« Edison library patrons sad about slated closing of Clara Barton branch | Main | Library Trustees Warn of "Grave Danger" »

April 30, 2010

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 April 30, 2010 6:36 AM

Comments

Post a comment