 million fixing our problems, and Scotch Plains is going to spend money fixing theirs, why not see if we can create something better for both communities?”

Fanwood’s library is 58 years old and the facility in Scotch Plains is 42 years. Neither has had significant renovations.

Leaders in both towns plan to hold several more public meetings to discuss details of the project, though dates have not been set.

“With this project there is no immediate savings, but the idea is that over time you will recapture savings through the efficiency of the building and employees, and purchasing power of the facility,” Mahr said. “What remains to be seen is, during this economic time, if the community has an appetite to bring this vision to a reality.”

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Pearsall library to stop serving Jersey City residents

nj.com

By Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal
February 11, 2010, 3:35PM

The Pearsall Branch of the Jersey City Free Public Library will close Feb. 28. In addition the library's main branch is cutting its operating hours.After nearly 28 years of serving the public, the Pearsall Branch of the Jersey City Free Public Library will close Feb. 28.

“The current state of the economy is unfortunate,” Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said in a statement. “In search of ways to reduce spending, the closure of this branch – which is in great disrepair – is a necessary, but unfortunate action. We are encouraging residents in the area to utilize the newly renovated Greenville Branch Library.”

Library Director Priscilla Weaver-Gardner is out of the office and could not be reached for comment.

Jennifer Morrill, a spokeswoman for Healy, said she did not know if the closure would result in layoffs.

The library, located inside the old Grace Episcopal Church at 104 Pearsall Ave., has a low circulation compared to other branches. It is also within a mile of the Greenville Branch located at 1841 Kennedy Blvd., which recently saw $4 million in renovations, and is less than two miles from the Glenn D. Cunningham Branch at 275 Martin Luther King Drive.

The closure will save about $154,999 annually. The library not only pays rent, but also pays for utilities and covers the cost of maintaining the building.

The Bookmobile will stop outside 104 Pearsall Ave. every other Wednesday from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. beginning Feb. 17.

In addition to the closure, the Main Branch of the library at 472 Jersey Ave. will reduce its hours starting March 1.

The new hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The library is closed on Sunday.

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February 7, 2010

Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

2/6/2010, 11:40 p.m. EST
The Associated Press

(AP) — MCT REGIONAL NEWS

By Maggie Creamer

Lodi News-Sentinel, Calif.

(MCT)

Feb. 6--On Feb. 12, Carnegie Forum will be decorated with American flags and a picture of Abraham Lincoln to celebrate the former library's 100th birthday.

The building was dedicated as the library in 1910 on the same day as Lincoln's birthday, which explains the former president's face being included in the dedication.

Before it had an actual library building, Lodi had a reading room that a person could rent for free to look at books, said Ralph Lea, a local historian.

''It was to get the kids out of the pool hall," Lea said. "I don't think it worked." Around the turn of the century, a group of people started petitioning for money from Andrew Carnegie, who was making donations to construct libraries throughout the country. He required that there was someone who would be responsible for the money.

Two of the factors that helped lead to the Carnegie donation were the city's incorporation in 1906 and the Rev. W.P. Grant's decision to step forward. He was the first library board president and led the effort to construct a building.

The Board of Trustees, which is the equivalent of the today's City Council, established the library on Feb. 25, 1907, after receiving 157 signatures from residents. Because there was no money to construct an actual building or run a library, Rev. Grant assembled 10 people who pledged a total of $109.90 to run the library from March to December 1907.

The city then received $9,000 from Carnegie for the $10,000 project to construct the library. At the dedication ceremony, Feb. 12, 1910, Library Services Director Nancy Martinez said it was a family affair because baby strollers are visible in the pictures.

Martinez said about half of the Carnegie libraries have been bulldozed, and very few have remained libraries.

''The library community really appreciates that that building is still being used," she said.

Besides the decorations at Carnegie Forum, residents can receive a commemorative library card for free at the library while supplies last. Martinez said they made them for the anniversary of the library's founding in 2007, but still had some left over.

Contact reporter Maggie Creamer at maggiec@lodinews.com or read her blog at www.lodi-news.com/blogs/citybuzz.

Fun facts about the library

-- 171,545 items are in the library's collection.

-- About 300,000 items, which includes books, CDs, DVDs, and other items, are checked out every year.

-- When you see your librarians on the street, they are not eyeing you suspiciously about those overdue books.

''I don't know or care," Library Services Director Nancy Martinez said
She said the librarians just want to see the books returned. Even librarians are sometimes overdue.

''We are the worst culprits," she said.

-- Book drops sometimes receive interesting items. In other cities, there have been snow, bombs and ice cream cones.

In Lodi, there was a Lodi High School student who took some type of paging or walkie talkie device, Martinez said. The school asked simply for its return, no questions asked. The student decided the library book drop would be the perfect place to return it.

Three things you might have missed in the current library

-- John Muir's autograph: The library has several autographed books from John Muir. Celia Crocker Thompson donated the books to the library. She knew John Muir when she grew up at Crocker Station, which was a stagecoach stop in Yosemite Valley. She moved to Lodi with her husband, Henry Thompson, who was a library trustee for 50 years.

Celia Crocker Thompson donated books Muir signed for both her and her mother, and a book Galen Clark wrote and signed called "Indians of the Yosemite."

The Muir books include "The Mountains of California and Our National Parks," which is autographed "To Miss Celia Crocker with best wishes -- John Muir."

She also donated family photos that included Muir. The library has been looking for a home for the historic pieces in a museum, Martinez said.

-- Lodi, the horse: There are many legends about how Lodi received its name, Martinez said. One of them involves a painting of a racehorse named Lodi that hangs high on one of the walls in the library. Both the artist and date are unknown.
-- Old microfilm: The library has microfilm records of several newspapers and magazines. The library has the Lodi News-Sentinel since July 1881, Time since 1923, U.S. News and World Report since May 1933, Life since 1950 and Newsweek since 1933.

Five ways the library has changed over the years

1. Technology replacing technology: As technology has increased, the library has had to constantly be updating material. For example, records to eight-tracks to cassettes to CDs to DVDs to digital. As technology has changed, they have had to get rid of old items to make room. Librarian Sandy Smith said people still ask for records, but the library does not have them anymore.

''The only thing that lasts is if it is set in stone," Supervising Librarian Andrea Woodruff said.

2. Card catalogs, no more: Librarians no longer have to spend at least an hour in the morning filing cards into the catalogs. Every time a book was returned, they had to replace five cards for the books based on author, title, usually three subject headings, and a master card for each book.

The work decreased when librarians could type the cards on a typewriter and no longer had to write them. Then, with the introduction of computers, they were nixed completely.

And where did those big card catalog cabinets go? Most were sold as surplus, and some found a home in the Public Works department, Martinez said. They use them to store a variety of nuts, bolts, screws and other small items.

3. More intellectual freedom: While intellectual freedom has always been a cornerstone of the library, it has grown throughout the years. The collection is much more diverse and must carry topics on a variety of subjects.

4. No longer knowing what your neighbor reads: Gone are the days of looking in a library book and seeing who in the community has read it previously. The record of what people check out is highly guarded and requires a court order, Martinez said.

The self-check out machines add another layer of privacy because people can check out books without ever interacting with a librarian.

5. Not a stuffy, silent place: To be clear, the library is still a quieter than your local coffee shop. But it is also a meeting place where people can gather for events or study in groups. The children's area allows kids to read out loud to their brothers or sisters while sitting on cushy book-shaped furniture.

''We have to give them some reason to come," Woodruff said.

A letter from Carnegie

On Dec. 19, 1907, Andrew Carnegie's secretary wrote to the Rev. W.P. Grant, who was working to construct the library:

Dear Sir,

Responding to your communications on behalf of Lodi. If the city agrees by resolution of Council to maintain a Free Public Library at a cost of not less than Nine Hundred Dollars a year, and provides a suitable site for the building, Mr. Carnegie will be glad to give Nine Thousand Dollars to erect a free Public Library Building for Lodi.

Respectfully yours,

P. Secretary
_____

(c) 2010, Lodi News-Sentinel, Calif.

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February 5, 2010

Somerville to join county libraries?

nj.com
By Amanda Peterka / Messenger-Gazette
February 04, 2010, 2:28PM

George PaccielloIt's the friendly and helpful staff, including longtime reference librarian Jim Sommerville, that makes Somerville Library special, patrons say. But some look forward to also having access to county library programs and materials.SOMERVILLE — As part of Mayor Brian Gallagher’s plan for leaner government in the borough, Somerville is exploring whether its library should become the ninth branch in the county library system.

The idea has been tossed around for years, but this time Gallagher has formed a board to weigh all aspects of the decision and come up with a yes or no answer.

The mayor expects the board, made up of what he termed a “good cross-section of folks” — library board members, council members, borough employees and residents — to come up with an analysis of possible savings to the borough and effects on current library employees and services provided.

“It’s a hot-button topic,” Gallagher said. “It’s been talked about in the past, but unfortunately it’s been broached as more of a political discussion. The time we’re in now is forcing it to be an economic and service question as opposed to a political question.”

If the board decides that becoming a county library branch is a good idea, it will recommend the move to Borough Council.

In 2006, Bound Brook became the most recent addition to the county’s library system.
“We did a lot of training,” said Somerset County Library System Director Jim Hecht about getting the Bound Brook Library staff familiar with personnel and operating policies.

Evelyn Silverstein, head of the commission that oversees the county system, said that sometimes it can be a tedious and costly process to switch over because all of a municipal library’s items need to be added to the central database.

Hecht, however, gave an example of long-term cost savings.

“We probably spend more than $150,000 a year on electronic databases,” said Hecht, explaining that when the county system purchases access rights to an online research database, patrons at any of its current eight branches have access to that database.

An independent library usually pays about the same price for the same service, he said. “The cost savings is tremendous.”

Not everybody is convinced that bringing Somerville’s library under the direction of the county is an entirely good thing, though the consensus seems to be there is currently not enough known about what the move would bring.

Kara Wilson, director of adult programming at the borough library, said she and other employees fear for their jobs. She also said she did not know what kinds of constraints might be imposed.

“What they think is important to bring to Somerville might be different on a county perspective rather than on a local perspective,” Wilson said. “Somerville is unique from different towns in the county. If we feel a certain program might work here but might not work in Bridgewater and Bound Brook, how would that affect the creativity we can have?”

Hecht emphasized that although they all operate under a single administrative structure, the eight branches run very much like individual entities.

“We still maintain that each branch have its own identity,” Hecht said. “I think that is one of the reasons for our success over the years.”

“We don’t order centrally,” he said. “As far as what’s purchased throughout the year, that’s done on a community-by-community basis.”

According to Hecht, staffing has also been stable within the county system, with little turnover. “Some large library systems rotate staff between branches. We don’t do that,” he said, noting that staff at each library branch gets to know the community it serves.

Hecht also said that in addition to hiring almost all of Bound Brook’s library staff back in 2006, the change actually created a few new positions as the branch expanded its hours.
Housed in its current building since 1902 adjoining Somerville’s Borough Hall, the library is centrally located in downtown Somerville.

Melissa Banks, borough library director since 2002, said that the library’s gift to the borough is more than just books. It’s the slew of programs and the ease of walking to the library that makes it unique.

“I do think Somerville needs and deserves a public library,” said Banks, who added that she doesn’t know enough about the benefits of joining the county system to have an opinion on it.

Gallagher has been quick to point out, “We’re looking at enhancing the level of service in that location,” not moving, he said.

In his State of the Borough Address delivered on Jan. 1, Gallagher also promised, “Somerville will have a local library as long as I am mayor.”

The shift to the county, if it does happen, would only be a trial period of three to five years at first. The borough would then re-evaluate and see if it’s worked and if there’s been a savings, Gallagher said.

Somerville allocates about $700,000 a year to its library, said Borough Administrator Kevin Sluka. Much of that comes in the form of the building, utilities and benefits for the staff.

“We’re absorbing some of the health costs related to those employees,” Sluka said. “It’s a driving factor in a lot of costs. When that goes up 10, 12, 15 percent, the borough is picking that up.”

The county’s system has a budget of a little more than $14 million, with about $13 million of it coming from taxes. As to how the move would affect taxpayers, Silverstein said it’s only marginal.

County library taxes would be a fraction higher with the county system, “but the services we provide are exponentially larger than most municipal libraries on their own,” she said. “A municipal library may have one or two copies of a popular book and we might have 70 or 80.”

The county’s system has more than 800,000 items, including books, CDs, DVDs and other material, Hecht said.

“It would cut the time I have to wait,” said Iolene Hadley, a frequent patron. “I wait for books all the time here. If I can go to Bridgewater to pick up a book there instead of waiting a week here, that’d be nice.”

Hadley said she would also like to be able to participate in the craft and music programs in the county system — programs that aren’t available in Somerville.

She said, though, that she likes the friendly staff at Somerville.

“I would still come here,” said Hadley, who was at the library with her 2-year-old daughter on Monday.

“The people know me by my first name. I don’t even have to show my card here,” she said.

Wilson, the programming director, said that as a resident of Somerville she’d like to see the board spell out clearly how the move will help her as a taxpayer.

“No matter what way you look at it, it will help the borough, but will it also help the residents, the taxpayers?” she asked.

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February 3, 2010

Monmouth County Library System seeks input on programs

Coleen Dee Berry • Reader Submitted • February 2, 2010
app.com

MANALAPAN -- The Monmouth County Library System is beginning 2010 with a new initiative a survey that will ask county residents for their input on future programming.

To help formulate a new master plan for the Library System, the Monmouth County Library Board of Commissioners is undertaking a survey of library patrons and county residents. The survey asks patrons for their areas of interest, and what type of events and programming they would like to see at the library.

The 12-question survey is currently available on the library's website, http://www.monmouthcountylib.org/, and will be online through the month of February. In addition, visitors to library branches will be able to complete the survey using one of the library's computers, or complete a paper copy if they prefer.

The survey will run throughout the month of February. Results of the survey will be made public sometime in March, and will help the Library Commission plan future events and programs that will better meet the needs and interests of the residents of Monmouth County, according to Library Director Ken Sheinbaum.

As 2010 began, the Monmouth County Library System welcomed its 12th branch. On Jan, 4, the West Long Branch Library opened its doors for the first time as a county branch library. The library, which had shared services with the county Library System for the past three decades, now is a full-fledged member of the largest circulating public library collection in the state.

The change in the library's status will garner an estimated annual savings of more than $200,000 for residents of West Long Branch. The change from locally-run library to a county branch was overwhelmingly approved by West Long Branch residents by a 2-1 margin in a non-binding referendum this past November.

The Library System is also gearing up for the following programs in 2010:
-- The Library System will continue its emphasis on the Teen and Young Adult program, and will partner with the Monmouth County Communications High School in Wall to help with programming and collections. As part of this growing initiative, the library's Teen Advisory Board membership will be expanded.
One of the first major events of the young adult program will be the Sweet Seconds Prom Dress Swap, which is open to all interested Monmouth County residents. The dress swap will be held this March at the Hazlet and Howell branches, according to program librarian Stephanie Acosta. Other young adult programs scheduled include the Puzzle Project for teen artists, a Youth Guitar workshop and a Japanese anime workshop. The program is also in the planning stages for a series of science and technology-themed events for later in the year.

-- The Library System will continue to host cultural and ethnic events, such as a Black History Month “History Through Music” festival on Feb. 6, and Jewish Heritage Month in this May. The popular Jazz Month music series will return, as will the Beatles cover band, Strawberry Fields, for a concert.

-- The Library will also unveil a new program in April, Books for Babies, which would give participants in the Baby Storytime Series free books appropriate for young children aged 10 months to 2 years.

-- The Library System will continue to offer job-seeker services in these tough economic times. One-on-one job hunting assistance is available by appointment in the Career Information Center at the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library on Route 35 in Shrewsbury. Call 1-866-941-8188 for an appointment. Career Information Center resources are also available online at www.monmouthcountylib.org/cic.htm At the Library headquarters in Manalapan, SCORE (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) provides free, confidential, one-on-one counseling for owners and would-be owners of small businesses by appointments on Tuesdays and Thursday; those interest can call 732-431-7220 for an appointment.

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West Long Branch to get library windfall

app.com Feb. 2, 2010
By CAROL GORGA WILLIAMS • COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU • February 2, 2010
WEST LONG BRANCH — The soon-to-be-defunct West Long Branch Library Board of Trustees is dumping a potential windfall of more than a half million dollars into the municipal treasury, helping borough taxpayers.

The board, which ran the library for decades, is no longer required for that function after the Poplar Avenue facility was absorbed Jan. 1 by the Monmouth County Library system. Voters chose that path in a referendum in November.

While the board ponders its future — three members already have resigned — it has accumulated some $528,205 that its members and borough officials agree belongs to the residents of West Long Branch.

Mayor Janet W. Tucci said officials are researching how best to return the money to the people. While residents likely should not expect individual rebate checks, the money could mean less property tax would be required to fund municipal budgets, maybe even for the next few years.

"We've written to the state library board to see if there is a protocol for handling this," Tucci said. "The money belongs to the residents of West Long Branch and the board is trying to find a way to return it in a beneficial way."

Former library trustee Carol Herskowitz has resigned, joining outgoing trustee Marie Sorrentino and former trustee head Robert Faccone, leaving ranking trustee James B. Delehanty Jr. with part of the task of deciding how to return the money.

"It has never been done before, so we have to figure out how to do it correctly," Delehanty said. "My intention is to return the money to the town. Hopefully it will be used to lower taxes and to improve conditions at the library."

He said the money is the result of interest that accumulated on investments between 2000 and 2010. "We improved the library as much as we could" before the county takeover, he said.
Before her Jan. 14 resignation, Herskowitz said the library board had written to Victoria Rosch, associate state librarian, for guidance. "We want to do this in the most timely manner," Herskowitz said of returning the funds to the borough.

The windfall resulted after the borough found itself in a unique situation: out of all of New Jersey's towns, it was the only community whose taxpayers had become obligated to pay twice for library services.

Officials are not sure when this glitch first occurred. But each year, taxpayers forked over the equivalent of the standard municipal formula for their local library. Then they paid again when Monmouth County came calling, collecting its dedicated tax for the county library.
Borough Chief Financial Officer Gail M. Watkins said she does not know when the borough began the pricey practice, only that it has been in place for many years, and could date to the library's creation. The county system was established in 1922; West Long Branch started its library in 1927.

Councilman J. Thomas DeBruin said the library dissolution will likely save more than $400,000 in 2010, although the borough still must pay building costs, for newspapers and periodicals and the library's Internet connection. He estimates the borough's contribution at about $50,000 annually.
The borough's burden can be further reduced, DeBruin suggested, if the library's $528,000 is dedicated to library purposes. DeBruin said the bulk of it should go back to library costs, further reducing the borough's tax liability.

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Roselle Library has banner 2009, looks forward to 2010 improvements

By Suburban News
February 01, 2010, 3:20PM
ROSELLE --The Roselle Public Library had a busy 2009 - in fact, the busiest in almost 20 years. Circulation of books, DVDs, magazines, and other materials hit 62,552, a 7% increase over 2008 and the highest number since the late 1980's. Over 5500 residents have library cards, and the collection reached an all-time high of 60,290 items. New items added to the collection equaled 5234, the most ever.

Richetta Wilson Lobban recently joined the library staff as senior library assistant in our Technical Services Dept., replacing Helen Conway, who retired after 17 years of service. Ms. Wilson Lobban is halfway through her master's degree program at Rutgers, with coursework in archive management.

A long-time resident of Roselle and a former employee of the Summit Public Library, Ms. Wilson Lobban will also take on the task of organizing Roselle's local history materials. The Library recently received donations of the records of the "Sing Out Roselle" club from the 1960's, as well as some high school newspapers from the late 1930's.

The Board of Trustees of the Library reorganized in January for the coming year. Eudora Winston and Elaine Rittinger were sworn in to new five year terms, and Richard Villeda was sworn in to an unexpired term. Anthony Esposito was re-elected as president of the board, as were Maureen Donnelly as vice-president, Elaine Rittinger as secretary, and Eudora Winston as treasurer. Dorothy Mayner was elected to her first term as assistant treasurer. The Library board meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:15 p.m. in the Library.

The Library maintains a variety of services, from the online homework help at the library website of www.lmxac.org/roselle, to in-person services such as passports, copiers, and notaries public. The Library is located at the corner of Chestnut Street and West Fourth Avenue. Library cards are free to Roselle residents. Visit us in person or on the web, or call us at 908-245-5809.

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February 1, 2010

Location at issue in plan for new South Plainfield library

By JEFF GRANT • STAFF WRITER • January 31, 2010

mycentraljersey.com

By JEFF GRANT • STAFF WRITER • January 31, 2010

SOUTH PLAINFIELD — The distance that local residents should travel to use their local library is one of the questions at issue as the borough considers moving its present facility from a centrally located site to one nearly two miles away.

“I don't think anybody would deny the fact we need a new library, it (the location) would seem to be the issue,” acknowledged library board of trustees President Eric Aronowitz.

The board recently decided to enter talks with a private firm to lease 14,500 square feet of space inside a one-story commercial building in a light industrial neighborhood along Montrose Avenue. The site is 1.8 miles from the library's present location, next to the municipal building on Plainfield Avenue and down the street from the senior center. Aronowitz said the new building is attractive in that it would meet all of the library's program needs.

“The building itself is laid out perfectly for how we envisioned the new library when we planned to put it next to the municipal building. The building is relatively new, all the main mechanical and heating elements are five years old or less,” he added.

And it won't cost taxpayers anything extra.

Aronowitz said the facility would be funded entirely through the board's regular appropriation. That figure, based on the assessed value of all property within the borough, was $1.3 million in 2009 and is expected to be nearly $1.4 million this year, the trustee leader said, adding that the plan for the new facility that was rejected by voters in 2008 would have required the municipality to float bonds and pay debt service.

“This is a taxpayer-neutral proposition,” Aronowitz said.

Still, there are concerns about moving the facility from the center of town.

The library is roughly a mile from the middle school and high school. Its new location would nearly triple the distance.

“It's important to have a site that's most accessible to students and borough residents,” said Councilwoman Chrissy Buteas.

Mayor Charles Butrico agreed.
“I have a problem with moving it farther away and with the location – out of the center of town. That's where a library should be – where it's easy to get to for residents and school kids.

“I can understand the library's frustration,” Butrico continued. “They need the space.
But I would hope they could take a little more time and maybe look harder to find something a little closer to the middle of town,” he said.

But Aronowitz, recalling a 2008 nonbinding referendum in which fewer than 10 percent of registered voters rejected the idea of a new $4.5 million facility on the Plainfield Avenue site, said no one has produced a better alternative than the proposed lease at the Montrose Avenue site.

“Nobody has come up with a plan,” he said. “This was the best opportunity for the library. We are charged wtih the responsibility of providing with the best library the public can have and staying in this building is not it.”

The library board is scheduled to address the issue again at its Feb. 16 meeting, when a decision could be made. According to Councilman Ray Rusnak, one option the trustees are considering is a 10-year lease with a possible option to move by June 1.

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