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April 30, 2010

Library cuts are far too extreme

April 29, 2010
mycentraljersey.com

Letters

It is my concern for the libraries in New Jersey that has compelled me to write this letter. The media has repeatedly carried ominous stories reporting a possible reduction in library assistance, up to 75 percent of funding may be eliminated. If true, it is astoundingly unacceptable.

While business and industrial production have remained relatively static during the past two years, library usage has dramatically increased. With library usage up 10 percent, 20 percent and more, these numbers are in stark contrast to municipalities and schools (the press has reported that some schools may close because of declining enrollment). Yet such strong organizations at New Jersey's teachers' union are very vociferous about funding cuts.

In contrast, the libraries throughout the state have been comparatively quiet. Perhaps the professionalism of any librarian makes him/her too self-effacing or too steadfast to complain. But can you imagine the tumult if teachers and school districts were faced with a 75 percent funding cut, while their respective service targets did increase significantly?

I support Gov. Christie's campaign to trim the cost of government. While I do support fiscal discipline, I do not agree with the governor's observation that the state is broke. The state's gross national product in terms of yearly income revenue is between $28 and $30 billion a year. This GNP would place New Jersey about 67 to 68 worldwide out of 224 countries. (You may want to see you local librarian for the most up to date statistics.) There is money here in the state. We are not broke, just woefully mismanaged with disjointed priorities.

Since I am an academic by discipline and profession, I am very sensitive and partial to the current plight of the library system in this state. I am hopeful that all this political blustering and posturing before next year's budget is finalized is just that: a lot of bad acting on the public political state. A 75 percent cut in funding support is untenable.

If cuts have to be made, make them equitable ... for libraries, schools, municipalities and the like across the board. A burden that is disproportionally distributed in unreasonable, unfair and cannot have claim to one iota of support.
ROBERT KUCHARSKI, PH.D
Bound Brook

Posted by tumulty at 8:59 AM | Comments (0)
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Pennsville Public Library remains in funding limbo

Friday, April 30, 2010
By Deena DiBacco
ddibacco@sjnewsco.com

nj.com
PENNSVILLE TWP. - The fate of the Pennsville Public Library remains in limbo. And waiting is proving to be the hardest part.

Pennsville Township Committee members suggestion to cut library funding 100 percent doesn't have to be finalized until their fiscal year ends in late June. But, for library officials, the looming possibility is an immediate threat. Officials have been frantically seeking fundraising options that would cover the next two months. The library's fiscal year ends at the end of April.

"May and June are going to be rough," said library Board of Trustees President Chris Hooks.

And getting through the next two months is only one piece of a larger puzzle, said Hooks. Finding two months-worth of funding would simply buy the library some more time. And that means time to figure out how funding the library can continue into the future.

Library officials, volunteers, advocates and community members have already met multiple times to brainstorm fundraising options and research different avenues of funding.

"We've had many new volunteers and lots of help since the news broke," said library Director Nancy Whitesell.

Whitesell said the new, fresh faces have yielded fresh ideas for library support. At this past Wednesday night's meeting, current and interested library volunteers gathered to merge their various fundraising options together.

And the meeting bred such positive feedback that the original plan - to implement the top three fundraising suggestions - turned into the top four.

And each of the four options chosen was assigned its own committee and its own committee chair that will oversee the group's efforts.

The Grant Writing Committee will write various grants for the library. Effective, but time consuming, the grant-writing process involves locating available grants, writing and applying for those grants, and finally waiting for an approval or disapproval. And Kathy Smalley, who's previously written and received multiple grants, is heading the committee.

Members of the Membership Committee will be led by Debbie Simpkins and will explore different avenues the library can use to generate funding and support though library card memberships and cardholders.

The third committee, headed by Hooks, will put their efforts into writing appeals. Appeal letters will be written to local residents of, and businesses in, Pennsville Township in order to gain library support.

Finally, headed by Michael Walker, a Municipalization Committee was formed. The idea behind municipalization stems from the Pennsville Public Library's status as an association library. Association libraries like Pennsville's are funded through township donations, which are not guaranteed.

And according to Hooks, most libraries in the State of New Jersey are not association libraries - they're municipal libraries. Municipal libraries are guaranteed annual funding, and that funding comes from their municipality.

The Municipalization Committee will attempt to municipalize the Pennsville Public Library. Committee members will research the specific process an association library must go through to become a municipal library.

Hooks said the process involves getting approval via a referendum. The voters would decide whether to keep the library an association or change it to a municipal library. The switch to a municipal library would mean guaranteed annual payments from the township and funding for continued operation.

Besides these four committees, the library now has a website, www.pennsvillelibrary.org, which is still under construction. The final product will include a PayPal account payment system, and donations to the library can be made online, from home. A library fundraising dinner is also currently being planned for this fall.

If others wish to support the library's continued operation, donations can be sent to the library at 190 S. Broadway, Pennsville NJ 08070. Library advocates unable to donate funds are asked to donate their time. Interested volunteers can go to the library and ask about joining Friends of the Library - Pennsville Public Library's group of volunteers, who pay just $10 a year for the membership. Friends help out at library-run events, services and more.

Every donation - whether physical or financial, great or small - will help the residents of Pennsville Township keep their library.

"And if there's anyone out there whose pockets are really deep, and willing to make a generous donation, we'd be willing to rename the library in their honor," said Hooks with a laugh.

To show support or voice your personal fundraising ideas, the public can attend the library's next board of trustees meeting at 7 p.m. on May 4 in the library. The meeting will also see three new board members voted onto the board.

In the meantime, Whitesell said everyone's support is crucial to keeping the library alive. Sometimes people don't really know what they have until it's lost, she said.

"We're here for this community," said Whitesell. "But if we go, what happens if your copy machine ran out of ink and you can't afford a new cartridge, or your computer just broke and you need to get online?"

Hooks looked across the table at Whitesell, nodded, and finished her sentence.

"Or when you've lost your job and cant pay for Internet, but need to get online and apply for jobs," said Hooks.

The women looked at each other and smiled - and began talking about how this would never be happening if Olaf was still here. Olaf Drozdov was Pennsville Public Library's board president for 35 years.

Hooks said the day she heard of the potential cut, she just sat down at her desk and thought, "Do I have the energy to try and fight this?" And then, "What would Olaf do?"

Olaf's catchphrase, the mantra he lived by, popped into her head. And Hooks said it was at that moment she picked up the phone and began calling all the committees she was involved with to tell them she was stepping down.

"I just heard Olaf in my mind, saying to act only, For the good of the cause," said Hooks. "And that's what we're going to do here."

For more information on how to help, call the library at (856) 678-5473.

Posted by tumulty at 8:43 AM | Comments (0)
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Cheers for library

courierpostonline.com

April 24, 2010

For the Oaklyn library being saved. Sure, it's a tiny library without nearly the offerings of any of the larger county and municipal libraries in other Camden County communities. Still, in a small town that lacks a community center, the library on Newton Avenue is an important place.

We're glad the town council, scrambling for ways to save money and balance the $4.4 million municipal budget in the face of a $70,000 cut in state aid, has agreed to continue the town's commitment to keep the library up and running. It's staffed by volunteers four nights a week.
For a relatively low cost (about $40,000 from the borough), Oaklyn's library is a community treasure. Once closed, there would be a chance that the library might never reopen. Future councils could simply get used to spending the money elsewhere. Oaklyn residents should be happy that the library is getting a reprieve.

Posted by tumulty at 8:41 AM | Comments (0)
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Mount Laurel Library staff suggests budget cuts

By: Kristen Coppock
Burlington County Times
April 27, 2010
The local library staff offered concessions Monday in an effort to help pare down the municipal budget and keep the institution under township control.

During the Township Council’s public work session, Library Director Kathy Schalk-Greene presented ideas for cutting the institution’s portion of the municipal budget. The suggestions included reducing hours for public service and staff, eliminating funding for a full-time administrative position that is currently unfilled, and exploring ways to share costs of employee benefits.
In addition to the suggested cuts, the Township Council asked the library staff to put together a “bare bones” budget to be presented at a future date. The budget would contain only the items that are essential to library’s operation.

According to township officials, $2.3 million is needed to fund the library, an amount mandated by the state that cannot be lowered without facing a fine. The Township Council and administration has previously discussed the possibility of having its library join the Burlington County Library System. Although the move may not save taxpayers money, it would remove the service from a municipal budget that contained a deficit of almost $8 million when it was introduced April 5.

BCT staff writer Kristen Coppock can be reached at (609) 871-8073 or kcoppock@phillyBurbs.com.

Posted by tumulty at 8:31 AM | Comments (0)
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Harding builds a new library without tapping taxpayers

nj.com
By Sarah Schillaci/For the Star-Ledger
April 26, 2010, 5:14PM
HARDING --There are some benefits to the existing Harding Township library: At 377 square feet, it’s possible to have one foot in the children’s section, one in adult fiction and check out a book--all without moving a step.

“If you were a Realtor, you would call it cozy,” said Lotte Newlin, director of circulation at the library.

But the days of the tiny library squeezed into a corner of the municipal building are numbered. On May 14, officials in the wealthy enclave will open the doors to the new Kemmerer Library, a building roughly 20 times bigger than the old site.

It is named for John L. Kemmerer 3d, who donated about $1 million from the Kemmerer Family Foundation to the library. He is a member of the library’s board of trustees.

And, for the most part, the $6 million project will have been completed without any effect on taxpayers.

Unlike most New Jersey libraries, the Harding library is an association library. While local governments are required by state law to fund public libraries with a percentage of assessed property values, private libraries have no such charter. Some private libraries receive substantial financial assistance from municipal governments, but the Harding library only receives an annual contribution of $40,000 from the town.

That means, said Susan Stahly, co-chair of the library building committee, “We’ll be fundraising forever” to cover operating expenses.

Despite launching their fundraising campaign on the eve of Wall Street’s financial meltdown, the library building committee raised the $6 million to construct the new library on ground behind the township municipal building.

Small but modern, the Kemmerer Library features wireless internet throughout its three stories, a ground floor activity room for children’s activities and a small teen section cordoned off by bookshelves.

There is a working fireplace and flat screen television in an adult lounge on the first floor, a children’s room with multicolored keyboards and several meeting rooms intended for book clubs, meetings or one-on-one tutoring. The third floor is reserved for administrative office space and storage.

While the shelves are mostly empty, Library Director Anne Thomas said two scouts are in the process of moving over the books as an Eagle Scout project.

There will be some empty shelf space, but Thomas said she’s thrilled to have any space at all.

Thomas, who estimates the current library sees 125 patrons a week, said she expects library attendance to soar once the new building opens.

“I think half the people who move into town have no idea we’re here,” Thomas said
The old library has 377 square feet of space.

Posted by tumulty at 7:05 AM | Comments (0)
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Library system is a lifesaver

Letters to the Editor
dailyrecord.com

April 21, 2010

To the Editor:

Like many, our family has fallen on hard times and has less money than we need to get by. The library system in Morris County has been a lifesaver. Without it, we would not have a place for our children to do their homework or access the Internet for job searches, civic participation and other interests.

In hard economic times, the public libraries are key to the survival and recovery of individuals, families and communities. They are one of the few sectors that should be spared cuts, as they are a lifeline for those seeking to improve themselves and be productive citizens. The services that libraries provide for free are crtical and would not be affordable to many people if they had to be purchased out of pocket.

Gov. Chris Christie is proposing to cut 74 percent of the state funding to libraries. Please contact your state representative and urge them to oppose proposed legislation A2555.
STACEY PLICHTA KELLAR
Rockaway

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Library Trustees Warn of "Grave Danger"

Baristanet

Wednesday, April 28, 2010
On Monday we spotted this "Budget Cuts: Library Closed" sign in front of the Montclair Public Library. It turns out that this was the first week of new hours forced by anticipated cuts in the 2010 municipal budget. The main library will be closed Mondays, which will also be the only day of the week that the Bellevue Avenue branch library will be open. Previously, the main branch was open seven days a week and the Bellevue Avenue branch was open six days a week.

But the attention-grabbing sign isn't the only way the library is fighting back. Seven members of the Montclair Board of Trustees have put their own money into buying ad that will run in tomorrow's issue of the Montclair Times. The ad headline is "The Montclair Public Library is in Grave Danger" and argues that the proposed budget cuts in the current township budget are unfair to the library and "make no financial sense."

The quarter-page ad warns that the proposed 20 percent budget reduction will "decimate" library service, that main branch hours will be "cut in half" and that resources for students will be cut by two thirds.

Cliff Kulwin, president of the library board of trustees, says he understands the dire circumstances surrounding the town budget, but he thinks the current plan places too great a burden on the library. "We want the pain to be equitable," he says. "We are being asked to shoulder 25 percent of the total cuts even though we make up 5 percent of the budget."

Kulwin says that while the Christie cuts to libraries are part of the picture, they're not the main part since practically all of the Montclair library's budget comes from local property taxes.

As for the suggestion that the Bellevue branch be closed to save money, he points out that it is heavily used. Even though it has only accounted for 8 percent of the library's budget in the past, it has accounted for 11 percent of circulation.

Moreover, it's not clear how easy it would be to close the Bellevue branch, which was funded with a $40,000 Carnegie grant in 1913. Law students at Rutgers are currently studying the question.

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Caldwell Council: Library Will Not Be Shut Down

Outpouring of support turns out for meeting after false rumor circulated.
By Mike Pignataro April 29, 2010

Caldwells Patch

In what former Caldwell Councilman Bill Edge called "good old activism," members of the community filled council chambers and even spewed into the hallway Tuesday night, fearful of the Caldwell Public Library's final chapter.

It turns out, the story was never supposed to end.

In response to a rumor that recently circulated and gained further momentum through e-mail this week, supporters packed Caldwell's council meeting to protest what they believed to be the governing body's plan to close the borough's library due to budget cutbacks.

However, members of council said that scenario was never considered.

"We have no plans to close the Caldwell Public Library," Council President Ann Dassing said. "I just want to dispel that rumor. I don't know how it got started, but it's not true and there are no plans in the works for that."

According to Christine Corliss, a member of the library board, the rumor began when a member of council said at a previous meeting "everything is on the table" in regards to budget cutbacks.

Considering Gov. Chris Christie's severe reductions to state libraries and Caldwell's desire to eliminate a budget increase, Corliss and others became concerned for the future of the borough's library.

"I know several of us are here tonight because of what is being said around the towns. I say towns because it's not just Caldwell. There's talk that there's potential for this library to close," Corliss said.

"Several hundred, and I'm not exaggerating—people were called off due to some e-mails that came out later in the day. We really did mobilize the forces because we wanted to show—and I still want to show—how important this library is to the town, to the residents, to the economy of the town and that is part of an e-mail I put together earlier today and last night."

The e-mail read in part:

"We are being told that tomorrow night, the Caldwell town council will be presenting the proposal to close our local library. Can we save it? If you are interested in maintaining this library and its programs, please spread the word and support our town!"

Corliss said she sent the e-mail to "maybe 40 people" Monday afternoon that eventually reached somewhere around 150 people by Tuesday morning, according to Councilman Gordon Lawshe.

"I get upset when we hear rumors like that," he said. "We've never even discussed it."

However, Corliss said the rumor could have been prevented if the borough addressed its stance on the library's future.

"When council said that 'everything was on the table,' and with the things that are being said by our current governor, we probably should have made a statement early on and said 'our library is safe,'" she said.

"This rumor and anyone who has lived in Caldwell for more than six months knows has been going on for years. It's always been ignored because we knew the value of our library and our town. Within the last couple of months, we haven't been so convinced that with budget cuts and the governor's suggestions that the value was understood."

But Lawshe questioned why Corliss or Caldwell Library Director Karen Kleppe Lembo didn't take a different route in addressing the concern.

"You're on the library board. Our mayor sits as the liaison for the council on the library board," Lawshe said. "I was a little surprised when I read this at 5 o'clock this morning why you or even Karen wouldn't have contacted the mayor to say 'what's going on,' rather than sending out an e-mail, getting 150 to 200 people nervous about us closing the library. You didn't go the right way about doing this."

Corliss said she contacted two members of council and received what she called a "positive" response from one and didn't hear back from the other.

In addition, Mayor Susan Gartland missed the library board's meeting last week since she was interviewing candidates for the director of the Caldwell Community Center's vacant position.

"I apologize. I got into interviews for the community center and had all intentions of going to the library meeting. I didn't finish until 9:30 and I realized people were starting to leave the meeting. It's difficult to be in two places at one time," Gartland said.

"I was not aware of the rumor that was going around to the extent that it had reached this level. So I apologize for that also. I think the library has a strong base in this town. In fairness, many years ago there was discussion about closing the library and because of the library and concerned citizens in this town that was stopped."

A similar outpouring of support flooded a council meeting earlier this year when a rumor spread the governing body was going to vote down moving forward with the Kiwanis Oval project. That notion was also false.

"This spreading of misinformation, frankly, similar to the misinformation that was dispersed a month or so ago that council was voting against the Kiwanis Oval project," Councilman Richard Hauser said. "Things that have no basis in fact that rile people up does not help anything get accomplished."

Posted by tumulty at 6:36 AM | Comments (0)
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April 29, 2010

Edison library patrons sad about slated closing of Clara Barton branch

By LALITA LALITA ALOOR AMUTHAN • STAFF WRITER • April 27, 2010
mycentraljersey.com

EDISON — A few patrons were found browsing through books or logged onto computers in the Clara Barton Library on Hoover Avenue Tuesday afternoon.

While the number of patrons wasn't large, those who were using the library were sad — and disappointed — that the branch is slated to be shuttered for good come June 30.
"It's really sad that they have to cut education in the library," said Kate Putnoky, who is studying toward a master's in library sciences at Rutgers University an frequents the Clara Barton library, which is closest to her home.

Library Director Judith Mansbach has said the Clara Barton library has the least usage among the three branches of the Edison Public Library, which factored into the decision to close it.
Related
Edison's Clara Barton library to close June 30

Griham Gudgin, president of the Friends of the Edison Library, a nonprofit, all-volunteer group that helps raise money to supplement the library's funds, said the Clara Barton library may not have the greatest usage of all the libraries but it has a loyal set of patrons.

"I'm shocked and upset . . . it's a lovely neighborhood library," he said.
Resident Bryna Bronstein is hoping the library's Board of Trustees changes its mind regarding the closure of the library.

"It makes me feel terrible. I've been coming here since it opened," she said.
A Town Hall meeting to discuss the closing of the library will be held at 6:30 p.m. May 4 in the council chambers at the Edison Municipal Complex at 100 Municipal Blvd.
Bronstein plans to attend to voice her opinion.

Mayor Antonia Ricigliano, Mansbach and the members of the Board of Trustees will be available at the meeting to answer questions about the planned branch closing.
The 5,772-square-foot building belongs to the township and the Edison Public Library receives appropriations from the township to run the libraries, Mansbach said.
The costs to maintain everything have gone up, she said.
"Eighty percent of the budget goes toward staff," she said.

However, none of the library's staff will be laid off, Mansbach said. Instead they will be absorbed by the other two branches of the Edison Public Library system, which will continue to serve the entire community.
Mansbach said the library's closing will lead to savings of about $100,000, mainly from maintenance costs of the building. The library was extensively refurbished a few years ago.

"It's just a sign of the times . . . they just cut, cut, cut," said resident Mark Edwards, who was using a computer at the library. "It's a terrible thing . . . They should find some place to cut in administration or have employees give up cars, things like that, not close the library which serves the community."
Edwards said, if the library closes, he plans to go to the library in Woodbridge or Metuchen.
Ricigliano did not return calls seeking comment on the library's closing.
Lalita Aloor Amuthan:

732-565-7271 laloor@
MyCentralJersey.com

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April 23, 2010

Editorial: Study supports local library

Thursday, April 22, 2010
Last updated: Thursday April 22, 2010, 1:35 AM
Verona-Cedar Grove Times

Cedar Grove residents won't stand for the shutdown of their local library.
In recent public meetings, they've voiced their concerns. They've written letters to the editor of the Verona-Cedar Grove Times.

They've argued against Councilman Pat DeFrancisci's suggestion that the library be closed solution to closing a $600,000 deficit in the 2010 municipal budget.
Residents crowded another town hall meeting on Monday night, urging the council to keep the library open.

Margaret Meding has called the library an asset to the township. She said closing the library would mean eliminating book clubs, children's programs and community events such as guest authors and music performances. "All of these add to the quality of life in Cedar Grove and if you close the library, all of those programs will disappear," she said.

Cedar Grove residents should know that they are not alone in wanting to keep their library open. And members of the council should know, too.

Nearly 50,000 people visited the Cedar Grove Free Public Library last year. While the number of cardholders appears low, library director Catherine Wolverton has pointed out that many families use just one card and that many of the cardholders live outside the township.
A state study on libraries conducted three years ago shows just how valuable a library can be in the community.

The study found that 44 percent of state residents polled said they or someone in their household had visited a library "in-person" within the past week.
The "New Jersey Public Library Survey" polled 1,800 adult residents across New Jersey, conducting more than 100 interviews in 10 jurisdictions.

Among their research findings:
* Forty-two percent of respondents stated they had accessed their local library's resources on the Internet.
* Overall, respondents gave their libraries a grade-point average of 3.3, versus a 2.8 they gave to their local schools.
* As for grading local services, 46 percent gave their libraries higher marks than they gave to their police, parks and recreation, roads and mass transit and government efficiency.
* Seventy-four percent of frequent library users called the facility an "essential service," while 71 percent of everyone polled called it an "essential service." Twenty-six percent of those polled referred to the library as a "cultural amenity," like an art gallery.

* In addition to borrowing books, a 27 percent of respondents listed the Internet and online accessing of the book catalog were two services that the local library performs.
* Seventy-three percent of those polled said it is "very important" for the local library to have a large collection of books and material.

So we ask DeFrancisci, isn't the local library a fine investment of public funds?
If we cut, why not cut some of the larger municipal salaries? Do away with car allowances and other fringe benefits that seem to be so easily available to public employees, not just in Cedar Grove, but across New Jersey and beyond.

To the council: Listen to the voters and keep our library and its useful services intact.
Cedar Grove residents won't stand for the shutdown of their local library.

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Lowry: In praise of libraries

northjersery.com

Thursday, April 22, 2010
By BRUCE LOWRY
RECORD COLUMNIST

My mother was not a learned woman, nor a person of means, but she did have the wisdom and wherewithal to make sure I had a library card.

It was beige, as I recall, with my name and address printed on the front. I remember the feel of those raised, brown letters on the plastic as I rubbed them with my fingers. It gives me chills to think about it. It was proof, somehow, that I was a real person.

More than the card itself, however, I remember the joy it brought. It was like one of those gold tickets and I was Charlie in the Chocolate Factory: so much to see, so much to experience.
As a boy I remember the great fun of picking out books, all of them wide and thin and tall, and lugging them, six or 10 at a time, to the checkout counter. I remember watching with anticipation as the librarian placed my card into that marvelous mechanical machine that must have come from a shoe factory, and pressing down the handle to make the imprint, to make it official that I'd checked out a book.

Somehow, an impression was made, in more ways than one. I'm still not sure how it worked, but it was part of the magic of the place.

I don't know how many kids have library cards today, but I have a feeling that if proposed budget cuts come to fruition, and the state's libraries lose more money out of already scant reserves, fewer kids today will be getting them.

Funding reductions

As New Jersey Library Association President Susan Briant wrote on this page last week in a letter to the editor, the proposed 74 percent reduction in state funding "will eliminate the core services and infrastructure that support a majority of local libraries." Even more menacing is a measure under consideration in the Assembly. That bill, A2555, would do away with what is now a required minimum funding by formula, a still small amount, by towns for municipal public libraries.

It is hard to imagine how anyone who has ever stepped foot inside a library could come up with a plan so shortsighted, a piece of legislation that, taken to the extreme, could lead to zero funding at some local libraries. Such a bill should not pass now, when so many are hurting and depending on library services, nor should it ever pass.

The fact that we're even having the conversation is troubling. Has the social contract in New Jersey been so battered that we can seriously consider knocking down one of the last standing monuments to the public good?

Ticket to other worlds
I understand that libraries might have lost some luster in modern times. Many of them are housed in old, though glorious buildings. Many of them are trying hard to keep up, to adjust to the changes from our emerging technologies.

I also understand that in our world a library card doesn't carry the same cachet as an iPhone, but for some of us it is just as valuable. Like the Social Security card, it is a constant in our lives, that piece of personal luggage we would not think of leaving behind.

The first library card I received in West Monroe, La., and the dozen or so others I've used in every place since, has been a ticket to a million worlds, a transport to a thousand moments in time. In all these years, it has never failed to produce some bit of wonder or intellectual nourishment: a colorful picture book with big-print words I read to my child, a book of poems by W.S. Merwin, or a staggeringly well-written piece of nonfiction, perhaps a civil rights history from Taylor Branch.

My driver's license may help me navigate the realities of daily life, but the library card provides escape.

I imagine I am not alone in this regard. I imagine that in hundreds of communities across New Jersey, the public library still stands as a rock in a storm of uncertainty. In these days of economic hardship for so many, the library is a place the unemployed find answers and the overstressed find calm.

Elected leaders in New Jersey should respect libraries. They may be the last quiet place in our screaming world.
E-mail: lowryb@northjersey.com

Posted by tumulty at 6:52 PM | Comments (0)
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Letter: Council should rethink closing the library

northjersery.com
April 15, 2010

Letter: Council should rethink closing the library

Editor, The Times:

I’d like to know when Councilman Pat DeFrancisci plans to put the "For Sale" sign on the lawn of Community Park. I’d like to know when he plans to tell the town that the pool will be closed for the summer. Why keep these places open? There are so many nearby towns that have parks and pools, so let’s just use theirs. Why should Cedar Grove have its own? This must be the direction DeFrancisci is going in when his is in favor of closing the library.

The councilman may have no need for the library, but what about the people who actually want to read a book without having to purchase it? What about the people who use the computers there because they don’t own one of their own? What about the people who use the library as a meeting place since the town doesn’t currently have a community center of its own? Other towns aren’t too eager to let non-residents borrow their community centers.

I would think given the current state of the economy, the library and its inexpensive resources would be even more important. The library offers cultural events, guest speakers and a wonderful summer reading program for our children. How do we emphasize the importance of reading to our children if the town doesn’t have a library? If we close the library, we tell our children that reading isn’t a priority.

DeFrancisci mentions that only 4,700 residents have a library card out of a total of 12,300. The councilman does not take into account that children under the age of five aren’t allowed to have a card of their own so they must rely on their parents. The councilman doesn’t mention that most families don’t have a library card for every member of their household. Does the councilman really have any idea how many people use the library?

Too many people have developed too cheap of a mentality in which they want to cut everything. Many are saying who needs sports, music, languages and now the library? This is so short-sighted. Has anyone stopped to think about the long-term effects? Has anyone thought about the fact that we are putting our children at a disadvantage because they will never be exposed to anything cultural? Now the councilman is proposing never teaching our children how to search for a book at a library because we won’t have one.

I hope that the town council will develop a better solution to our problem than to simply close the library. If the library is such a large expense, how about reducing the number of hours, or analyzing the various expenses to see what can be reduced.

Councilman DeFrancisci, please let me know when you put the "For Sale" sign in front of the park so I can put up a "For Sale" sign of my own.

Christine Dye

Posted by tumulty at 6:49 PM | Comments (0)
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Letter: Let's do our best to keep the library open

northjersey.com
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Last updated: Thursday April 15, 2010, 12:28 PM
Verona-Cedar Grove Times
Letter to the Editor
Editor, The Times:
I was amazed and horrified to read of the board's proposal to close the Cedar Grove Public Library as a way to solve a budget shortfall. The library plays an important role in the welfare of the entire town – children as well as elderly. It was mentioned by one board member that many people in the town don’t have a library card. I think that is a shame and not a pretty statement on the state of Cedar Grove. What does that say about our education system? Why aren’t the children in first or second grade taken to the library as they once were and shown the resources available and given library cards? The library should be a required part of a child’s education. I know that computers play an important role when it comes to research, but they cannot replace books and reading.

It is essential to foster a love of reading in children. Reading is a way to continue one’s education forever. Reading expands the horizons of any child or adult. One can explore foreign cultures, other countries, learn about history or people's lives to name just a few.

The many other libraries in the area were mentioned, but this would not be a solution for many elderly and children who walk to the library or have friends or family pick up their books when at the post office or town hall. A library is meant to be a town resource available to all members of the town. What does closing the library say about our town and its priorities?

I don't understand how there is money to fund more sports fields or recreation sports teams, and the library comes under attack. Perhaps we ought to question our priorities more in this town. Are we really doing what's best for our children and the citizens and their education and benefit?
Linda A. Cronin

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Gov. Christie's budget could cost state millions in federal grants

By Star-Ledger Staff
April 11, 2010, 10:30PM
Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed budget calls for slashing billions of dollars in spending across state government. But those savings come with their own price.

From homeland security to family-planning services and the environment, state agencies use their money as leverage to win matching federal grants. As the state desperately cuts spending to balance its budget, it loses the ability to ante up its share to qualify for millions in federal funding.

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerGov. Chris Christie's budget calls for slashing billions of dollars in spending.For example:
• The state Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness stands to lose $5.5 million in state money for the fiscal year that begins July 1, but the actual loss could be at least twice that when federal funds are considered.

One of last year’s grants, requiring $500,000 in state money to secure $1.5 million in federal funding, was used to upgrade vehicles and cameras at seaports in Newark and Elizabeth. That wouldn’t be available under Christie’s proposal.

• The state is giving up a chance to get federal money for family-planning services after Christie proposed cutting all funding for doctor visits that include gynecological visits, birth control, breast exams and disease testing and treatment. Because the Christie administration doesn’t want to put up any money for the services, the state had to withdraw an application asking the federal government to fund 90 percent of the bill, a decision Democratic lawmakers have criticized.

• New Jersey would lose about $90 million in federal money for energy-efficiency initiatives such as insulating homes under Christie’s proposal to cut almost $160 million in state funding for the projects, said Jeff Tittel, who leads the state Sierra Club chapter.

• An after-school program, NJ After 3, lost all $10 million of its state funding, more than half its budget, in Christie’s proposal. It has applied for federal grants of up to $5 million, but Mark Valli, president of the public/private partnership, said its application is no longer as attractive to decision-makers in Washington.

“It’s so frustrating,” Valli said. “We would be a superb candidate.”

• The allotment for the State Library is being slashed by more than 50 percent. Officials there expect that cutback to cause a chain reaction, resulting in New Jersey forfeiting almost $4.5 million in federal dollars — including funding for the state’s Library for the Blind and Handicapped in Trenton. “It’s going to be absolutely devastating,” state librarian Norma Blake said.

Analysts haven’t determined exactly how much federal funding is at stake because they are still reviewing budget numbers, said David Rosen, budget officer for the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services. Many groups are waiting to hear how they’ll be affected.

‘SETTING PRIORITIES’

Christie, who outlined his $29.3 billion budget last month, says the state can’t be a slave to the federal honey pot, even if that means leaving money on the table.

“You don’t manage government by being led around by federal funds,” he said after the budget address. “We should set our priorities, not allow the federal government to do it. Any of the cuts that you see us make in the budget are all about me setting priorities that I think are important for New Jersey.”

Christie’s willingness to give up federal funds was evident earlier this year when he proposed cutting back unemployment benefits. Last year’s federal stimulus act added $25 a week to unemployment checks. Christie’s proposal to drop the maximum weekly benefit from $600 to $550 would sever an agreement with the federal government and could cut unemployment checks by up to $75 a week, according to legislative services.

The governor, however, has chosen to go after more federal funding for health care for the poor by increasing taxes on hospitals, a move he heralded in a public appearance Friday at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick. Christie said hospitals will pay $45 million to $50 million more after a tax is lifted, but the state will see that matched by federal dollars.

Sujit CanagaRetna, senior fiscal analyst for the Council of State Governments, said the issue of risking federal dollars while cut state spending is not unique to New Jersey.

“You end up losing even more than you anticipated because you’re not going to get those matching funds,” he said.

By Chris Megerian and Lisa Fleisher/Statehouse Bureau

Statehouse Bureau reporter Claire Heininger contributed to this report.

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Spare the libraries

Letters to the Editor
nj.com
April 22, 2010

I have long advocated shared services for public agencies. Libraries long have been in the forefront of this practice, especially because their funding has always been low. Now the governor has called for a 74 percent reduction in state aid to libraries. This will lead to the elimination of many shared services: Inter-library loans; shared databases; the regional library cooperatives (where public, school, college, and corporate libraries share ideas, programs and many regional services). This is in addition to losing computer access for the most vulnerable residents when they are most needed for employment information and education (especially after school hours). Evening and weekend service, when most users are available, is threatened.

I’d much rather have students in the library than on the streets. The reductions are short-sighted and will have a negative effect on our future.
Marc Eisen, Monroe Twp.

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Willingboro township council looks to trim budget

April 22, 2010
By: Rose Krebs
Burlington County Times
WILLINGBORO — The Township Council is trying to trim the 2010 municipal budget and one of the areas that may be significantly cut is funding for the township library.

Under state statute, a township can have a maximum tax levy increase of 4 percent from the prior year. Township council held a special meeting Tuesday night and was told it still needs to cut about $880,000 to get under cap.

In 2009, the budget was $36.1 million with a tax levy of $24.7 million. This year’s budget is just under $37 million and includes a tax levy of about $27.8 million. Council is set to hold a public hearing on the budget May 11.

On Tuesday, the council went line by line through the budget and recommended some areas be cut. Included among those potential cuts were funding to the library, monies for training and some miscellaneous accounts.

Township Manager Joanne Diggs pointed out that the training and miscellaneous savings would not be significant, possibly amounting to only about $25,000.

The budget has already been cut about $450,000 from the one introduced by council earlier this month. Diggs said the cuts came from council salary and operating and salary expenses in the police department. Thus far, council has decided not to lay off employees and has asked Diggs to pursue all other options before that is considered.

The township provides $1.5 million in funding to the library annually, well over the state mandated amount of $750,000, Diggs said. Some members of council suggested the town perhaps cut that funding to $1 million. Councilman James Ayrer asked Diggs to see how much savings would be generated by having the library open five instead of seven days a week.

“It would hurt less to take off the library,” Campbell said. “I’d like that to be the first cut.”

“The sad thing about all of this is once you take these steps, it’s hard to replace these programs,” Ayrer said.

For more, see tomorrow's print edition. BCT Staff writer Rose Krebs can be reached at 609-871-8064 or rkrebs@phillyburbs.com

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April 20, 2010

Money and books in East Hanover

dailyrecord.com
Opinion
April 20, 2010

State aid cuts and declining property values have municipal officials considering policies they probably never would have thought of 10 years ago.

Take, for instance, the East Hanover Library. Like some others around the state, the library is funded through a formula that guarantees the library a yearly amount equal to "one third of a mill" of assessed value. A mill equals 1/$1000 of an assessed value. This is a rather ancient formula, but it can raise a lot of money, especially in a town like East Hanover which is chock-full of ratables on Route 10. This year, for instance, the library is slated to receive $1,346,258, which is about $100,000 more than last year.

What becomes problematic in these tough economic times is that the library is receiving more money at a time when many municipal departments are sustaining cuts. East Hanover is slated to lose $448,000 in state aid this year. The contrast of one department getting more money when others get less is provoking understandable discussion in East Hanover.

One possible solution is to change the rules. The township council is researching whether a referendum could be put on the November ballot to change the library's funding stream. Rather than be guaranteed a specific amount of money each year tied to assessed value, the library would essentially become a municipal department. Under that setup, the council would determine annual funding in much the same way it decides how much money the police and the recreation department get each year.

Gayle Carlson, the library director, says the change would leave the library at the mercy of the council. That's true. But as elected officials, the governing body should have the right to decide on funding for town departments. Given the fact a library is an important part of any community, it's hard to see a governing body willfully hurting a library financially.

As we said, if the economy was roaring along and if state aid was increasing, this may not even be an issue.

But the economy is far from roaring along, making this change worth considering.

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Lambertville City Council piecing together budget

nj.com
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Curt Yeske
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
LAMBERTVILLE -- Piecing together the city's 2010 budget is a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle when some parts are being elusive.

During another special meeting of the city council this week Mayor David DelVecchio warned or speculated -- depending on the listener's viewpoint -- about where revenue would come from given the sharp cuts in state aid by the Christie administration that compound the effects of a poor economy.

In the space of one week the council went from an original proposal for a trash collection fee of $150 a year to $200. Switching trash collection from a general budget item to a for-fee service for the first time will garner the city $460,000.

That proposal is expected to be introduced during the council's next meeting so that it can go into effect June 1, said the mayor.

Two potential sources of revenue, other than tax increases, are a change in the funding of the free library and a possible "contribution" from the unionized police force.

Three years ago the city council proposed ridding the library of its dedicated funding through city real estate taxes and switching it to a city department, then attaching it to the Hunterdon County Library System.

Supporters of the library in a spirited election successfully fought off the proposal. Since then the state revised the laws governing libraries so that the board could allocate some of its dedicated funds to the city. The city received about $113,000 for the current budget out of slightly more than $250,000 that came from this year's taxes dedicated to library operations.

Mayor DelVecchio said the city should consider "revisiting the library question" this year. It is likely to do so in the coming months so that whatever change is sought, it can be placed on the November ballot.

Currently, state law allows the city to collect revenue on all assessed properties for the library. That amounts to $33 for each $100,000 of assessed value for an average of about $120 per property.

As a result of taking the contract to an arbitrator last year, police salaries now range from $74,540 to $82,181. In January, according to the contract signed last year, each of the 10 full-time officers is scheduled for a 4 per cent increase in each of the next two years.

Mayor DelVecchio did not explain his comment that the city was looking for a "contribution" from the police force. He said feelers have been sent to the police and suggested that talks were imminent.

Key city employees took a cut in salary this year and are not scheduled for raises next year, said the mayor.

A bright spot in the budget came from the city's extended hours for motorists to feed parking meters. "It's one spot where we did better than expected," said DelVecchio. He said meter receipts were $244,000 compared with $230,000 the previous year.

To ease the amount of taxes, the council has tentatively agreed to cut the open space tax from 2 to 1 cent per $100 of assessed value of a property. At the 2 cent rate, the tax yielded about $149,000. That would help lighten residents' tax bills while lengthening the time that it takes the city to pay off loans made for open space acquisitions.

DelVecchio said the way the budget is shaping up indicates total expenditures will be more than last year, but taxes will be less.

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April 19, 2010

State aid to libraries being cut too severely

Letters to the Editor
app.com
April 18, 2010

Isn't it ironic that the governor's budget proposal maintains funding to keep parks open but eliminates 74 percent of library funding? Gov. Chris Christie's stated reason for keeping parks open is so "struggling New Jersey families will have an affordable, in-state place to vacation this summer."

The governor must not realize today's libraries often serve as community centers, providing free movies, concerts and children's programs in addition to books and DVDs. New Jersey's libraries provide recreation and entertainment for families year round in all kinds of weather.

Librarians understand that everyone is expected to share in the statewide cuts, but the governor's budget will eliminate most library services. This is not shared suffering.

I urge the nearly 200,000 people who use a New Jersey library every day to contact the governor and state legislators and ask them to restore the $10.4 million in library funding.

Susan Pike
MATAWAN

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April 18, 2010

E. Hanover to explore changing way library is funded

Mayor, council want to put issue on November ballot
By Jake Remaly • Staff Writer • April 17, 2010
dailyrecord.com

EAST HANOVER — The mayor and council voted unanimously this week to have the township's attorney to check the legal requirements for adding a referendum to the November ballot that would take away the library's municipal status and change the way the library is funded.

The East Hanover Library is currently a "free public library," meaning the state dictates that a percentage of the town's tax base must go to the library, even if it's more than the library needs. Some officials say that is the case in East Hanover.

Library director Gayle Carlson said that if the library were to lose its municipal status, there are no guarantees as to how it would be funded, and the library would lose out on state aid and grant opportunities. Residents voted on a referendum establishing the free public library in the 1960s, Carlson said.

If voters were to decide to take away the library's municipal status, and the library was run by a nonprofit corporation as an "association" library, the council would have discretion over how much money the library receives from the town.

The state formula currently dictates the library will receive $1,346,258 this year, an increase of about $100,000 from the previous year because East Hanover's tax base increased.

"In our case, they get more than they need because of this formula," township administrator Joseph Tempesta said.

"Over the years, they've been able to tuck away some of the excess into the surplus account, which is hovering somewhere around $1 million," he said.

The library's trustees voted recently to hire an architect to show how the East Hanover Library could use its savings to renovate and possibly add a computer lab. Carlson said those plans are suspended indefinitely.

The council voted unanimously to move ahead with adding the referendum at its Monday night meeting.

Tempesta, Mayor Joseph Pannullo, Carlson and the library board President Ceil DiMarzio recently met, with the town asking for $448,000 from the library surplus to offset a loss in state aid, Tempesta said.

The East Hanover library board was willing to do that but, because it's a free public library, a state formula dictates the most the library could give the town is $118,000, and that amount would still need to be approved by the state librarian, Tempesta said.

The library this year budgeted about $850,000 for salaries and benefits, and $150,000 for materials, Carlson has said. It also budgets for maintenance, computers, utilities, insurance and programming, among other expenses.

Tempesta said the mayor and council are "very, very supportive of the library," but want to be able to give what is needed to run library operations without having to give more than that.
Jake Remaly: 973-428-6621; jremaly1@gannett.com

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It’s all happening at your local library — for now

Letter to the Editor
Express-times.com
April 14, 2010

Libraries create and fulfill a sense of community. They create a haven for students who utilize computers to do research on school projects; job seekers completing online resumes and seeking out job opportunities; town residents who may have questions about health issues, tax-related questions, etc. The list goes on and on and on.

When I walk into my local library, I am greeted with smiling faces and cheery attitudes. I can take out books and DVDs without paying a cent. If I have an obscure question, I can call the reference desk and get an answer. It’s Google with a friendly voice.

I see my neighbors, friends and townsfolk using the library for book discussion groups, interesting lectures and free movies. Where else can one go and get all of this for free! Libraries are more than just buildings with a lot of books. Libraries fill a need for children whose parents cannot afford a home computer. They afford a haven for someone who needs a quiet repose to spend some time reading, thinking and browsing. They provide friendly assistance for answers to questions.

With the impending threat of New Jersey Gov. Christie’s budget cuts to the New Jersey library system, this haven for the community will be diminished. I liken it to the burning of the books at the great Library of Alexandria — something wonderful will be lost. And, it will be the individual and the community that needs it most for which it will be lost. Communities such as Phillipsburg use their libraries extensively. It is a lifeline of knowledge and information for many. With budget cuts running this deep, it will be devastating to the community and its residents. And, once lost, I feel it cannot be regained.

MARYANN J. RIKER
Phillipsburg

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Warren County freeholders approve reducing library budget by more than $200,000

Thursday, April 15, 2010
By BILL WICHERT
The Express-Times
WHITE TWP. | On top of a pending 74 percent drop in total state library funding, Warren County freeholders signed off Wednesday on a more than $200,000 cut in funding this year for the county library system.

County freeholders approved a roughly $6.2 million budget for the county library, marking a reduction of about $240,000 from last year's budget.

Under the 2010 budget approved Wednesday, the county is slated to decrease the amount of county library taxes to be collected by about $540,000. The drop in tax revenue is tempered by drawing money from savings, officials said.

That reduction comes as the county library system deals with a proposed 50 percent cut in state aid and the loss of other services covered by state dollars.

"It's unfortunate to get the double hit this year," Warren County Library Director Maureen Baker Wilkinson said after Wednesday's meeting.

County Freeholder Director Rick Gardner said county officials felt the funding cut was fair and would not hurt library services. Gardner pointed out how the county has approved spending money to create a new Northeast branch of the library as well as set aside dollars for a new library headquarters.

"I think it's appropriate for the board to take this action because it really comes back to the individual families out there that are hurting at this time, and any money that can be saved for them should be saved," Gardner said after Wednesday's meeting.

The county's overall budget for 2010 reduces the amount of taxes to be collected by more than $500,000.

To make up for the county funding cut, Wilkinson said she is looking at purchasing fewer materials and reducing the number of part-time staffing hours. The county reduction is acceptable because of cuts being made across various departments, she said.

"We have to do our bit as well," Wilkinson said.

As part of more than $10 million in cuts under the proposed state budget, the Warren County Library system is slated to see its state aid cut in half to $40,000, Wilkinson said. State support for electronic communications systems also is targeted for elimination, leaving it to the county to pick up the bill, she said.

Because state funding for the inter-library loan program is slated to be cut, no new requests will be accepted after May 1, Wilkinson said. Library users may begin facing fees to access materials from other libraries around the state to sustain the program, she said.

The county library system also is anticipated to lose access to two electronic research databases currently paid for with state dollars, she said. The $170,000 price tag associated with maintaining those databases is too prohibitive for the county to afford, Wilkinson said.

"I'm concerned about the services that we may lose," Wilkinson said.

Reporter Bill Wichert can be reached at 610-258-7171, ext. 3570, or bwichert@express-times.com. Talk about issues in your town at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

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April 17, 2010

Communities thrive thanks to libraries

nj.com
By Letters to the Editor/The News of Cumber...
April 15, 2010, 9:46AM
To the Editor:

Libraries throughout Cumberland County will be celebrating National Library Week, April 11-17, with a variety of activities showcasing their contributions to the community. In today’s tough economy, libraries offer free resources to help people find jobs and learn new skills.

People of all ages and backgrounds find entertainment, develop skills and come to find their place in the community. People gather for book discussions, for storytime with their children, for computer skills classes, for the computers and Internet access that are used for school work or job searching or for volunteer opportunities.

Additionally, college students from universities outside of Cumberland County such as Drexel, Temple and Widener utilize library databases and other reference materials as well as homeschooling families who are heavy users of county library services for academic and recreational purposes. The libraries in Cumberland County are the heart of their community.

What makes libraries unique is access to trained professionals — librarians — to help people find and interpret the information they need to make a difference in their lives. Our libraries also help keep communities connected, providing a space for people of all ages and races to come together, while keeping people linked to events and to people around the world.

As part of the Cumberland County libraries’ service to their communities, they joined together in the early 1980s to form CLUES (The Cumberland Libraries United System) to better serve the residents of Cumberland County. Members include the Cumberland County Library, Vineland Public Library, Millville Public Library, Bridgeton Public Library, and the Cumberland County College Library and now libraries from Salem County.

The purpose is to provide a county-wide library card and a joint online catalog so that library users around the county were no longer limited to their local library, but had immediate access to books and resources in nearby libraries.

Over 45,000 Cumberland County residents now hold CLUES library cards. In addition, the libraries have been able to work together cooperatively on grant projects, receiving funding to buy books and materials on special topics, expanding services to people with visual disabilities, and offering multi-media databases, and more.

Cumberland County Libraries will be offering special events in celebration of the theme, ”Communities Thrive@Your Library.” Cumberland County Library sponsored a children’s program on Tuesday and a number of computer classes are offered throughout the week, including computer basics, Internet skills and Ayuda con su Resume en Espanol. For more information, visit their Web site, http://www.clueslibs.org/news_events/events.asp?lib=ccl.

Millville Public Library, along with the Woman’s Club, is co-sponsoring a book talk and signing on Friday at 6:30 p.m. with author Eileen Bennett (http://millvillepubliclibrary.org/). Bridgeton Public Library has planned a book discussion, PreSchool Storyhour, Teen Tuesday, and Family Game Night (http://www.bridgetonlibrary.org/). Vineland Public Library activities are listed on their Web site, www.vineland.lib.nj.us.

How can the Cumberland County libraries help you thrive? National Library Week is the perfect time to find out because “Communities thrive @ your library.”

Gail Overdevest
Mary Moyer
Candus Zambone
Christina Miles
Cumberland County Library Commission Members

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Pennsville residents' message is simple: Continue funding local library

nj.com
By Deena DiBacco
April 16, 2010, 6:35PM

PENNSVILLE TWP. — Those driving down North Broadway after 6 p.m. Thursday night found themselves slowing down in front of the Pennsville Municipal Building, where more than 20 assembled to rally in support of the local library.

Advocates waited to address Pennsville Township Committee members at their 7 p.m. meeting to voice their disapproval about news that the Pennsville Public Library is being considered for a 100-percent funding cut from the township budget.

Among the adults bearing banners, signs and pro-library pamphlets stood 10-year-old Pennsville resident Sean Simpkins to represent kids his age who love the library.

“I really, really like reading, and when I heard they were (cutting funding to) the library, my mom said I could come protest,” said Sean. “And I was glad to.”

Sean, with a smile spreading across his face, explained his special part in the protest. He came prepared to speak at the committee meeting in hopes of making the committeemen reconsider.

“I’m gonna try and tell them about how books are a big part of our education — and the library’s a big source of books,” said Sean. “And the kids depend on it to get an education.”

Just before the meeting, library advocates began folding their lawn chairs and filtering in the building to plead their case.

And committee members knew the reason behind the full house.

Although the library cuts didn’t appear on Thursday’s meeting agenda, Mayor Richard Barnhart acknowledged the issue when the committee had finished up with scheduled agenda items.

“I know you’re all here for the library, and I’m going to extend the usual five minutes for public discussion questions because of it,” said Barnhart.

The committee sat back, without interruption, as 15 locals stood up and spoke up for the one institution in the township they said gives back so much.

“Gandhi observed that it is not necessary to get rid of books to destroy a culture. You only have to get them to stop reading them,” said Pennsville man Don Smith. “Do not destroy our culture.”

Committeemen heard anecdotes, memories, and testaments about how the Pennsville Public Library has enhanced the lives of the people of Pennsville Township.

The most commonly voiced concern was how sudden the library cut was made. The public was understanding of unavoidable state cuts, but opposed to imposing a 100-percent cut on the library. Multiple residents, including library staff, came forward to say that while the library could continue operating with fund cuts, a complete loss of funding and such little notice would force them to close their doors.

Barnhart said this year, the township’s total library donation would have come to around $180,000.

But library Board of Trustees President Chris Hooks said generating that sum elsewhere, through fundraisers and such, wouldn’t be possible in the short amount of time between now and the funding cut. And though a grant would be a great way to keep the library alive, it takes a long time to first find a grant, and then have it written by a grant writer. By the time the money got to the library, it would be too late.

Pennsville Public Library Director Nancy Whitesell also spoke and listed several statistics.

According to Whitesell, the library saw 22,751 patrons last year and circulated 24,584 items. The library’s wireless Internet can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even when the library is closed, Whitesell said people have computers in their cars in the library parking lot, picking up a signal.

She explained how library access benefits Pennsville residents beyond books. People come in to do their taxes, use the fax machine, do job searches, and use the in-house public notary.

But when Whitesell switched her tone to a more personal level — and directed her focus on the committee — the library’s urgency and desperation became real to everyone in the room.

Whitesell extended her pointer finger, singling out every committee member at the front of the room.

“And I know that, because of this library, I’ve touched each of your lives personally,” said Whitesell. “Steve Landis — your mother-in-law and child were part of our butterfly service; Rob — I see your wife, Martha, at the library; Mayor Barnhart — I don’t remember your wife and son not being involved in library programs, and I’ve been here 32 years; Mr. Raine — I know your grandson Joey because of this library.”

Whitesell paused momentarily before finishing in a voice much softer than her last.

“I’ve touched every one of your lives with the library, and then to be completely cut, without even a reduction — what did we do wrong?” said Whitesell.

As she turned to take her seat, she addressed the filled room, “Does anybody know what we did wrong?”

The resounding crowd response was “No,” with Simpkin’s voice rising louder than the rest.

When the focus turned back to the committee, Barnhart stepped up to speak first.

“We were able to cut 592,000 from our budget, and as soon as we got that done, we got hit with a $1.3-million loss from the state,” he said. “I know everyone keeps saying the library had no warning — but we had no warning.”

Barnhardt said that the cut is still not finalized. It’s being looked at as a possibility along with various other cuts.

“We didn’t make this cut easily and we want to keep your funding right where it’s at,” he said. “But we are finding ways to make this budget work.”

Although the library is a separate entity from the township, Hooks said the township committee has funded it since its 1937 establishment.

“We’ve been funded from ... the Great Depression, and several recessions,” she said. “It’s very difficult to understand why they can’t find a way to keep our doors open.”

The answer, according to Barnhart, lies in whether the library can learn to operate as a business. He said if the library started charging the 22,751 patrons they saw last year for membership, a $5 member fee would generate a significant amount of money.

But because a potential cut could leave the library without time to find funding, library officials are taking action now to plan for the future.

Next Wednesday night, library officials will hold a 7 p.m. meeting in the Pennsville Public Library to discuss possible fundraising, volunteering, grant writing and other ways the community can help keep the library going.

Without cuts finalized, all library officials and supporters can do is wait for a committee decision. Barnhart said concerns for the library will be taken into consideration at cut time, although necessities like police and fire, forms of public safety, will take priority.

“We will look again at our numbers, and we will look at the possibility of restoring some funds to the library,” said Barnhart. “But it’s not a promise.”

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Cranford Library Board requests keeping flat budget for 2010

nj.com
By Leslie Murray
April 17, 2010, 9:31AM
CRANFORD — In the hopes of bringing more residents through their doors and keeping cuts in state aid from stacking against them, the Cranford Library Board has asked to retain a flat budget for 2010, just over what the township is obligated to provide.

Library director John Malar asked the Township Committee this week to keep the library’s budget flat for this year, saying that more residents were turning to the Cranford Public Library for books, internet usage and research materials. According to state statue, municipalities are required to fund their local public libraries based on a percentage of the assessed property values. To that end, Malar and member of the Library Board of Trustees are asking that the committee keep the budget at the same level as 2009 and provide $15,500 more in funding than is required of the township.

While the items were not specifically discussed at the meeting, libraries across the state are hurting as cuts to state aid and new legislation take aim at public library budgets. According to releases from the governor’s office pot of state aid for libraries could be reduced by as much as 74% for the coming fiscal year. What’s more, proposed legislation in Assembly Bill A2555 calls for a new funding formula that leaves municipal funding to the discretion of the local government.

Defending the request, Malar said that any cuts to the budget would impact the services and hours that the library offers to residents. The only segment of the budget not tied to salaries or fixes costs and that offers any “wiggle room” is the book budget, an area that Malar said was essential.

In 2009, the Cranford Public Library spent $137,684 in the book budget, mostly by shifting funds from other line items to cover the over budget expenditure. For 2010, the library budget calls for spending $108,389 on books. Adding to budget strain Malar said the Cranford library will receive only half the amount of state aid this year.

“We usually get about $20,000 (in state aid) and we use all of it to buy materials,” Malar said.

While there would be $10,000 in state aid, the library would be hard pressed to continue offering the services and materials currently that more and more residents are turning to with a reduced budget, he said.

“2009 was the busiest year in the library’s history,” Malar told the committee. “I think that’s due to the economy. When the economy is down, library usage goes up for obvious reasons. It would be a shame at this point in time to not meet that demand when the demand is very real.”

Adding to comment, Board of Trustees President Patricia Pavlak said the public library would become all the more important as the Cranford school district makes cuts to the school libraries. A school librarian and media specialist herself, Pavlak said she’s been told her position has been temporarily eliminated and that school libraries will not receive funding.

“I can see students turning more and more to the public library for the up-to-date materials they need,” Pavlak said.

She added that public library programs continue to be well attended and have become a respite for residents who have cut their own budgets.

While there were some questions from the committee about the budget, including comments from Commissioner Mark Dugan about the necessity to continue to offer the use of some expensive research databases and tools, there was no final budget decision for the library for 2010. Offering his comment, Mayor Mark Smith said he and the commissioners understood the strain of a shrinking budget and a growing demand from the public.

“These are hard times for libraries. I don’t think we want to make them any harder,” Smith said.

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Libraries 'will be decimated'

cournierpostonline.com

By BILL BOWMAN • Gannett New Jersey • April 16, 2010

Sherri Alberts minces no words in describing the importance to her of the Long Branch Free Public Library.

"It was a lifesaver for me," said Alberts, 50.
She received computer training at the library that helped her apply for and get two jobs, said the lifelong Long Branch resident.
"And they weren't just any jobs," she said. "They were good jobs."

But now, Alberts said, she fears others like her won't be able to avail themselves of these services if state aid cuts proposed by Gov. Chris Christie are enacted.
In Cherry Hill, the township's public library board is taking a hard look at its budget, said spokeswoman Katie Hardesty.
"No decisions have been made, but the Cherry Hill Library board is looking at all possible alternatives, including reduced library hours, staff cuts and charging for programs that used to be free of charge," she said.

Librarians throughout the state predict massive service and program reductions if the governor's proposed 74 percent cut in state aid becomes part of the state's fiscal 2011 budget.
Christie has proposed slashing state aid to libraries from $14 million to $3.7 million as part of his effort to close an $11 billion deficit.
That would end statewide programs such as interlibrary loans and a program that offers electronic resources for small businesses, said Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association.

It also would eliminate JerseyConnect, the program that allows the state's public libraries discounted access to the Internet.
Three of the four programs that serve libraries throughout the state and receive state aid would be eliminated, she said.
Speaking before the state Senate budget and appropriations committee on March 25, Tumulty said state funding for programs supporting or coordinating library resources has been eliminated.

"They are simply gone without any discussions on the impact to the residents of New Jersey," she said of the programs. "This takes our funding level back to the 1970s when only books were required for library service, not computers, the Internet or electronic resources."

The domino effect of the cuts, Tumulty said, will be the loss of $4.5 million in federal money, forfeited because the state's libraries will not be able to maintain their systems.

Should that happen, she said, programs such as the state's library for the blind and handicapped will be affected. "Although most services will not disappear exactly on July 1 (when the fiscal 2011 budget takes effect), I can certainly assure you that by January 2011, library service in New Jersey will be decimated," she said.

Ingrid Bruck, executive director of the Long Branch Public Library, said libraries such as hers will not be able to replace services and programs easily once they are gone.
One database now provided under a state contract costs about $80,000 a year, she said.
"We've got a $1.8 million budget," she said. "We can't just replace what we don't have in our budget. Cuts have to come from someplace to replace those essential services, and for libraries, that means people. And when you cut people here, you cut services to special populations, such as teens."

Cuts would be detrimental to minorities in a city such as Long Branch, Alberts said.
"A lot of minority kids use the library," she said. "That's sometimes their only contact with books, besides school. The computers bring them in, and if the computer room is full, they go out and touch a book, which is excellent."

A Christie spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the topic.
At the same time as Christie's proposed aid cuts, state Assemblyman John DiMaio, R-Warren, has introduced a bill that would end the practice of municipalities funding public libraries based on the assessed value of the community's real estate.

DiMaio's bill would repeal that formula and replace it with a figure municipal governments feel is sufficient to run their libraries.

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April 16, 2010

N.J. libraries face Gov. Chris Christie's 74 percent budget cut

By Star-Ledger Staff
April 16, 2010, 5:35AM

BRIDGEWATER -- The Somerset County Bridgewater Library has a small room, off to the side and out of sight, with four employees who handle interlibrary loan requests.

The library, which is the main branch in Somerset County, moves more than 13,000 books every year to other libraries, a fraction of the more than 3.8 million books that are trucked around the state.

But the popular program, librarians said, is one of several slated to be cut if changes are not made to Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed budget, which calls for a 74 percent reduction — $10.4 million — in state aid to libraries.

Previous Coverage:
• N.J. libraries may lose free internet as a result of state aid cuts

• N.J. Gov. Chris Christie details $275M cut in state aid to municipalities

• N.J. business owners lose hope amid budget crisis, survey shows

• Complete coverage of the 2010 New Jersey State Budget

The cuts may also result in some libraries reducing hours and a small number of layoffs, but the most direct impact is to some of libraries’ most often used resources.

Maryann Raimo, 67, of Monroe Township, said she uses the interlibrary loan service at least a few times a month.

"I use it because when I can’t get a book, it’s my only recourse unless I want to buy the book and I really don’t want to do that," she said.

In addition to the interlibrary loan program, the governor has proposed eliminating funding for RefUSA and EBSCOhost, two databases that provide free access to thousands of newspapers, magazines and periodicals. Also, free internet access is in jeopardy, said Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Libraries Association.

The state has cut funding for the Internet. While federal funds will make up for that loss this year, libraries could lose about $4.5 million in federal matching funds next year because of the state’s reductions.

"This kind of cut is devastating to libraries and to the people who use them," said Anita Freeman, Randolph Township’s library director.

The governor’s cuts also include a 50 percent reduction in direct aid and the elimination of all funding to the state’s four regional cooperatives, which help local branches keep costs down by providing greater purchasing power.

This week is National Library Week and librarians across the state are organizing their opposition to the proposed cuts.

"Everyone acknowledges New Jersey has a financial problem and we expected cuts, but this is out of proportion," said Joanne Roukens, executive director of the Highlands Regional Library Cooperative, which serves seven counties in northern New Jersey.

The state, facing a $10.7 billion budget gap, had little choice but to make painful cuts in every area, said Christie spokesman Mike Drewniak.

"Like so many things we cut to balance a budget, this too was a difficult choice we wish we didn’t have to make," Drewniak said in an e-mail. "The budget cuts were across the board."

Tumulty said cutting spending is understandable but Christie is wielding a hatchet, not a scalpel.

"This takes our funding back to the 1970s when only books were required for library service," Tumulty told the Senate Budget Committee last month, "not computers, the internet or electronic resources."

Christie’s cuts were announced the same day Assemblyman John DiMaio (R-Warren) introduced a bill that would eliminate the minimum funding municipalities are required to provide their libraries.

"Libraries are a great service, and they do a great job for all of us," DiMaio said. "But right now we are in some very difficult times, and we need to take some severe measures to get our ship back in order."

Cedar Grove is considering its own severe measure, closing its library for the remainder of the year, because state regulations prevent the council from reducing the library’s $840,000 budget.

"The funding mechanism is not fair and equitable during the financial crisis we’re going through," Mayor Joseph Chiusolo said.

Cuts to libraries could not come at a worse time, Tumulty said. As is common in recessions and periods of high unemployment, library usage has spiked in the past couple years.

Libraries have reported a 10 percent jump in patronage, Tumulty said, with many coming in to take advantage of the free internet to search or apply for jobs.

By Dan Goldberg and Stephen Stirling/For The Star-Ledger

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Leave the book open for library patrons

Friday, April 16, 2010
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
OP-ED

This is National Library Week. The annual celebration of libraries and librarians comes at a time when libraries are busier than ever. This year, New Jersey libraries of all types are facing very challenging times.

Gov. Christie's proposed budget eliminates most of the statewide services that state residents have come to expect from their local libraries. A 74 percent reduction in state funding will eliminate the core services and infrastructure that support a majority of our libraries, including access to the internet, databases and electronic resources; loans and delivery of materials between libraries; and support for summer reading programs for children. And a 50 percent reduction in state aid will affect our libraries' ability to purchase books, computers and audiovisual collections.

The New Jersey Library Network -- most likely your neighborhood public, academic, school or special library -- has worked tirelessly over the past 25 years to coordinate services. It has been purchasing books and databases cooperatively for two decades. The network also provides technology training and continuing education for the public and librarians. Libraries also receive computer and technical support. My local library pays about $80,000 in one year to subscribe to the databases, but many libraries won't be able to offer these resources; college and K-12 students will lose out, as will small businesses.

Cooperative purchasing is a good business model, but it was also a good choice because statewide library funding was essentially flat for two decades. Now, the new reductions will eliminate most of that good stewardship. This is not shared sacrifice. This is elimination. And it is unwarranted when we see that $10.4 million in annual funds for libraries on the chopping block had been spent wisely in the past. Additionally, the loss of the funds will trigger a loss of $4.5 million in federal funds, because "maintenance of effort" federal requirements will not be met.

More than 48 million visits were made to New Jersey libraries in 2009. The state's citizens depend on libraries as essential places in their communities for lifelong learning; job hunting; borrowing books, DVDs and magazines; accessing downloadable materials, and more, to help the family budget.

Often, the public library is the only center in the community where anyone can go for services such as finding tax forms, resume preparation, homework assistance, literacy programs, recreational reading, research and much more. Libraries serve the youngest children, starting with programs for babies and parents, where children are read to and begin learning and socializing. Programs for children and teens continue as they grow. Our youth find welcoming spaces that offer help with homework, research, their college search, books, and a place to relax in a safe environment. Most libraries offer hours until 9 p.m. on weekdays, as well as weekend service. After school hours, the library serves as a virtual gateway for education and recreation.

A favorite success story is that of a man named Lenny, who visited his local public library for many months to use computers and books to hunt for a job after being laid off. Lenny learned how to use the internet and books for job searching from the librarians. Eventually, Lenny was called for an interview. One day, he came in and proudly announced that he had landed the job of his dreams.

The Assembly is considering bill A2555, which would eliminate the dedicated minimum local funding requirement for municipal public libraries. If enacted, the bill would greatly weaken libraries and could render them incapable of providing the necessary levels of service that state residents expect. Typically, this funding represents less than 3 percent of a local municipality's budget.

A recent report conducted by the Gates Foundation (find it a njla.org) found that nearly one-third of Americans age 14 or older "" roughly 77 million people "" used a public library computer or wireless network to access the internet in 2009. As the nation struggled through a recession, people relied on library technology to find work, apply for college, secure government benefits, learn about medical treatments, and connect with their communities. New Jersey's libraries represent a very real segment of that effort.

While we recognize the budget problems that Gov. Christie, the Legislature and our citizens face, the answer is not to eliminate funding for library services for residents of all ages and stages of life, at an average annual cost of only $1.19 per person.

Libraries are an important part of the solution to fixing New Jersey's problems. We look forward to working with Gov. Christie, the Legislature and the citizens to preserve and save our libraries.

Susan Briant is president of the New Jersey Library Association and director of the Haddonfield Public Library.

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Bridgeton library's oldest section gets repairs; advocates hope for many more

nj.com
By Joe Green
April 13, 2010, 6:27PM
BRIDGETON — Workers have put a dent in what many locals hope will be extensive repairs to the city public library.

A new roof was recently completed for the front gabled roof of the library’s oldest wing, which once housed Cumberland National Bank and was built in 1816.

That portion and several others had been leaking for years, and that was only part of the facility’s problems.

The former bank wing’s east facade is understandably deteriorating. Library Director Gail Robinson said the wear and tear of nearly two centuries brings compounded issues.

“There’s only so much freezing and thawing the facade can take,” Robinson said, citing just one of the forces wearing on the building.

The window frames are also deteriorating. Those breakdowns, along with the roof leaks, allow moisture into the building, which in turn can spawn mold.

Other leaky areas, on a flat roof portion, have interfered with normal operations, Robinson said. That should be addressed with a roughly $1.8 million bond City Council recently approved for repairs to the library and the fire station on Orange Street.

“Every time it leaked, it stirred something up, which effected the air quality,” she explained. “We’re pleased that issue will be taken care of with the bond.”

The city had made temporary repairs to the roof over the years as well. The library’s newest portion was completed in 1967.

Robinson added that she hopes to avoid a collapse of the 1816 section like that experienced Dec. 26 by the Bank of America building on the corner of East Commerce and South Laurel streets.

That facility, which also once was home to Cumberland National, was completed in 1886 and is still undergoing repairs.

Robinson in part credited Save the Library! and Friends of the Bridgeton Library, two organizations determined to keep their namesake running, with raising funds to try to prevent such a disaster there.

Sally Garrison of Save the Library! said her group and Friends of the Library have been able to raise roughly $36,000 recently, and fundraising hasn’t ceased.

“We will continue to raise money hopefully to get as far along as we can on restoration of that building,” she said.

Those efforts include a roller skating event coming May 10 and a mail campaign Garrison said will take place in the late summer or early fall.

Despite the economy and the state funding crunch, she and others seek to prop up the long-standing community center.

“What we really want to do is see the library become as self-sufficient as possible,” Garrison said.

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April 15, 2010

Libraries stand to lose a lot, too

northjersey.com
Friday, April 2, 2010
BY DARIUS AMOS AND ROBIN DECICCO
Cliffside Park Citizen
STAFF WRITERS
0 Comments CLIFFSIDE PARK — Card catalogs and the Dewey Decimal System might seem archaic by today’s library standards, but browsing and research might revert back to those days if funding to the state’s libraries is cut as per plans laid out by the governor’s office.
If cuts proposed by Governor Christie in his effort to reduce New Jersey’s budget deficit are realized, libraries throughout the state, including all centers belonging to the Bergen County Cooperative Library System, will be dealt a serious blow. And local librarians fear that the residents and students who depend on their neighborhood library are the ones who will feel the most impact.

"Libraries are a part of our lives," said Eileen Mackesy-Karpoff, director of the Ridgefield Park Library. "They exist, they serve and for most of us they have always been part of our American life. They provide services at no cost."
"Like all such institutions, they are taken for granted."

Librarians throughout the county are denouncing Christie’s cuts, which will have impact on all types of libraries, which includes all public, school and academic. On the other side of the sword, they are also wary that municipal funding to libraries also faces drastic cuts.

State stops spending
When the state budget goes up for approval in June, the fate of aid to libraries will also be on the table. If the spending plan passes as it stands now, much of what patrons depend upon will be lost.
"More than half of the public libraries will lose the free Internet connection," said Robert White, executive director of BCCLS. "BCCLS currently has its own Internet connection, and we were considering moving to the state to save some money. Not a chance now."
"Many will make other arrangements at differing costs. Some will just lose the service," White continued, adding that libraries that drop Internet service will put financial and personnel strain on those that continue to offer it.

While libraries still have some options to continue providing free Internet to its patrons, a handful of services are already on the chopping block. Among the most depended-on service that will cease is the delivery between all of the state’s libraries. In other words, a library that does not carry a specific book cannot depend on another library to deliver the title as it did in the past.

"Anything happening to one of us happens to all," said Cliffside Park Library Director Ana Chelariu, explaining the BCCLS network. "Anyone in this county could go on a computer and request via e-mail the needed item and have it delivered at their home library. Due to these cuts, this service, together with Interlibrary Loan service from around the country, will cease to be funded."

"To me, this is the most horrifying of the cuts," added Mackesy-Karpoff. "Theoretically, you may no longer be able to order a book from the Ridgewood Library to be delivered to the Ridgefield Park Library after Dec. 31."

While deadline for delivery between state libraries is in December, the bell will toll sooner for out-of-state loans and access to several research databases. According to Mackesy-Karpoff, on June "when you need a book that is only held by a library in California, you will not be able to borrow it as you are now."

The state will drop funding for two major reference databases, the Ebsco suite and RefUSA, both of which provide access to newspaper articles and periodicals.
"The state getting out of the database business means a minimum of $2 million statewide, and about $300,000 for BCCLS members would have to be picked up locally," White said. "So these proposed cuts have a double whammy. We lose the state leveraging power, and the state shrinks its direct financial role in support of libraries."

For local libraries like Cliffside Park and Ridgefield Park, giving residents access to periodicals outside of the print titles they carry, is a necessity.
"In this day and age, computer access is one of the most important features that libraries can offer, especially expensive databases," Chelariu said.

"Individual libraries will not be able to provide the same range of information from their existing print reference collections since print reference is extremely expensive, and most of us have had to cut back on these purchases," added Mackesy-Karpoff.

Municipal money matters
A bill to repeal the "1/3 of a mil" rule has again surfaced after three attempts to pass it last year were defeated. If the bill, A2555, passes, it would eliminate the law establishing minimum municipal aid to libraries.

According to the rule, libraries receive funding from the town budget based on the equalized valuation of all property in the municipality.

"[The bill] would mark the end of quality library service as we have known it for the last 25 years," White said. "It would be disastrous for all libraries, including every one in BCCLS… Though BCCLS libraries are superficially better prepared to deal with these cuts [in state aid], their local budgets cannot accept the transferred costs as is, so the likelihood of quality reductions in service is a certainty, not a supposition."

In Ridgefield Park, Mackesy-Karpoff said the village’s governing body has always budgeted more than the minimum for its library. However, she said other towns might not be as lucky.
"Any measure that weakens any library in New Jersey has to be of concern to all librarians and all citizens who value library service," she said. "If town X has a library that doesn’t meet the needs of its residents, residents will begin using the services of neighboring town Y, thereby increasing the costs of that library."

Chelariu shares similar worries in her town.
"Such action could jeopardize our library activities as we know them," Chelariu said if the bill is passed.

"In past years, Cliffside Park Public Library experienced a tremendous increase in circulation of library items, reaching by November 2009 159,000 – double from 10 years ago… Cutting our budget in half will result in cutting open hours, programs, personnel, cutting the services that all citizens of our town are used to and are demanding."

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Letter to the Editor

northjersey.com
April 3, 2010

Librarians are fighting not for their jobs, not for their benefits, not for their pensions but for the residents of New Jersey. Library services are in jeopardy as a result of Governor Christie's proposed budget. Our governor and legislators encourage resource sharing but are not able to recognize the successful resource sharing that has been under way in Bergen County for 30 years.

Seventy-five libraries (some outside of Bergen) are members of the Bergen County Cooperative Library system, which was created by librarians, not by politicians. One library card earns residents full service at any of these 75 libraries: books, music CDs, audio books, large print materials, DVDs, magazines, newspapers, Internet access, cultural and educational programs for all ages, computer instruction, ESL, basic literacy services and much more — all for free.

Christie's proposed budget will devastate library service as we know it in New Jersey, especially in Bergen County, where residents are used to extremely high levels of service. This budget will eliminate all funds to support delivery of library materials from library to library within the state. Interlibrary loans and delivery of library materials could cease to exist. The regional library cooperatives that administer the delivery service, coordinate continuing education for the region's librarians and staff, and negotiate group purchasing discounts will cease to exist. Access to frequently used and much needed database from home and at the library will end. Libraries that rely on the New Jersey State Library for their Internet connection will lose that connectivity. State aid to individual libraries, which suffered an 18 percent cut last year, will be cut in half. The Talking Book and Braille Center (formerly known as the Library for the Blind and Handicapped) will cease to exist, creating a huge void for those who need its services.

As if all of this is not enough, Assemblyman John DiMaio, R-Warren, has introduced Assembly bill A-2555, which would eliminate the minimum local funding requirement for municipal public libraries and leaves library funding on the local level to the discretion of the municipal governing bodies, which means libraries could expect more significant budget cuts.

Those who support the concept of free public libraries need to come forward to help in the fight to stop this madness. Go to http://capwiz.com/ala/nj/home/ to communicate with the state's elected leaders.

Eileen Mackesy-Karpoff

Bogota, March 22

The writer is director of the Ridgefield Park Public Library.

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Proposed funding cuts leave future of Pennsville Public Library uncertain

nj.com

By Deena DiBacco
April 13, 2010, 8:35PM

PENNSVILLE TWP. — From its establishment in 1937, the Pennsville Public Library’s doors are still open 73 years later, the smell of worn book pages and old leather bindings beckoning a new generation.

But with a budget crisis on its hands, the Pennsville Township Committee’s recent plans — the township is looking into cutting library funding by 100 percent in the 2010 municipal budget — has some concerned that the library’s final year will be its seventy-third.

Closing up shop, however, isn’t on Pennsville Mayor Richard Barnhart’s agenda for the library.

“We have not finalized our budget,” said Barhnart Tuesday. “We’re only looking to cut it, but we have to look at every expenditure, at every facet.”

Barnhart said after the township reduced its budget by $600,000, after the state cut $1.3 million in municipal aid.

And according to Barnhart, filling that $1.3 million hole could drastically affect taxpayers if the township does not implement cuts in other areas.

To make up for the loss, Barnhart said committee members have had to assess what the greater good is for Pennsville residents.

“We’ve had to ask ourselves, ‘what are the most necessary services in the township,’” said Barnhart. “They’re public safety, police, fire — these things will be optimum in our decisions.”

But the economic tough breaks Pennsville was dealt are understood by library officials like Pennsville Public Library Board President Chris Hooks.

According to Hooks, his disapproval of the committee’s plan isn’t because of library cuts.

“We were cut $15,000 in 2009 and we handled it,” said Hooks of the township’s funding reductions in past years. “Give us fair warning, a little time and we can handle any cuts.”

Hooks said the problem with the plan stems from its weightiness. The complete cutoff, the proposed 100 percent elimination of funding, is what Hooks found problematic.

“Cutting us off two weeks prior to the start of our fiscal year cannot be the solution for any of us,” said Hooks.

The reason why a 100 percent cut in library funding makes sense to township committee?

“They are not part of the township, but are a separate entity, with their own board of trustees,” said Barnhart of the Pennsville Public Library. “And we don’t fund them, but give them an annual donation to support them.”

Although Barnhart confirmed the municipality’s annual donations have dwindled in past years, he said it reflects the continued economic recession.

Last year’s donation, according to Barnhart, was roughly $135,000, a sum the committee had planned to reduce to $125,000 this year. In addition, the township pays around $59,000 per year to cover the benefits of certain library employees.

Barnhart said this year, the total price tag for library donations from the township would’ve totaled approximately $180,000. Neighboring towns in the county, said Barnhart, contribute as little as $3,000 to $4,000 to their respective libraries annually.

“We’re not trying to close the library, we’re just pulling the funding, and the library has other avenues of funding they can explore,” said Barnhart.

But Hooks said if funding is eliminated, the library will not be able to cover its $150,000 in expenses for the year — which would force library doors to be closed on the almost 14,000 patrons who use the library.

“Our entire board of trustees understands times are tough and difficult choices must be made,” said Hooks. “However, we are simply asking for enough funds to give us necessary time to regroup, and we are dedicated to keeping our doors open by attracting donors, holding fundraisers, cutting expenses — whatever it takes to remain in service to our community.”

Barnhart said approval of funding cuts will not be announced until the committee finalizes its 2010 township budget and holds a public budget hearing. The date of the public hearing will be posted in the township municipal building when a date is set.

Those in support of either side of the issue can voice their concerns at the township committee’s meeting on Thursday at 7 p.m. at town hall on North Broadway.

Posted by tumulty at 12:41 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

Preserve library funding

Letters to the Editor »

By Letters to the Editor/The Star-Ledger
April 15, 2010, 5:50AM

Preserve library funding

I’d like to voice my strong opposition to Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed cuts in library funding that would reduce state aid by about 75 percent. It could result in the reduction, if not the elimination of many important library services, including interlibrary loans and free internet service, on which many people depend.

Take my own situation. I use the computers at my local library for the internet because I cannot afford to pay the monthly service fees. This very letter was written on the computer at my public library. While using the computer at my library is not essential, it is important.

These suggested cuts are unacceptable. They are a prime example of being penny-wise but dollar-foolish. I understand that cuts are necessary in these hard economic times, but 75 percent is unreasonable.

Municipal public libraries are a vital service of our towns and should not be shortchanged in funding.

Michael S. Smith, Berkeley Heights

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Cedar Grove considers shuttering library for the rest of the year

nj.com

By Nic Corbett/For The Star-Ledger
April 14, 2010, 6:21PM
CEDAR GROVE -- Cedar Grove council members are considering closing the township’s only library for seven months to close a $600,000 budget gap.

The proposal, one of three options the governing body is mulling, brought out dozens of residents in opposition this week.

“This is our library,” Sylvia Cicetti, who’s lived in the township for 38 years, said at a council meeting Monday. “We don’t want it closed for one week.”

Cedar Grove’s mayor said the council’s attention turned to the library, because it’s the only department in the township whose funding cannot be reduced due to state regulations. The library is funded $840,000 this year, according to a state formula tied to property values. Council members can’t cut back on the library’s funding, Mayor Joseph Chiusolo said, but they believe they can eliminate it.

The alternatives for the suburban 12,700-resident township are laying off seven municipal employees, including three police officers, or getting union and non-union workers to pay 25 percent of their health-insurance costs.

“This is not a very enjoyable time in our community,” Chiusolo said. “It is a time that we have to come together and in some way put together a balanced budget.”

The budget is tentatively scheduled to be introduced at a special meeting April 23, he said.

The seven municipal workers who may get pink slips have already been put on notice, in case that’s the direction the council wants to go, Chiusolo said.

Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association, said her organization wants the state to create a dedicated tax for municipal libraries so they will be exempt from the 4-percent cap on property tax increases in municipal budgets. It used to be a separate line on the tax bill up until three years ago, she said.

This is the first she’s heard of a community thinking about closing its library.

“But we’re certainly starting to hear this,” she said. “Obviously, there are concerns.”
Chiusolo wants the state to let municipalities decide how much money is necessary to run their libraries.

“Based on what’s happening today, it is totally unfair for that funding mechanism to be dictated by the state of New Jersey,” he said.

A bill introduced last month by state Assemblyman John DiMaio (R-Warren) would do just that. But many librarians fear this move would make it too easy for local governments to make deep cuts.

The Cedar Grove library director, Catherine Wolverton, said her staff recorded nearly 50,000 visits last year. More than 71,000 items are circulated annually. The library also offers free Internet access and more hundreds of programs for adults and children.
If the council decides to close the library, there’s no guarantee it will re-open next year, Chiusolo said.

“As far as the future,” he said, “that’s a whole different discussion.”

Posted by tumulty at 10:12 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

Our Public Library Lifeline Is Fraying. We'll Be Sorry When it Snaps

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

This is National Library Week, a time normally reserved for celebrating an institution that plays a vital role in many of our cities, towns and counties. Instead, many libraries, particularly public libraries, are being decimated by budget cuts at a time when library services are needed most.

Libraries, once considered a necessity, are now seen as a luxury. They are low-hanging fruit for budget pluckers, particularly at the state and local levels of government in communities across the country. It's been a slow death by attrition over the past couple of years. First, it was the budget for books and materials because, after all, books and materials aren't people. No matter that books and materials are what makes a library, well, a library. Then came the hours of operation, then the staff, then the closure of branches. No two communities are approaching the situation identically, but in cities from Boston to Indianapolis, the stories are increasingly dire.

In Boston, the trustees voted to close four branches. There was lots of protest, and Mayor Thomas Menino still has to make the final call, but the situation doesn't look good.

The Florida legislature is considering eliminating state aid to libraries entirely, while the New Jersey legislature is only looking a at a 74 percent cut. Indianapolis and surrounding Marion County are also looking at closing six branches and cutting back programs and staff.

In my home community of Montgomery County, Maryland, formerly one of the wealthiest local jurisdictions, the County Council is looking at a budget for fiscal year 2011 of $29 million - down from $40 million just three years ago. This year, it is slated for a 23 percent cut - one of the largest of any agency, on top of cuts in the last fiscal year with percentage decreases larger than all but one county agency. And this is for a county of about one million residents in which 70 percent hold library cards. It's even worse across the river, in Fairfax County, Virgina, where libraries were declared a "discretionary" service while cutting 30 of 54 full-time librarians. Libraries discretionary? That's nuts.

These are only some of the stories. They are being repeated endlessly across the country, perhaps even where you live. Some places put a high value on their libraries. Contrast the $29 million of my county for the $51 million library budget in Seattle, a city of about 600,000. Sure, Seattle needed to cut the library budget, but the fact that they started out much higher than my home says something about their priorities. Sadly, Seattle is the exception, not the rule.

One problem for libraries in some jurisdictions is that they don't fit squarely into any one policymaker's domain, like public safety or a school system. Libraries serve a range of purposes - they help teach children to read, they help students work on projects, they provide meeting space for tutoring, they provide Internet access. They serve students, seniors, immigrants. They provide assistance to the unemployed. Libraries combine education, workforce development, socialization, recreation. But they aren't the school board, or a social services agency, and so generally get buried in the larger budgets.

The cuts come at a time when library use is increasing, for all types of services. The one that hits home the most these days is the crucial access to the Internet. A study by the Information School at the University of Washington found that: "Low-income adults are more likely to rely on the public library as their sole access to computers and the Internet than any other income group. Overall, 44 percent of people living below the federal poverty line used computers and the Internet at their public libraries."

In addition, the study reported: "Americans across all age groups reported they used library computers and Internet access. Teenagers are the most active users. Half of the nation's 14- to 18-year-olds reported that they used a library computer during the past year, typically to do school homework."

Ask any librarian, or read any of the stories about the budget cuts, and one message that stands out loud and clear is that the Internet at libraries is a lifeline for many. Here the unemployed look for jobs, and apply for jobs - many companies these days accept applications online only. Here people learn what many would consider rudimentary skills - how to attach a document to an email, for example. Is this what a library is supposed to do? Yes. The Internet has become an integral part of the library mission.

Internet support for libraries is national policy, going back to the 1996 Telecommunications Act and the amendment from current Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WVA) as well as former Nebraska senators, the late James Exon and Robert Kerrey. Today, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) is trying to update the policy for the 21st century.

But it would be a mistake to say that the Internet replaces libraries. It doesn't. It's an adjunct. More than one budget officer has said that people don't need libraries because they can go online. First, many people can't go online due to their economic circumstances. Second, librarians help to guide research. A simple online search will not always achieve desired results, as anyone who does this well knows. And libraries still have those quaint old things called books, many of which aren't online. The printed medium still has a lot of attraction for many, from the youngest readers whose parents check out armloads of picture books, to the serious readers and researchers who realize there is more to find than what's online.

It would also be a mistake to say that bookstores replace libraries. Nothing against bookstores, but they aren't a public resource. Quite obviously, who have to pay to enjoy the fruits of a bookstore. Libraries are there for everyone.

Politicians are loathe to raise money to pay for libraries. That's the kiss of death to an aroused citizenry that wants services but doesn't want to pay for them or, in some cases doesn't value them at all. Still, it's nice that around the country, people are protesting the cuts to their local libraries. In some cases, library lovers have formed foundations or other organizations to supplement their libraries. These are to be lauded, and supported, but they aren't a substitute for the public commitment that led to public libraries in the first place.

Let's give the last word to someone who has a secret ambition to be a librarian, but whose career went in a different direction. No less an authority than Keith Richards put it best in his forthcoming autobiography: "When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser."

Happy National Library Week.

Follow Art Brodsky on Twitter: www.twitter.com/artbrodsky

Posted by tumulty at 9:53 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

Busy Libraries Face Budget Cuts

http://www.baristanet.com/2010/04/

Wednesday, April 14, 2010
At 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, Linda Esler, reference librarian at the Bloomfield Public Library, is so busy she can barely take a breath. In the space of a few minutes, she has three kids looking for Civil War books, a woman having trouble printing something and several people waiting for a computer with internet to free up. And it's constant. People call up for mango salsa recipes, come in to print out NJ tax forms and ask for help filing federal financial aid forms.

And now, part of Essler's job is letting people know that Governor Chris Christie is making Draconian cuts in the state's library budget. A bright yellow bulletin board contains fact sheets and postcards from the Save My NJ Library campaign. The campaign is also on Facebook, and more than 10,000 people have joined.

Is Essler afraid that speaking out about Christie's cuts, on the job, might bring the governor's wrath down on librarians -- as it has with teachers? "This is how it will affect us," said Essler. "I'm just presenting the facts."

According to Save My NJ Library, Christie's budget calls for a 74 percent decrease in funding for statewide library services -- with the cuts targeting transportation for interlibrary loans and electronic databases. State funding for individual libraries is being cut by 50 percent.

Robert White, executive director of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System or BCCLS, which includes Montclair, Bloomfield and Glen Ridge as members, is even more strident. He thinks Christie is going after libraries and librarians because of their mild-mannered reputation. "They think that librarians are wimps," says White. "I think he is bullying anybody and everybody he thinks he can get away with." But librarians aren't wimps, White argues, and neither are the senior citizens who are libraries' top patrons. "Do not trifle with these senior citizens," he warns.

He points out that libraries gained friends during recent storms when so many libraries provided internet access to thousands of people who lost power.

The Glen Ridge library is also participating in the fight, distributing these postcards for patrons to send to their legislators.

Wayne Bernstein, a patron of the Bloomfield Public Library, says he uses the library because he can't afford monthly internet charges. "Christie's cutting everything left and right and there's going to be nothing left," he said. "He should leave the libraries alone. You need libraries. Find something else to cut."

In a related matter, Bloomfield's library board meets tonight on the matter of the abrupt sacking of library director Gian Hasija.

Posted by Debbie Galant on April 14, 2010 3:41 PM

Posted by tumulty at 9:50 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

April 14, 2010

NJ public libraries should lobby to restore aid cuts in Christie budget

AN ASBURY PARK PRESS EDITORIAL • April 12, 2010

app.com
Public libraries across the state are bracing for the worst in the wake of Gov. Chris Christie's proposed 74 percent cut in state aid to libraries for fiscal year 2011.

It's hard not to be sympathetic with the librarians and other staffers who are now analyzing programs and services that may have to be discontinued. Libraries shouldn't be exempt from the pain of the deep state budget cuts. But it seems they are being asked to absorb more than their fair share of it.

Unless substantial aid is restored, one likely casualty will be JerseyConnect, a program that allows the state's public libraries discounted access to the Internet. Officials should make every effort to keep that program from ending, or find another way to help libraries remain online.
As one regular patron of the Long Branch Public Library noted, that service is invaluable to youngsters in low-income areas. "That's sometimes their only contact with books, besides school. The computers bring them in, and if the computer room is full, they go out and touch a book, which is excellent."

Posted by tumulty at 8:41 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

Where's all the "sharing'?

c-n.com
Letters to the Editor

April 10, 2010

On Jan. 22 of this year, Gov. Chris Christie accepted his transition team's report on reforming state government. It recommended that the state "play a greater role in encouraging shared local government services, something Christie supports, as a way to help cut property taxes, and for major technology improvements," as quoted at newjerseynewsroom.com.

On March 17, the governor instead proposed a budget that eliminates all shared government services, including "major technology improvements," to New Jersey public libraries.
He did this by cutting 74 percent of the State Library's budget, which has provided at no or little cost to public libraries:
— Shipping of books not owned by one library to another;
— Shared cataloging;
— Grant writing and grant coordination;
— Databases not available free on the Internet;
— Staff training.

In addition, he halved the state aid given directly to public libraries.
Instead of using shared government services to implement "major technology improvements," he has eliminated the state library as Internet service provider, web host, technology consultant, and e-mail provider to more than half of New Jersey's public libraries.

Perhaps even worse, because the state library cannot now provide matching funds, it must give up more than $4.5 million in federal grant money already won for "major technology improvements" and has disqualified the state from competing for $7.5 million in federal grants already applied for, to bring broadband access to New Jersey public libraries.
New Jersey public libraries will now have to pay for all these services out of their already diminished budgets (because of the reduction in local state aid and other factors) to buy these services elsewhere, or more likely, eliminate them due to lack of funds.
Citizens concerned about the evisceration of public library service in the state should access the website www.savemynjlibrary.org to see how they can help.

CHRISTINE M. HILL
Assistant Director
Willingboro Public Library

Posted by tumulty at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

April 13, 2010

Assemblyman John DiMaio sponsors bill eliminating requirements for municipal library funding

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
By BILL WICHERT
The Express-Times.com
Librarians across New Jersey are rallying against a proposed bill that would eliminate the minimum requirement for municipal funding at public libraries.

The proposal comes as state funding for library services is slated to drop by 74 percent in the upcoming fiscal year.

The proposed legislation -- Assembly Bill A2555 -- would leave municipal funding up to the discretion of the local government. Local elected officials are the best qualified to decide the funding levels for any municipal department, said Assemblyman John DiMaio, R-Warren/Hunterdon, a sponsor of the bill.

"These are the kind of mandates that have gotten us in trouble over time," DiMaio said Monday. "If they're going to have their aid cut, then they should have every tool possible at their disposal to do their job."

Librarians fear the proposal would lead to reduced financial support for libraries at a time when more residents are turning to them for assistance.

"It would probably be devastating to us if it passed," said Hackettstown librarian Rona Mosler, adding that the minimum requirement gives the library a stable source of funding to budget.

The proposed bill would eliminate the existing requirement for municipalities to fund libraries annually at no less than one-third of a mill for every dollar of assessed property value. That amount represents $33 for every $100,000.

In Warren County, the bill would affect Phillipsburg, Belvidere, Hackettstown and Washington, the only municipalities with their own libraries. The remaining municipalities are members of the county library system.

Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll, R-Morris, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said minimum funding requirements should not be set in Trenton. A minimum amount for library services is unreasonable when funding for other municipal services such as police and fire face no such requirements, Carroll said.

"Local spending ought to be locally controlled," said Carroll, adding that not all libraries require funding at one-third of a mill.

Belvidere Mayor Charles Liegel said he has mixed emotions about the proposed bill.

Lifting the funding requirements could save municipal dollars, but without enough money, the town library might not be able to survive, Liegel said. The existing funding already isn't enough for the town library to operate, he said.

"So what's the right thing to do?" Liegel said.

One alternative to the proposed bill would be to remove library expenses from the state-mandated cap on tax levy increases, easing pressure on municipal officials, according to Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association.

Library services cost New Jersey residents, on average, $54.73 per person annually in taxes, Tumulty said. Without the minimum funding requirements, municipal libraries could end up with fewer dollars to work with, she said.

"Given the pressures and once you reduce it like that, it's very hard to build it back up," Tumulty said.

Reporter Bill Wichert can be reached at 610-258-7171, ext. 3570, or bwichert@express-times.com. Talk about issues in your town at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

Posted by tumulty at 7:07 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

Public should back money for libraries

dailyrecord.com
Letters to the editor

By ROBERT F. TAMBINI • April 11, 2010

Consolidation," "cooperation" and "merged/shared services" have become
buzzwords in New Jersey government of late. While the sharing of services may be a idea whose time has come, there is one area of local government where such cooperation has been the rule, rather than the exception, for a very long time.

In a recent Daily Record editorial, "Fewer bucks for books these days," you point out: "Such cooperative ventures are important. Morris County libraries, for instance, have been working together for years under a program known as MAIN — the Morris Automated Information Network."

MAIN is only one of many library consortia in the state of New Jersey. In Bergen County, there is BCCLS; in Essex County, PALS+; most other counties in the state have their own organizations of municipal libraries, which have come together to improve and broaden services, while at the same time reducing costs.

For example, in Morris County, MAIN serves as the means by which "group purchasing" is accomplished, so that even the smallest libraries can have access to the same tools and provide the same level of service to their patrons as the largest libraries in the county.

For example, in Dover we are able to offer five days of interlibrary loan delivery service and access to online databases that would cost more than $100,000 annually if purchased individually.

As a member of MAIN, these costs are included in the fee we pay for membership in the consortia. Without MAIN, it would not be feasible to offer these services, as we simply could not afford them. Group purchasing of computers and other necessities also allows for significant cost savings, as MAIN orders as one large customer, rather than 37 (the number of municipal libraries in Morris County) smaller customers.

MAIN works as a group when purchasing and implementing the software that allows us to more efficiently and effectively perform the duties with which we are charged.

The cost of the online card catalog and the software used to circulate books and maintain patron records is well beyond the means of any individual library. But, as a group, we are able to share the cost and provide state of the art service to the patrons we serve.

As a result of these shared costs, the members of MAIN effect even greater cost savings. Libraries that don't hold a given item are able to request that item electronically from another library in Morris County and have it delivered to their libraries within a very short time. This saves the patron the time and travel necessary to acquire the item at the owning library and it saves the borrowing library the cost of having to purchase the item.

As was noted in an earlier article in the Daily Record, almost 700,000 items were transferred among the libraries in Morris County during 2009. That's more than 2,000 items a day.

Every day, in every way, libraries, our patrons, and the taxpayers of our respective towns are the winners. Libraries in New Jersey were the pioneers of "shared services." We are the model that other departments should be seeking to emulate.

We are institutions that serve all members of our community equally and with the highest level of efficiency, effectiveness, and professionalism.

Libraries serve children and the elderly. We serve the businessperson who needs to research companies or investments. We serve the student who needs to do find information for homework assignments. We serve the poor who would otherwise not have access to the services we provide.

We serve those who have recently arrived in the United States and want to learn English and explore American culture. We serve parents by providing educational and recreational programming for their children. We serve abused women and children by providing information about organizations that help the helpless.

We provide the tax forms that the state no longer makes available to its taxpayers. We offer programs about taxes, housing, and myriad other topics, all at no cost to the participants.

Finally, libraries give taxpayers so much more than they pay for. By any measure, libraries in New Jersey provide a great value to the taxpayer.

We should not be the brunt of draconian budget cuts by the state that will eliminate essential services and negatively impact the quality of life of the people we serve. (How many of your readers realize that the cuts outlined in the proposed state budget will result in the loss of more than $4.5 million in federal aid to the state of New Jersey?)

If anything, our representatives at all levels of government should be fighting to maintain our funding, so that we can continue to provide these important services to the people of our towns, the county, and the state.
Robert F. Tambini is director of the Dover library.

Posted by tumulty at 6:54 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

Randolph plans to remodel its senior center, library

nj.com
By Dan Goldberg/For The Star-Ledger
April 11, 2010, 6:47AM

RANDOLPH -- The township is giving two of its most visited buildings a makeover.

The township council Tuesday night approved a $3.4 million bond to remodel its senior center on Calais Road and the library next door.

“It’s high time,” said Anita Freeman, library director. “We’re excited. It is definitely a step in the right direction.”

The Library Board agreed to spend $300,000 of its own money to help pay for renovations, which include a new roof, new windows and remodeling the front entrance.

The senior center is in even greater disrepair, said township manager John Lovell.

“Everything in that building is past its useful life,” Lovell said.

The senior center is overcrowded and its entrance is difficult to navigate, said Mayor Jay Alpert. Its electrical panel will be updated, its façade modernized and 5,000 square feet of office space will be added.

The township takes on the project at a time when many municipalities are cutting back on capital improvements because of the sluggish economy but Alpert said it was imperative that the work be done.

“The buildings are in such disrepair,” Alpert said. “You can only maintain things so long before they just go. These are repairs that have to be made to save the buildings. In the long run this is going to be cheaper than replacing the buildings.”

Lovell added that it is a buyer’s market for construction and noted the township recently learned that Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services raised Randolph’s credit rating from AA+ to AAA, meaning the township can borrow at a lower cost.

“This is a good time to move forward,” Lovell said.

The township plans to spend $1.7 million to remodel the senior center and $800,000 on the library, which Freeman said has about 500 visitors every day.

The township will also spend $850,000 to fix the parking lot, which sits atop the ruins of the Ackerman Hotel, closed in 1974. The library stands where the hotel’s restaurant once was, while the senior center occupies what was the hotel’s casino. The hotel was torn down and paved over. As the buried wood rotted beneath the asphalt, the parking lot repeatedly gave way.

“The parking lot has been sinking since the day we moved in,” Freeman said.

The construction plan calls for the remains of the hotel to be excavated and the parking lot to be redone.

The township plans to put the project out to bid by the end of this month.

“As someone who visits the library on a regular basis and who attends programs at the senior center, I think these upgrades are badly needed,” councilman Gary Algeier said. “Our seniors deserve better.”

Posted by tumulty at 6:47 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

Monmouth board delays library tax levy vote

app.com
By BOB JORDAN • FREEHOLD BUREAU • April 12, 2010

After grilling Monmouth County Library System officials at length on their pitch for a $12.58 million tax levy dedicated to this year's library budget, the freeholders said they weren't satisfied with the spending plan and put off an approval vote.

Officials said it was an unprecedented step, with approval of the library's tax levy not being delayed before. But Freeholder John Curley said library officials had been asked to cut spending by at least 5 percent, and the budget didn't reflect that.
"Times are different. We've had to find unique ways to cut spending and cut services elsewhere. It's a disgrace to come up with a budget that's higher," Curley said during the sometimes-stormy session with library officials Thursday.

The proposed levy is $430,000 higher than the 2009 levy.
Freeholder Amy Mallet said, "the entire library budget exposes a troubling misunderstanding by the commission regarding the difference between discretionary and essential needs."
A seven-member commission oversees the library, which consists of 27 branch and member libraries.

Mallet initiated the budget inquiry several weeks ago when she drew attention to $125,000 line items that she deemed questionable.

A portion of the budgeted amount that Mallet brought scrutiny to was $82,000 for travel expenses. Library Director Ken Sheinbaum said some of that money is used to compensate librarians for automobile mileage when they are asked to travel between libraries.
"They don't walk," Sheinbaum said.

However, Mallet said the budget "includes an increase in every single line item," which she called "out of touch with reality."
The five-member freeholder board, with only Director Lillian Burry opposed, instructed their finance director, Craig Marshall, to meet with library officials to work on a new proposal.
Burry protested, saying the two library officials who appeared before the board — Sheinbaum and Renee Swartz, chairwoman of the Library Commission — had made a convincing case that library services were vital and shouldn't be cut.

But Deputy Director Robert Clifton said he hadn't heard enough from library officials to address the concerns of Mallet and Curley.
"It sounds like some serious issues," Clifton said.
Holmdel resident Stan Rosenthal told the freeholders during the public session that unmonitored spending by a handful of the county government's "autonomous commissions" could create a problem.

"It seems the only way the freeholders can control the commissions is to control their purse strings. I think it would be a huge step forward in taking control of these commissions," Rosenthal said.

The freeholders later that day unanimously approved a second dedicated tax levy, for the health department, at $1,755,000, about $250,000 lower than in 2009. The difference was attributed to the departure of Wall, which moved to the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission. On an adjusted basis, the tax levy is 2.36 percent more than last year's.

Posted by tumulty at 6:35 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

April 12, 2010

Cutting funds to libraries will hurt residents

DailyRecord.com
Letters to the Editor

April 12, 2010

National Library Week is April 11-18. This annual celebration of libraries and librarians comes at a time when libraries are busier than ever.

This year, libraries of all types are facing very challenging times. Gov. Chris Christie's proposed budget eliminates most of the statewide services that New Jersey residents have come to expect in their local libraries. A 74 percent reduction in state funding will eliminate the core services and infrastructure that support a majority of libraries, including the Internet, loaning and delivery of materials between libraries, support for summer reading programs for children, databases and electronic resources, and a reduction in funds to libraries used to purchase books, computers and audiovisual collections, which are in great demand from our customers.

The N.J. Library Network and member libraries -- most likely your neighborhood public, academic, school or special library -- have worked tirelessly over the past 25 years to coordinate services. This group has been purchasing books and databases together for more than two decades. It is not only a good business model, but also was done because statewide library funding was essentially flat for the two decades. Now a 74 percent reduction in state funding will eliminate most of that good stewardship. This is not shared sacrifice.
Residents depend on libraries as essential places in their communities for lifelong learning, the use of computers for job hunting, and to borrow books, DVDs, magazines, and more to help the family budget. More than 170,000 people visit N.J. libraries each day. More than 48 million visits were made to libraries in 2009.

There is a bill in the state Assembly, A-2555, to eliminate the dedicated minimum funding for municipal public libraries. If enacted, this would greatly weaken libraries and could render them incapable of providing the necessary levels of service that New Jersey residents expect. Often the public library is the only center in the community where anyone can go for service for tax forms, resume preparation, homework assistance, teen and children's programs, literacy programs, recreational reading, research and much more.

While we recognize the terrible budget problems that Gov. Christie, the Legislature and citizens face, the answer is not to eliminate funding for statewide library services for residents of all ages and stages of life at an average annual cost of $1.19 per person. We look forward to working with Gov. Christie, the Legislature and citizens to preserve and save New Jersey libraries.
Susan Briant
President
N.J. Library Association

Posted by tumulty at 1:39 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

April 11, 2010

Cuts to library jobs, services, hours loom as state slashes aid

By BILL BOWMAN • GANNETT NEW JERSEY • April 11, 2010

c-n.com
TRENTON — Sherri Alberts minces no words in describing the importance to her of the Long Branch Free Public Library.

“It was a lifesaver for me,” said Alberts, 50.

She received computer training at the library that helped her apply for and get two jobs, said the lifelong Long Branch resident.

“And they weren't just any jobs,” she said. “They were good jobs.”

But now, Alberts said, she fears that others like her won't be able to avail themselves of these services if state aid cuts proposed by Gov. Chris Christie are enacted.

In fact, librarians throughout the state predict massive service and program cuts if Christie's proposed 74 percent cut in state aid becomes part of the state's Fiscal Year 2011 budget.

Christie has proposed slashing state aid to libraries from $14 million to $3.7 million as part of his effort to close an $11 billion deficit.

That would end statewide programs such as interlibrary loans and a program that offers electronic resources for small businesses, said Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association.

It also would eliminate JerseyConnect, the program that allows the state's public libraries discounted access to the Internet.

Three of the four programs that serve libraries throughout the state and receive state aid would be eliminated, she said.

Speaking before the state Senate budget and appropriations committee on March 25, Tumulty said state funding for programs supporting or coordinating library resources has been eliminated.

“They are simply gone without any discussions on the impact to the residents of New Jersey,” she said of the programs. “This takes our funding level back to the 1970s when only books were required for library service, not computers, the Internet or electronic resources.”

The domino effect of the cuts, Tumulty said, will be the loss of $4.5 million in federal money, forfeited because the state's libraries will not be able to maintain their systems.

Should that happen, she said, programs such as the state's library for the blind and handicapped will be impacted.

“Although most services will not disappear exactly on July 1 (when the FY 2011 budget takes effect), I can certainly assure you that by January 2011, library service in New Jersey will be decimated,” she said.

Jim Hecht, director of the Somerset County library system based in Bridgewater, said the cuts would force him to “review our priorities and determine which of the eliminated services we will want to continue and then find a way to fund them. And with a budget that has been stable for the last few years, that will be no easy task.”

One issue the library system will have to deal with is the loss of interlibrary loans, Hecht said. The replacement, he said, would probably be a system in which patrons requesting the loan would have to pay a fee, and their access to books would be limited.

Ingrid Bruck, executive director of the Long Branch Public Library, said libraries such as hers will not be able to easily replace services and programs once they are gone.

One database now provided under a state contract costs about $80,000 a year, she said.

“We've got a $1.8 million budget,” she said. “We can't just replace what we don't have in our budget. Cuts have to come from someplace to replace those essential services, and for libraries, that means people. And when you cut people here, you cut services to special populations, such as teens.

“We're leveraging at the local level these services we get from the state,” Bruck said. “We don't have them at the local level to give.”

A Christie spokesman did not respond to a request for comment for this report.

At the same time of Christie's proposed aid cuts, state Assemblyman John DiMaio, R-Warren, has introduced a bill – A2555 – that would end the practice of towns funding public libraries based on the assessed value of the town's real estate.

Under the current funding formula, towns allocate to their libraries about $33 for every $100,000 of assessed valuation, Tumulty said.

DiMaio's bill would repeal that formula and replace it with a figure town governments feel is sufficient to run their libraries.

The bill has been referred to the Assembly housing and local government committee. There is no companion bill in the state Senate.
Bill Bowman: 732-643-4212; bbowman@app.com

Posted by tumulty at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

Budget imperils New Jersey's libraries

By Star-Ledger Guest Columnist
April 11, 2010, 5:22AM
nj.com
By Brad Parks/ Star-Ledger Guest Columnist

In both stereotype and practice, New Jersey’s librarians are a fairly unexcitable bunch, more prone to shushing than they are to hyperbole.

So take that into consideration as you read this from Edison Public Library director Judith Mansbach: "If this goes through, it’s going to be devastating."

Or this from Newark Public Library director Wilma Grey: "I don’t even think everyone understands how hard this is going to hit us."

Or this from Rutherford Public Library director Jane Fisher: "This is the most serious threat to New Jersey libraries for as long as anyone can remember."

They’re talking about the 74 percent reduction to library funding in Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed budget, which includes a 50 percent cut in direct aid to libraries and the elimination of several statewide programs — like interlibrary loan, which was used 3.8 million times last year.

The cuts, which add up to $10.4 million, could also cost New Jersey access to $4.5 million in federal matching funds which, among other things, currently provides internet access for roughly two-thirds of the state’s 306 public libraries.

That’s right: No Internet at the library. Never mind that the public library is the only free internet access in 78 percent of communities, according to the New Jersey Library Association; or that many state agencies have moved their forms on-line.

There’s also a bill proposed by Assemblyman John DiMaio (R-Warren) that would eliminate the minimum local funding requirement for public libraries — which could clear the way for drastic underfunding of some libraries.

This is all on top of the cuts libraries were already expecting as cash-strapped municipalities look for places to further trim their budgets.

Yes, as National Library Week begins — it runs today through April 17 — New Jersey’s libraries are under attack. And the real irony is that it comes at a time when they are more popular than ever: Many are reporting double-digit increases in patron visits, fueled by Great Recession victims seeking everything from low-cost entertainment to job-hunting help.

But that’s not the only irony. Another is that, at a time when government ought to be increasing efficiency, the cuts will create tremendous inefficiencies. Example: For the last quarter century, libraries have shared books, reference databases and training programs through a program called the New Jersey Library Network. It is being eliminated.

"I have always considered libraries the poster children for shared services — we share everything and have done it for years," said Cindy Czesak, director of the Paterson Public Library. "But under this proposal, that will be gone."

Yet another irony is that, of all the villains that have pushed New Jersey to the brink of financial oblivion, libraries simply aren’t one of them. Librarians aren’t represented by powerful unions. Their pay hasn’t escalated at 4 percent to 6 percent a year. Library funding at the state level has been flat for twenty years.

"We have never fed at the trough like public safety and education," said Robert White, executive director of Bergen County Cooperative Library System, which represents 75 libraries across four counties. "And now we’re being punished for it."

While libraries are not a part of the problem, they’ve been asked to be a part of the solution — disproportionately so. For these institutions, which serve some of our most vulnerable citizens, 74 percent isn’t a cut. It’s a decapitation.

The librarians are doing their best to lobby for themselves, scheduling a rally in Trenton for May 6. It ought to be quite a sight: Librarians with bullhorns in their hands.

"We’ve never had a rally in Trenton before," said Pat Tumulty, executive director of the NJLA, which has launched savemynjlibrary.org to help stoke a grassroots movement. "What a juxtaposition for a bunch of librarians to have to make so much noise."

Needless to say, they could use your help. So if you value your local library — or literacy in general — please make your view known to your legislators.

It’ll be one time your librarian won’t shush you for raising your voice.

Brad Parks is the author of "Faces of the Gone" (St. Martin’s Press). He will celebrate National Library Week with an appearance at West Caldwell Public Library on Friday.

Posted by tumulty at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)
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April 10, 2010

Library cuts make it harder for unemployed

Posted By Bob Ingle On April 9, 2010 (3:00 pm) In Uncategorized
Article taken from Politics Patrol - http://blogs.app.com/politicspatrol

In the old days you went to the library to check out a book you didn't want to own or maybe read an out of state newspaper. In the Internet age libraries have taken on a new importance, being the places where one can connect to the Web. In times of high unemployment that's especially true since so many employers want the application filled out on line. So with the proposed cuts to libraries in Gov. Christie's budget, there is a big problem for the unemployed because the Internet may be unplugged. Many people have cut their Internet connection at home to save money, using the library's. The current year's budget for library services is $14 million. Christie's budget cuts that to $3.6 million. There's also a 50 percent cut in aid to local libraries. It couldn't come at a worse time since library visits are up everywhere, probably because of unemployment. The state is in big trouble financially. Cuts have to be made across the board but this one will make it a harder for the unemployed. Maybe the state Labor Department can help find a way to keep libraries connected to the Web and to potential employers who only deal with the Net. Perhaps there is a federal grant available.

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State library cuts to be felt locally

SOUTH BRUNSWICK:
Friday, April 9, 2010 12:16 PM EDT
By Davy James, Staff Writer
Part of centraljersey.com

Cuts in state funding to local libraries could have a devastating impact on the services available to residents, according to local library officials.

Gov. Chris Christie is proposing a $10.4 million cut in state library funding as part of his $28.9 billion 2011 state budget.

”This is a massive cut,” said South Brunswick Public Library Director Chris Carbone. “Everyone understands that there needs to be shared sacrifice but this is beyond a shared sacrifice. This will impact the South Brunswick Public Library as well as every other library in New Jersey.”

The 74 percent cut in funding would affect access to databases, virtual aid, continuing education, and interlibrary loans, services that are provided to libraries across the state, according to a letter State Librarian Norma Blake sent last month to library directors statewide.

The loss of the databases would have a drastic impact on the ability of students to research topics and for people to get back issues of magazines they couldn’t otherwise afford, according to Monroe Public Library Director Irene Goldberg.
The South Brunswick library uses the electronic content provided by statewide databases, which if eliminated would cost as much as $20,000 to provide independently. Those databases help people do research for school, work or personal information.

A bigger issue for local libraries is the loss of interlibrary loans, which would cripple the availability of materials for patrons.

”We support 10 book groups with over 100 people and without the interlibrary loans we won’t be able to get them the books for their groups,” said Cranbury Public Library Director Marilynn Mullen. “A lot of people come in and ask if we can get this or that, and being a small library we just don’t have the space.”

Ms. Goldberg said the Monroe library does about 13,000 Interlibrary loans a year.

”This is going to be awful,” Ms. Goldberg said. “Our community is well rounded and intellectual in nature and they make requests that as a local library we may not have in our collection. If you can’t request a book be delivered to your library we may have to go back to the old days where you mail a slip of paper, they mail the book to you and then you mail it back.”

The timing of the cuts also will cause problems because usage is up, in part because of the recession.

”We do many things at a discounted rate that people need in this economy,” Mr. Carbone said. “People don’t have the money to buy all of the materials that we provide.”

The South Brunswick library received $36,000 in state aid last year and could see that figure cut in half as part of the statewide budget cuts.

”Last year borrowing increased 7 percent and has gone up at least 5 percent each year for the past five years,” Mr. Carbone said. “Usage of libraries everywhere has gone up and up and will continue to go up.”

The Cranbury Library, which receives about $3,000 in state aid, saw circulation increase by 32 percent last year, with 5 percent more people coming through the door each day.

”Students use the databases for research and those will go away with these cuts,” Ms. Mullen said. “Teachers use these databases to teach students how to get a good source that they can quote for a research paper.”

The Jamesburg Public Library, which receives about $5,000 in state aid, has seen circulation increase between 5 and 10 percent over the last year and computer usage increase about 50 percent over the last year. Carole Hetzell, president of the library board of trustees, said the loss of interlibrary loans would be devastating.

”If everything gets cut, this would be a huge smack in the face to small libraries,” she said. “The loans are one of the things that link our libraries together, if one doesn’t have a book you can get it from another one. That would disappear, as will some reading programs. We could see a reduction in hours and we may have to cut movies that people borrow from us.”

The Monroe library, which receives about $20,000 per year in state aid, averages about 11,000 people per day using its services. The library recently doubled in size so it’s difficult to track the increase in usage, according to Ms. Goldberg.

She said the loss in funding wouldn’t have much of an impact, but the loss of the interlibrary loans and state databases would hit patrons extremely hard, especially students who rely on the services for research papers.
”The loans and databases have made libraries so much more vital and relevant to the community,” she said. “Losing them would take us back to the 1950s where everybody works alone and nobody talks to the library next door. That’s dreadful after we’ve come so far.”

Residents should soon be receiving mailings from the New Jersey Library Association regarding the proposed cuts and urging them to contact legislators to protest the cuts. For more information visit www.savemynjlibrary.org.

”State funding for libraries has remained flat for 20 years while the state budget has risen from $12 billion to almost $30 billion,” Mr. Carbone said. “We’re not the problem in terms of the budget crisis. For decades libraries have been the prime example for group purchases and the shared services that everyone says you should be doing. The library has been doing it and now they’re taking away the mechanism that allows us to do it. It doesn’t make sense.”

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April 9, 2010

Be heard on all the budget cuts

northjersey.com
Opinion

Thursday, April 8, 2010
Last updated: Thursday April 8, 2010, 1:24 AM
Northern Valley Suburbanite
We like the approach the Bergen County Cooperative Library System is taking to recent proposed cuts and changes to library funding.

The BCCLS' executive director, Robert White, is asking residents to register as "library champions." The membership will then be encouraged to write or call their legislators to make pleas for help for the libraries.

Services of all types are seeing potential cuts in their state aid. The teachers union and Governor Christie are having a very public battle in the media. But groups like the libraries aren't getting as much visibility.

Rather than sit back and hope something will happen, they're taking action. Ultimately it will be the State Senate and Assembly members who will make the budget decisions. So White is right to go straight to them. And he's not just speaking to them himself. He wants residents, the taxpayers, to make their voice heard.

One of the biggest points the BCCLS is fighting for is that the governor's proposal would severely impact delivery services between libraries. Another factor is possible changes to the library funding formula, which will weaken the value of libraries as a resource to the public.

There are tough decisions to make this budget season, with varied opinions across the state. If residents have a strong feeling for a particular cause then they should make their voice heard.

Lobbying legislators is always a part of the political process. The library is setting an example by encouraging the public to do it too and not just letting larger organizations or corporations have their legislators' ear. If you want to support your library, sign up to join their campaign.

Your legislators know who votes them into office. If there's another cause you want to champion, don't hesitate to be heard.

Posted by tumulty at 4:48 PM | Comments (0)
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Millburn, Springfield continue talks for joint library, maybe on Saks site

nj.com

By Patricia C. Kelley
April 08, 2010, 2:23PM
Millburn and Springfield have formed a sub-committee to further study the possibility of combining libraries between the two municipalities.

Millburn township and library officials met with their counterparts in Springfield on March 19 to discuss the possibility of using the empty Saks Fifth Avenue building on Millburn Avenue in Springfield to house a joint library that the two towns would share.

Based on the results of the March meeting, a sub-committee was formed to further study the proposal and to look for additional sites in either town where a new library could be built. The sub-committee held its first meeting on Saturday, April 3, according to Millburn Township Committee member Jim Suell.

Suell said the Springfield Library Board of Trustees voted to investigate the possibility of a shared library with Millburn, and possibly with Summit.

Summit officials have expressed some interest in the proposal but they are not taking part in the talks at this time, Suell said. “If they would like to join us we would certainly welcome them,” he said, adding, “I think it would benefit all three communities to have that done.”

Suell said that on Saturday the committee members held initial discussions and walked around both towns looking for potential sites in addition to the Saks site. “We’re looking all over. Nothing is ruled out,” he said.

If the joint library proposal is accepted by both towns and the Saks site is chosen, Springfield would have to condemn the property as it is slated to become a super Stop & Shop Supermarket.

Following 12 years of court battles, the Dutch conglomerate Royal Ahold won the right to build the supermarket on the site but they have been mum about building plans. Royal Ahold has approvals from Springfield and Essex County to build on the property but they have yet to apply to Millburn. Although the property is located in Springfield, Millburn officials would have to grant approval for the usage because driveway access would be from Millburn Avenue in downtown Short Hills.

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State budget cuts threaten free Internet service at 200 New Jersey public libraries

By TOM BARLAS, Staff Writer | Posted: Thursday, April 8, 2010

pressofatlanticcity.com

New Jersey librarians say Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed state budget cuts would gut many library services at a time when state residents are using libraries more than ever.

More people are turning to libraries to look for jobs or job-training opportunities and to fill out online job applications, New Jersey Library Association Executive Director Patricia Tumelty said. Many of those people are doing so because they can no longer afford to pay for home Internet service, she said.

Samuel Cummings, 47, of Vineland, goes to the Vineland Public Library every day.

Cummings said he does so out of necessity: He’s been unemployed for months, and can’t afford to pay $50 a month for home Internet service. He uses the Internet during each visit to look for jobs and write resumes.

“I must find work,” said Cummings, who lives on Tempre Road and said he worked in the customer service industry. “This helps.”

The Christie administration is proposing about $3.7 million in state aid for statewide library services for fiscal year 2011, a funding amount significantly less than the $14 million appropriated in the current fiscal year, according to figures provided by the New Jersey State Library.

That 74 percent funding loss includes a 50 percent cut in state aid to county and municipal libraries. That means libraries in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean counties would lose more than $351,000 — money that can’t be found in already tight county and local budgets.

Library officials said the cuts mean customers would lose services both big and small, including:

Loss of an Atlantic County Library program that lets people download audio books to their home computers.

The end of many or all magazine subscriptions at the Cape May County Library.

Customers no longer being able to look for jobs or fill out job applications online at the Vineland public library.

The eventual loss of all Internet service at about 200 libraries, which work off a group Internet contract paid for by the state library.

Millville Public Library Director Irene Percelli said it would cost about $82,000 for her library to buy one reference database currently paid for by the state library and shared by hundreds of libraries. That figure represents about 17 percent of her library’s budget, she said.

The library would probably forgo the database, she said, because buying it would mean cutting library hours and staff.

“Seventy-four percent is not your typical cut,” Tumelty said. “Seventy-four percent is dramatic.”

Tumelty said the cuts are coming as library use is increasing, in part because of tough economic times.

Cummings isn’t alone in turning to the library for help finding a job.

Vineland Public Library Director Gloria Urban said the opening of a new Wawa in the city about a year ago caused hundreds of people in the economically depressed area to apply for jobs. Many people wound up using the library’s Internet, because the job applications had to be filed online, she said.

“We became very proficient” in helping people file job applications,” she said.

Percelli said Internet demand — especially by low-income students who need to complete homework assignments — resulted in waiting lines for the Millville library’s eight computers with Internet access. The library had to buy eight more computers to handle demand, she said.

“What family in Millville can afford Internet service?” she said. “A lot of them can’t.”

According to the American Library Association, or ALA, people across the country are visiting libraries in record numbers to take advantage of employment services and technological support provided by libraries.

The ALA said Americans made almost 1.4 billion library visits, and checked out more than two billion items, during the past year. The ALA said that’s a 10 percent increase over the number of visits and items checked out during the last economic downturn in 2001.

Statistics from the New Jersey Library Association and the state library show there were more than 48.5 million library visits in the state in 2008. That number represents a 2.9 million increase in library visits from 2007.

According to the state library, library funding from New Jersey government has decreased annually since fiscal year 2008. Christie’s state budget balancing plan, if approved as it stands, will bring the most dramatic cut with fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1.

Some librarians met recently with state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, as part of an effort to convince legislators to restore the items cut.

“We are starting a major campaign because we don’t know what else to do,” Tumelty said.

Van Drew, a member of the state Senate Budget Committee, said he understands the problem. “Sometimes, government tends to cut those areas that affect people the most,” he said.

However, he also told the librarians that solving their dilemma won’t be easy. “I don’t know how this is going to wash out,” Van Drew said of the budget. “There isn’t a lot of discretionary money out there.”

Cutting the library’s state aid doesn’t upset everyone.

At the Atlantic County library’s May’s Landing branch on Wednesday, Egg Harbor Township resident John Niewender said the cuts are a necessary part of cutting government cost.

“I do think New Jersey government, at all levels, is ripe for reduction in spending,” he said.

But Somers Point resident Janice Harley, who said she uses the library about twice a week, said cutting services that help people isn’t smart.

For instance, Harley said she used the library’s Internet to find a place to get her television repaired.

“It saved me a lot of time and effort,” she said.

Contact Thomas Barlas:

609-272-7201

TBarlas@pressofac.com

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April 8, 2010

Fewer bucks for books these days

April 6, 2010
dailyrecord.com
Editorial

Years ago when Chris Christie was a mere Morris County freeholder, the board was discussing a plan to expand the county library on West Hanover Avenue in Hanover Township. The freeholders ultimately sanctioned the expansion, although Christie was never all that keen about the idea.

Now, Christie has risen far above freeholder status and is governor of New Jersey. His proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 includes billions of dollars in cuts. Most attention has been focused on cuts in aid to schools, municipalities and NJ Transit. We've seen the impact. School boards say they will need to layoff dozens of employees, train fares will increase and all but one bus line serving Morris County would be eliminated.

Proposed cuts in the state library budget have been almost overlooked. If Christie's budget is approved as is, funding would drop from $14 million to $3.7 million.

A Daily Record story on Sunday quoted library directors as saying the cuts would end state funding for transferring materials among libraries. Such cooperative ventures are important. Morris County libraries, for instance, have been working together for years under a program known as MAIN — the Morris Automated Information Network.

One would hope that libraries would find a way to keep sharing resources, even if it means making reductions elsewhere. There really isn't another way. This would be a job for both library and municipal officials.

Simultaneously, the troubled economic times of today should provoke discussion on something that would be unthinkable in ordinary times. Does every town need a full-fledged library? We do not ask that lightly. It is understood that a modern library enhances the character of a town.

However, when local governments are being forced to layoff employees and to think of shared services, it is reasonable to ask if every municipality needs its own library building. The answer could turn out to be yes, but the discussion should take place.

Christie's concern years ago was whether the county library should be expanded when just about every municipality had one of its own. It wasn't a bad thought then; nor is it now.

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April 7, 2010

After-school unruliness.

Libraries put the word out to kids: Behave
By Andrea Alexander and Katie Sobko

THE RECORD (Hackensack N.J.)

HACKENSACK, N.J. - At some libraries today, those polite "Silence, Please" requests now come with the added warning "or else you're out of here."

They are cracking down on what library directors say happens everywhere now and then: bad behavior by bored children waiting after school to be picked up by parents.

The offenses in Pequannock, N.J., have ranged from mischief - turning over DVD covers so patrons can't see the titles - to vandalism. On a recent Friday, police were called because students were roughhousing outside. In February, a woman was hit with an errant snowball in a student fight. And in December, a library staffer's foot was stomped on in a dispute over a backpack.

In Mahwah, N.J., the problems have included graffiti left on walls and kid-on-kid confrontations.

Notably, however, librarians are blaming parents, not the children, as the primary culprits.

"Libraries don't act 'in loco parentis [in place of a parent],' " said Robert White, executive director of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System. "When you drop your kids off at school, the school is acting in place of the parents, so they are surrogate parents during school hours. When they come over to the library, the library doesn't suddenly become the person that takes care of the children until they are picked up. That is not the library's responsibility."

White said the problem is cyclical and not widespread in the Bergen County system's 75 member libraries right now. But a few libraries have hired off-duty police officers for after-school hours. And trouble has markedly flared in some areas.

Pequannock last year hired a monitor for after-school hours. Last week, it set a new policy on bad behavior and penalties, including calls to police and suspension. Now, it's considering spending $4,000 on outside cameras.

Meanwhile, the Mahwah library is enforcing a code of conduct forbidding abusive language or disruptive behavior. If trouble persists, staff may call parents, and police as a last resort.

The Mahwah library fills up afternoons with children from nearby Ramapo Ridge Middle School. Many join in programs or study, said Library director Delores Bostrom. But others are loud and disruptive. They write on walls. One librarian said troublesome students are asked to leave every day. She declined to give her name, saying that students have threatened her in the past.

In Pequannock, the problem is twofold. The neighboring Pequannock Valley Middle School has limited parking, so the library is a favored pickup spot for parents and children. After school, crowds of children wait in front of the library as cars parade into the lot. Library staff say the children sometimes block the entrance and interfere with patrons.

Parents say there are few other safe pickup spots on busy Newark Pompton Turnpike. Municipal Manager David Hollberg said the township has worked on the problem, including installing sidewalks behind the school to provide safe rendezvous. But parents note that the library parking lot is safe, too.

"Where else are we going to park?" asked Debbie Carbone as she waited recently for her daughters in the library lot. "It's easy and I don't have to worry about them walking on a busy street."

The other problem is children not immediately picked up. Library director Rose Garwood has noted fewer parents arranging after-school care and instead leaving children at the library. She thinks it's a result of bad economic times.

"They feel this is a free service, and they leave them in the library and it doesn't work," she said. "People shouldn't leave children in a public library or anywhere unsupervised. There is such a thing as 'stranger danger.' If you are not going to leave your children alone in the mall, then don't leave them alone in a public library."

Under Pequannock's policy, children younger than 11 can't be left unattended in the library. Staff may call police if bad behavior persists, and also can suspend offenders. In that case, a parent or guardian must meet with staff before the child is allowed to return.

With the coming of warm weather, trouble subsides as children head outdoors. But the middle school principal also recently wrote to parents to discourage using the library as a pickup spot - and to remind them the library isn't "a free baby-sitting service."

Schools superintendent William Trusheim said the district also gets involved if it identifies troublemakers, as it did when suspending students who threw snowballs in the library lot.

The middle school has resumed keeping its own library open until 4 p.m. And it has relaxed its cell phone policy so parents can alert children they're on the way.

Library staff note improvement since attention was called to the issue. But Garwood said the policy will be in place next school year; she just wishes the library didn't face the problem.

"It a very sad state of affairs when we have to pass policies of evicting people from the library," she said, "when we are in the business of trying to get people to come in here."

Posted by tumulty at 6:40 AM | Comments (0)
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April 6, 2010

Somerville mulls joining county library system

March 31, 2010

c.n.com

SOMERVILLE — A panel exploring whether the borough should join the Somerset County library system is well underway in its studies.

Library Review Task force members are individually visiting the Bound Brook library — the most recent town library to join the county system — and plan on meeting with Bound Brook and county library officials and visiting the system's headquarters in Bridgewater later this month.
The review comes as the borough is contracting with the county for health department services and exploring a move to county dispatch.

Mayor Brian Gallagher has pledged to maintain a library in Somerville but also stressed the need to explore whether the county should manage the facility's day-to-day affairs.
The borough's library is attached to Borough Hall and located at 35 W. End Ave.
Deirdre Rosinski, chair of the task force, said the panel is trying to complete its recommendation in about three months.

"Our town has always looked to keep the cost of living low in Somerville while not sacrificing services," Rosinski said in an e-mail. "This is not the first time we have looked at the county option, so once again we are looking at all the facts. But one thing that is agreed upon is Somerville will always have a library."

The borough explored joining the county system in 2006, Rosinski said.
Thirteen towns belong to the county library system: Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, South Bound Brook, Montgomery, North Plainfield, Millstone, Rocky Hill, Warren, Watchung, Branchburg, Green Brook and Peapack-Gladstone.
County Library Director James Hecht said the county Library Commission is willing to share whatever information the task force needs to make an informed decision. Hecht said the commission voted to maintain a branch a Somerville when the issue of the borough joining the system was previously studied.
Hecht said, while residents of towns in the county system can look on their property tax bills to see what they're paying for the library, the costs of operating the independent libraries are rolled into the municipal budgets.

"I heard someone say once, "It doesn't cost us anything to operate as a municipal library, but if we join the county library it's going to cost us.' It costs one way or the other, it's just a matter of knowing what you're paying," Hecht said.

Hecht added that, if Somerville opted to join the system, the borough would continue to own the building and pay for utilities and other operating expenses. The county would cover staff, materials, databases, training and other nonfacility costs.
Martin C. Bricketto: 908-243-6609; mbricketto@MyCentralJersey.com

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April 5, 2010

Libraries say budget cuts could kill book-sharing program

By ABBOTT KOLOFF • STAFF WRITER • April 4, 2010
dailyrecord.com

Library directors across Morris County say they fear proposed state budget cuts will affect the most popular service they offer -- the ability of patrons to order books and other items from any library in the area and have them delivered to their home library.

Local librarians have been distributing fliers and getting the word out on how Gov. Chris Christie's proposed budget cuts might affect their services, an area they say hasn't received much attention with much of the state focused on proposed cuts to school funding. They say a proposed 74 percent cut in the state library budget, from $14 million to $3.7 million, would have a big impact on their patrons.

Library directors say it would end state funding for transferring materials among
libraries. They say it also would dry up funds for various databases that town and school libraries offer for students to research papers, for small businesses to conduct market research, and for job seekers to get information about prospective employers.

"Funds for all deliveries would be eliminated,'' said Lynne Oliver, executive director of the Morris County Library. "It undermines the resource sharing network.''

Local librarians said they are looking to purchase delivery services as a group, but that could mean cuts elsewhere.

Interlibrary loans account for 29 percent of the county library's more than 500,000 annual circulation and 14 percent of the more than 5 million circulation of libraries comprising the Morris Automated Information Network, a consortium of 37 libraries -- mostly municipal -- known as M.A.I.N.

Maria Comela, a Christie spokeswoman, issued a statement Friday saying the library cuts were part of the "unfortunate reality" of the state's economic crisis and that the governor had to make "tough decisions" to get the state's budget in order so that "priority programs" are funded in the future.

The proposed state cuts come as a state assemblyman calls for eliminating a formula that guarantees funding for municipal libraries. Municipal libraries presently receive a penny for every $30 of assessed value in each town. Library directors say ending that requirement would result in some towns reducing library budgets on top of the state budget cuts.

State Assemblyman John DiMaio, R-Warren County, said he proposed the change because the present system of funding libraries has its roots in the 19th Century and is "archaic.'' He said local officials should be allowed to control spending on local libraries.

"We are going through extraordinarily difficult times,'' DiMaio said. "I think the people on the front lines should have every tool at their disposal to rein in spending. ... I don't think this would eliminate library services.''

He added that he expects local government officials to take the state cuts into account when allocating money to local libraries.

But local library directors say they are concerned about DiMaio's proposal on the heels of state cuts. They say they already have had to cut budgets because their funding is based on assessment values that are going down in the face of foreclosures, successful tax appeals and declining real estate values.

And those cuts are coming at a time when library circulation has been increasing,
librarians say, with more people using the library as a resource for job searches. M.A.I.N. consortium libraries reported a circulation increase of 11 percent over two years, to more than 5 million last year.

Jayne Beline, director of the Parsippany Library system, which has a main building and two branches, said her $3.4 million budget for 2010 was cut by almost 4 percent from last year because of decreasing property values. She said state cuts will cost her half of the $50,000 in state aid she received last year. And that doesn't include cuts to interlibrary loans and databases. The library plans to make up for those cuts by taking money from other areas of its budget, Beline said.

She already cut back the number of Sundays the library will be open, from 37 last year to 30 this year, because of reduced revenue. She said additional cuts in hours and staff might be required to make up for lost state funds. She also said she might cut down on purchases of new materials.

"That's why interlibrary loans are even more critical,'' she said.

Parsippany library patrons this past week said they depend on interlibrary loans and some of the databases funded by the state.

"It would be harder to find a book (without interlibrary loans),'' said Betty Hong, of
Morris Plains, who said she uses the system weekly.

Jessica Sperling, 17, a Parsippany Hills High School senior, said she depends on a database called EBSCO to research school papers. That database is paid for by state money that would disappear under the proposed budget.

Jodie McDonnell, 31, of Parsippany, said she's worried other programs might be cut. She said her 2-year-old daughter Hannah looks forward to a weekly program called Story Time, which includes a librarian reading stories and children singing songs.

"I'd be upset if that was gone,'' McDonnell said.

Barbara Owens, director of the Kinnelon Library and president of M.A.I.N., said consortium members are looking into the cost of purchasing a service to transfer materials among libraries. Librarians said they expect each library to pay thousands annually for the interlibrary service, perhaps totaling more than $100,000 across the county. Owens said they also are looking into purchasing databases as a group, with each costing an additional $70,000 for the entire consortium.

"We're trying to identify and prioritize what we need,'' Owens said. "Clearly, delivery
is a priority, and will have to come from our budget.''

But smaller libraries may have a tough time coming up with their share for interlibrary loans or databases. Rita Hilbert, director of the Wharton Library, said she doesn't believe she'd have enough money to pay for more than one day a week of deliveries.

"I'd probably drive around to deliver books for my patrons,'' she said.
Abbott Koloff: 973-428-6636; akoloff@gannett.com

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Plainsboro all a-tingle over new library

Thursday, April 01, 2010
Mea Kaemmerlen
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
nj.com
Plainsboro, that sleepy little town once covered with potato vines and cow pastures, is bursting with excitement. Just as Las Vegas thrills over a new casino and New York a new luxury condo, Plainsboro is tingling over its new library.

And just as Dorothy and Toto followed the yellow brick road to Emerald City, next Friday, April 9, you can follow the library's yellow Chinese dragon from the old library to the new one. After a few minutes' walk, you'll have your first peek inside this elegant, hi-tech, glass, brick, stone and steel community hub. It officially opens April 10.

In the parade, you'll be joined by children transporting their favorite pop-up, cloth and ribbon books from the library's non-circulating collection; the library's dinosaur, creature, mask and art collections; its many exotic eight-foot-tall puppets; and the rest of us -- parents, library staff, Plainsboro locals and, at the rear, a mighty red fire engine.

It's been three years in the making, and Plainsboro Public Library is now the welcome anchor to "downtown Plainsboro," boasting several restaurants, a coffee house, cupcakery, workout center and more.

Recently, I begged the library's intrepid, larger-than-life director, Jinny Baeckler, to give me a tour. Like Baeckler, the three-story building, designed by BKSK Architects of New York City, is bright, smart, comfortable, green, multicultural, right-minded and slightly eccentric.

Light pours in from every direction -- the first floor sweeps up to a cathedral ceiling with glass walls and high windows. Every floor has glassed-in corner rooms and several terraces. One balcony allows for a giant chess game; another is designated as "The Quiet Terrace."

Warm, comfy chairs, banquettes, low benches and rugs are patterned in woven greens, browns and bright reds. "Throughout," says Baeckler, "we have a theme of weaving. Our community is rich in diversity and, here, we come together in one fabric."

Many cozy reading nooks are scattered throughout, all with fabulous furniture. Some chairs are shaped like hollow gourds for parents and children to read together. Others, from the same company (PIE Studio of Miami), are of hand-woven water hyacinth, a common plant that clogs slow-moving waterways.

The first floor holds stacks of fiction, a dramatic high-tech community room seating 150 people, themed bookcases, pull-out drawers for audio and visual, cafe seating and the art gallery.

Baeckler is known for nurturing artists. "We will have good art here. You may not like it, but it will be good." About the cafe: "We don't want to compete with local eateries, so we'll have coffee, tea and their menus and direct business their way. Patrons can bring food back to eat here."

The second floor is perched on a balcony overlooking the first floor. Its stacks are punctuated with bright red letters: "Non-Fiction," "Reference," "Biography." Several small rooms will serve for tutoring, testing, small groups. "In the old library, we were so crowded we used our own offices," says Baeckler. "Staff would just have to disappear for a while." Included is a Health Education Room with computer, scale, blood pressure gauge. "We see that people often need privacy when researching a particular disease." The library will host monthly health lectures.

On the third floor is the Children's Department, with low chairs, tables and stacks. A large Science Center and a Story Room occupy the corners, and a snuggly pillow-pit invites kids to look at the sky through a large skylight. From her stall in the Story Room, Plainsboro's Elsie the Cow will preside over the library.

"We've tried to make it welcoming and comfortable," says Baeckler. "But we're not about entertainment. We're still an old-fashioned library, all about learning, reading, and exploring."

And parades. I look forward to the April 9 march to a Plainsboro treasure.

Mea Kaemmerlen lives in Plainsboro. Contact her at meakaem@aol.com.

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How libraries are facing Christie's budget cuts

By James Osborne
Philly.com
April 3, 2010
Inquirer Staff Writer

With around 27,000 volumes and a single location, the Audubon Public Library is one of New Jersey's smaller libraries. A resident interested in an academic text or the early work of an obscure novelist would have to request the volume through the state's interlibrary loan system.
That program - which makes larger libraries' vast troves available to their smaller brethren, and vice versa - is among a number of popular services jeopardized by funding cuts in Gov. Christie's proposed budget, library advocates say.

"Someone likes James Patterson, we have the most recent novel. But one of his older novels, we'd usually have to borrow," said Audubon library administrator Kathy Ostberg. "We're a small library. We depend on those services."

Christie's plan would cut funding - which also pays for items such as database subscriptions and adult-education classes, and provides a proportion of individual library budgets - by $10.4 million, a 74 percent reduction from last year, according to the Office of the State Librarian.

"This is not shared suffering," said Pat Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association, a nonprofit advocacy group.

With the governor reducing spending across all divisions of government, few areas of public life in New Jersey are not scaling down.

"We had to close a $10.7 billion budget deficit and all the choices were difficult at best," said Mike Drewniak, spokesman for the governor's office. "It was an agonizing process. We had to cut programs that in any other time we would support and fund as fully as possible."

Libraries have seen a major upturn in usage in recent years. Circulation in the Camden County system, which operates six branches, increased 22 percent between 2005 and 2009.

"Libraries serve the unemployed and the underemployed, who need online access to find jobs," said State Librarian Norma Blake. "This is the wrong time to be cutting community anchors."

The recession has led more people to borrow rather than purchase books, and youth programs available free at the library have replaced for-fee enrichment classes in some cash-strapped households.

One program on the chopping block provides funds to pay for Internet service. Camden County Library Director Linda Devlin said system officials are trying to figure out how much it would cost to provide services traditionally covered by the state.

"We'll see if we can pay for them out of our operating budget," she said.

Libraries are primarily funded by the towns and cities they serve. A state provision requires that a portion of municipal property taxes - around $33 for every $100,000 of property valuation - goes their way.

But a bill introduced by Assemblyman Joe DiMaio (R., Warren) would give local leaders a free hand in deciding how much to allot to libraries. If passed, municipalities - which also are seeing a reduction in state funds - could make deep cuts to their contributions.

DiMaio's office did not return a phone call for comment.

In Cherry Hill, Camden County's largest municipal library system, there is discussion of layoffs, reduced hours, and increased fees for services like DVD rental and computer usage, said Katie Hardesty, the library's public relations director.

"The library as people know it might not be there anymore," she said.

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Contact staff writer James Osborne at 856-779-3876 or jaosborne@phillynews.com.

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