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September 29, 2010

Jersey City library announces three branches will close

http://www.nj.com

September 28, 2010
Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal

The Jersey City Free Public Library is closing its three neighborhood libraries by the end of the year, beginning with the West Bergen library Friday.

The library, at 476 West Side Avenue, first opened as the West Bergen Lending Service in 1971 down the road at 503 West Side Avenue after then West Side Councilman Morris Pesin fought for it, saying it was “deplorable that thousands of our children are being denied an essential part of their educational life.”

The library announced the closing on Twitter today, posting a link to its website, www.jclibrary.org and later issued a press release saying layoffs are also pending.

“Unfortunately, this small branch with a big heart must close, due to decreased library funding,” a posting on the library’s website states.

The notice suggests patrons visit the Greenville Branch at 1841 John F. Kennedy Blvd., or the Miller Branch at 489 Bergen Avenue.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to the West Bergen Branch loyal patrons,” the statement said.

Residents are unhappy with the news.

Pine Street resident Lycel Villanueva is circulating a petition to save the Lafayette branch, which has been open since 1924.

“Public libraries offer a place for personal interaction in the community, a place where there is a free exchange of ideas and knowledge, of culture,” said Villanueva, who plans to speak on the issue at tomorrow’s City Council meeting. “And in our neighborhood, it offers a positive environment for everyone, especially the children.”

Library Director Priscilla Gardner said she has no choice but to close the neighborhood libraries.

“Things are not getting better for us,” she said. “There’s nothing we can do.”

Gardner said staff would be transferred to other locations until the state Civil Service Commission approves her proposed layoff plan. Gardner would not say how many positions would be eliminated.

The city is giving the library nearly $7.4 million, the amount required under state statute. What’s different this year is the city is including employer pension payments, which amount to $1,057,386.54 and had been paid separate from the statutory requirement, in that allocation.

Gardner said she received $7.7 million last year for the library’s operating budget, but will only have about $6 million to work with this year. She requested $8 million.

The closures will leave the library system with seven branches, down from 12 locations last year. The Pearsall Library closed earlier this year and Biblioteca Criolla, which had its own storefront, was moved to the Main Branch on Jersey Avenue.

The remaining libraries are operating under reduced hours, another result of the budget cuts.

Florence Cherico, supervisor of the West Bergen Branch, who has worked there for 17 years said today patrons are shocked by the closing.

“They wanted to know why and we keep telling them that there’s no money,” she said.

Assistant Supervisor Teodora Andrews said she’s worked at the library for over 10 years and doesn't know what will happen if she loses her job.

“I’m in a state of shock,” she said. “It’s not something that I wanted to encounter right now.”

Jennifer Morrill, a spokeswoman for Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, said city officials met with the library to discuss the proposed cuts and suggested modifying hours to best serve the public and sharing services to save costs.

“The administration is of the opinion that cuts can be made without such drastic measures as completely closing neighborhood branches,” Morrill said. “However, since this is an autonomous agency, these decisions on library closures and hours have been made by the Board of Directors of the library and the library management.”

Staff writer Patrick Villanova contributed to this report.

Posted by tumulty at 9:35 AM | Comments (0)
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Willingboro library to cut hours starting Friday

http://www.phillyburbs.com
Sept. 27, 2010

By: Rose Krebs
Burlington County Times
WILLINGBORO—The township library is set to reduce its hours starting Friday as a budgetary savings measure.

The library will be reducing its schedule by 16 hours weekly starting Friday for the rest of 2010. The new schedule is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The library will be closed on Fridays and Sundays for the rest of the year.

Also, effective Oct. 22, 13 employees will be laid off, including two full-time librarians; seven part-time librarians; two full-time library assistants; and two part-time library assistants. One full-time employee is being demoted to a lower paying job, said Library Director Christine King.

The library has also cut two student monitors who help shelve books. Fridays until the end of they year will serve as furlough days for the remaining staff of 15 full-time employees.

The layoffs and reduced hours stem from a $200,000 cut from the library budget approved by the Township Council. Total funding for the library for 2010 is $1.3 million.

King said the library is also cutting back on the purchase of new materials and programs will be limited.

King is also concerned about the budgetary outlook for 2011.

“I am not hopeful we will have any information on (the budget) at the beginning of 2011,” King said. “We are looking at fundraising efforts to sure up our operations.”

Advertisement King said The Friends of the Library and the Board of Trustees are both increasing fundraising efforts and trying to obtain grants to help with operations.

Since the township often doesn’t finalize the budget until late in the year — this year’s spending plan wasn’t finalized until the end of August — its is difficult for the library to plan ahead for the year, King said.

“We are left wondering what will happen,” King said. “It is difficult (to lay off staff), but we have to share the pain with the rest of the township.”

King said the library is seeking volunteers to help with operations, especially the return of materials to the shelves and troubleshooting of computer issues. Applications are available at the circulation desk.

Volunteers and fundraising will be crucial to the library’s survival, King said.

More information about fundraising efforts and library operations is available at the library’s website, www.willingboro.org. The library is located at 220 Willingboro Parkway in the town center.

BCT Staff writer Rose Krebs can be reached at 609-871-8064 or rkrebs@phillyBurbs.com

Posted by tumulty at 9:31 AM | Comments (0)
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September 28, 2010

East Hanover working on a deal to get library funds for tax relief

http://www.nj.com
Sept. 28, 2010
Tomas Dinges/For the Star-Ledger

EAST HANOVER--Township officials and representatives from the town’s library have initiated a series of meetings to figure out the best way for the library to support the town in times of budgetary stress.

“We are backed into a corner,” said library director Gayle Carlson, “and we are trying to work with the township so that we can financially, within the law, help the town.”

Yesterday was the continuation of several exploratory meetings with township and library officials to figure out ways in which the library can help ease the fiscal burden of the township going into the planning for next year’s budget.

Some ideas being proposed are ways to share services, like merging the senior center into the library’s operations. A proposal to combine library activities with that of local schools was nixed because the state required too many requisites for participation.

The meetings are being held as the library is awaiting state approval for plans to transfer approximately $118,000 of the library’s budget surplus to the municipality to help with tax relief, Carlson said.

Over the last 10 years, the library has generated a surplus of approximately $1 million, Carlson said. About $100,000 was generated from fundraising, and the remainder came from “substantial interest” on a capital expenses fund that the library put money into over the years.

The library’s operating budget is approximately $1 million.

Throughout the state, libraries are preparing for cuts to the state aid provided to libraries. Gov. Christie has plans to cut 34 percent of state aid to libraries in 2011, Carlson said.

At the beginning of September, the township council voted to include a non-binding referendum on the November ballot asking voters if they wanted give the township control over the library’s finances.

The referendum would have asked voters if they wanted to change the status of the library from a “free library” to a non-profit “association.”

A free library means the library is independent of the township and receives its funding based on a tax levy formulated by the state on local property owners.

“By changing the form of government it would ease what our taxpayers would have to pay,” said council president Stephen DeRosa.

The proposed referendum said the library was being “overfunded,” in its current form of operation.

Library lawyers filed suit against the council, saying the language of the referendum was biased and misleading.

Shortly thereafter, township officials voted to rescind the referendum from the ballot.

Each year, a state formula determines how much the library is to receive each year from local property owners. For many years, this has resulted in a surplus anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 above the East Hanover library’s operating expenses.

Last year, the library was budgeted $1.4 million, and the average East Hanover property owner contributed $165 in taxes towards the library’s operation, she said. At the end of 2009, the library had 4,500 registered library cardholders, she said.

The library is autonomous from the town, Carlson said, and is limited in how it acts by the state librarian.

Posted by tumulty at 2:24 PM | Comments (0)
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September 27, 2010

We should keep libraries alive forever

http://www.dailyrecord.com
September 25, 2010

Letter to the Editor

I am retired from a professional photography career and now in the fourth year of doing many digital photography workshop sessions as a volunteer. These now take place at Wharton's Public Library, in the town where I reside. The library's
director, Rita Hilbert, and the staff, do an excellent job of managing the library's daily activities and its diverse variety of programs for children and adults. Also, Wharton Library provides a meeting place for several community groups.

I remember my childhood in Scranton, Pa., where the city library's branch was just a few doors from my parent's house. I went there often to get immersed in the books, newspapers and magazines that were the media of those pre-computer,
pre-television times. It was a comfortable, quiet and safe place in which to sit and read about the rest of the world.

That library branch was our intellectual playground. At the Wharton Library, there are special story programs for children, senior citizens doing crafts and playing chess, volunteers teaching English language, computers to access the internet for employment opportunities, and other programs to help people — all free and all in a comfortable, public living room atmosphere. One can borrow videos to view at home, music to hear, and books to read. Nowhere else in town offers this for free.

I hope that our local government leaders will keep our treasured public libraries available forever.

Joel Aronson
WHARTON

Posted by tumulty at 2:26 PM | Comments (0)
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Public libraries are community treasures

http://www.c-n.com
September 24, 2010

Letters to the Editor

Part of living in a town is having access to its amenities. State and municipal budget cuts in New Jersey have put services such as libraries for our residents in jeopardy.

All people living in New Jersey should be vigilant about their concerns for their statewide neighbors. Libraries across the state of New Jersey have already been closed; this has occurred predominantly in inner cities, where libraries are frequently used.

Libraries serve as an environment conducive to work, providing a safe and organized facility. Recently, Newark and Trenton have closed library branches and it is now presumed that Camden will soon follow. I find it disturbing that citizens of our state capitol are unable to access a local branch of the library system. In fact, the closing of library branches in Trenton is a poor indictor for the state of New Jersey.

Doug Poswencyk has been the director of the Watchung Public Library for 20 years and he is a staunch advocate for maintaining library services. He says, "I have always felt that one of the primary functions of a public library is to serve as the community center. In addition to providing information, popular materials in a variety of formats, Internet access and programs which are both educational and entertaining, the library provides a place for people to gather. It's a place for adults, children and especially teens. Libraries are a place where teens can go to have fun and to learn in a safe environment. Libraries are especially important to teens that do not have computers and Internet access at home."

When a library closes, the employees of the library are affected as well as the residents and potential residents. If teens do not have a library readily available to them, it becomes a burden for them to go to a library in a neighboring town.

When state and local budgets work to maintain a library, they are making an investment. A library encourages students to have good study habits and allows teens to access a mass of information which can lead to better test scores. New Jersey places such an emphasis on education that we should always consider how a library leads to overall knowledge and intellectual ability.

Poswencyk also recognizes the needs of inner-city residents and acknowledges recent closures. "I like to think of the public library as the great equalizer. Regardless of one's financial status, everyone receives the same quality service. In tough economic times such as the present, we need libraries more than ever. All libraries are suffering through these times, but the libraries that are taking the hardest hit are the municipal ones, especially those in urban communities where hours have been cut and even branches closed due to budget cuts."

Inner-city areas always seem to be underserved in terms of education and amenities and the closing of libraries only leads to this vicious cycle.

In June of 2007, a survey was taken of New Jersey residents, revealing general support for the continued success of our library system. Ninety-five percent of people surveyed said public libraries help people learn new things no matter what their age. In addition, 71 percent believed that a public library is an essential service for the community — not a cultural amenity.
Community libraries should not become a thing of the past; they must remain a vital part of New Jersey towns and cities as they provide for enhanced social and educational opportunities.

Mariel P. Kennedy of Watchung is a junior at the Pingry School in Martinsville.

Posted by tumulty at 2:19 PM | Comments (0)
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Law doesn't restrict library dissolution

http://www.c-n.com
September 24, 2010

Letters to the Editor

In response to a recent letter to the editor concerning the dissolution of the Somerville Public Library, there is no law in New Jersey indicating how a municipal library should be dissolved, in fact, the law is silent on this matter.

There currently is a proposed N.J. Assembly Bill No. 2284, which was introduced on Feb. 18 involving dissolution of free public libraries. This law addresses a recent judicial decision in Passaic County Superior Court which held there was no mechanism in New Jersey statutory law to facilitate the dissolution of free public libraries. Bill No. 2284 has not been acted upon, consequently, there is no law in existence concerning the dissolution of free public libraries.

The New Jersey Library Association, to support their position of the need for a referendum to dissolve the Somerville library, continues to refer to a 1975 letter written to the New Jersey Assistant Commissioner of Education from William Hyland, New Jersey Attorney General. In the conclusion of this letter, it is advised that a municipal library "may" b, (not "must" be) dissolved by referendum.

Also in searching the Somerset County Law Library's Opinions of the Attorney General of New Jersey, volumes from 1964 to 1984, I found no formal opinions by the Attorney General concerning the dissolution of municipal libraries.
Let's move forward and support the resolution made by the Somerville Borough Council to join the Somerset County Library System.

Robert KappSOMER

Posted by tumulty at 2:15 PM | Comments (0)
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September 22, 2010

Battle over library funding in East Hanover

http;//www.dailyrecord.com

September 21, 2010
Editorial

Last week we complimented library officials in Montville for voluntarily turning over about $237,000 in surplus to the municipal government for property tax relief. The Montville library, like most in New Jersey, is funded through a state law that grants it a steady stream of property tax dollars — one third of a mill, which amounts to $33 per every $100,000 collected. That law, which dates to 1884 applies to libraries created through public referendum.

As ratables in many towns have increased over the years, the formula results in some libraries amassing substantial surpluses. When all municipalities are getting less state aid and bracing for next year's 2 percent property tax cap, a library with a large surplus attracts attention. We're seeing that in East Hanover where the library's surplus of $1 million slightly exceeds its annual operating budget.

Unlike in Montville, cooperation in East Hanover is missing.

With no voluntary contribution from the East Hanover Library being considered, the township council voted to put a referendum on the November ballot asking voters if they wanted to change the way the library is funded. A likely alternative would scrap the funding formula and make the library a department of municipal government. While non-binding, the referendum would have been a way to gauge public opinion.

But that's not going to happen. The library board of trustees sued the township and with litigation looming, the council withdrew the referendum from the ballot. That was a shame.

First of all, the library board should have been more willing to cooperate with the municipality in times of economic strife. Second of all, the council should have gone through with its initial plan to sample voter sentiment on this issue.

Posted by tumulty at 4:12 PM | Comments (0)
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Summit council passes resolution in support of state funding for libraries

http://www. nj.com
Published: Wednesday, September 22, 2010,
Liz Keill/Independent Press

SUMMIT – State funding for public libraries caused a stir among council members, Library Director Glenn Devitt and Library Board of Trustees spokesman Jon Plaut during the Sept. 21 Common Council meeting.

But the council eventually adopted the resolution supporting the legislature funding for “free public libraries on basis of need.” The vote was 6-1, with Councilman Michael Vernotico opposed. “We will have zero impact if this resolution passes,” he said. “Maybe finance should withdraw the biill.

Councilman Tom Getzendanner, who introduced the resolution to approve the state Assembly bill, said that funding would be based on the actual amount necessary. Although there have been statutory reforms over the years, he said, until recently, CAPS didn’t exist. The bill, if approved, would be implemented two years from now.

“We hope the council would decide not to act,” Ashland Road resident Plaut said. “Let’s see how the land lays a little further on.” He said how painful the decision had been to close the library on Thursday nights and that the council would be making a harsh judgment. “The use of the library has never been greater,” Plaut said, with over 30,000 circulation contacts twice this year. He noted how great the reliance is from the public for education, information, job searches, programs and workshops.

“We’re not sure whether you’re hearing us,” he said of various presentations and budget hearings. He also warned of the danger of policy interference on the part of council. “During the last several years we’ve had a great deal of pressure to change programs. You would be the ones to feel the pressure. You have time to show some restraint and see what will happen on the state level.”

Mayor Jordan Glatt supported that view. “I’ve been asked to ban certain things at the library,” he said. “There should be a separation.” He said the bill was just two paragraphs, with no details. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this,” he added.

But Councilwoman Nuris Portuondo said that endorsing the resolution would not change anything. “We’re asking all the departments to run more efficiently. It’s only fair to ask the library to do the same.” She said that adopting the resolution “sends a message of fiscal restraint. There will be absolutely no changes to the funding formula.”

Library Director Devitt said, “This bill eliminated funding completely,” Getzendanner interjected that it eliminated mandatory funding, but the city could still fund the library.

Devitt noted that area libraries have been involved in sharing services for 30 years, “long before it was fashionable.” He said funding for libraries is voted on by the electorate, similar to the open space tax. It is not a mandated service. “People who are defaulting on mortgages will still support libraries,” he said. The Summit library budget is $2.4 million, Devitt said, which covers salaries, benefits, maintenance and the facility.

Posted by tumulty at 4:04 PM | Comments (0)
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Somerset County Library System will ask six towns to pay more

http://www.nj.com

Published: Tuesday, September 21, 2010,
Eugene Paik/For The Star-Ledger

SOMERSET COUNTY — Six towns that are part of the Somerset County Library System will soon be asked to pay
more to help branches meet expenses. How much more is unclear.

Over the next several months county library officials will approach Branchburg, Green Brook, Millstone, Montgomery, Rocky Hill and South Bound Brook — all towns that do not have branches -- and ask them to subsidize some of the operational and maintenance costs at libraries, system Director Brian Auger said.

“It’s an attempt to find a fair way to distribute the (financial) burden,” Auger said. Maintenance of the branches are the responsibility of the owners of the buildings, which are usually municipalities, he said.

The six towns are part of the county system because they are required by state law to provide municipal libraries or county branches, he said.

The request for more money, authorized by a resolution passed by the Somerset County Library Commission in July, is expected to help cash-strapped branches such as the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill.

The building is owned by a non-profit foundation and largely depends on contributions from Montgomery and Rocky Hill.

According to Mary Jacobs officials, about 90 percent of the library’s users come from Montgomery, which this year cut half the funding it normally gives the branch.

“We had to reduce expenditures across the board,” Montgomery Administrator Donato Nieman said.

Montgomery is providing $42,500 this year, forcing the library to depend on fundraising and its nearly $1 million endowment to meet its $187,500 operating budget, said Brenda Fallon, president of the library foundation’s trustees. Rocky Hill contributes $10,000.

Auger said another library branch, which he declined to identify, voiced similar concerns about an inequity between towns with branches and those without them.

Auger declined to say exactly how much more each of the six towns will be asked to pay, but said the amounts are based on a formula that reflects the cost per square foot of libraries statewide.

“This is a way to help the towns that are hosting the libraries,” he said.

Posted by tumulty at 3:51 PM | Comments (0)
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East Hanover, NJ, library funding question won't be on November ballot

http://www.dailyrecord.com
By JAKE REMALY • STAFF WRITER • September 19, 2010

EAST HANOVER — Township residents will not get to vote in November on how the East Hanover library is funded after all.

Members of the Township Council, after the library's board of trustees sued the town, voted 3-2 at their last meeting to withdraw a nonbinding special question that would have asked voters whether the town should allow the library "to continue to be overfunded by maintaining its designation as a free public library."

The day after the Sept. 8 meeting, the library's attorney, Michael Cerone, dismissed the lawsuit against East Hanover at a scheduled court hearing, and the library board of trustees, East Hanover and the Morris County Clerk agreed to keep the question off the ballot.

The board of trustees filed the lawsuit saying the council didn't have the authority to dissolve the library in the first place, and that the wording of the question was biased, Cerone said. The library, because it was created as a "free library," gets its funding each year through a state-mandated formula that provides a set amount of money based on the township's tax base.

The withdrawn question went on to say an affirmative vote would allow the library to "maintain its surplus and continue to be overfunded each and every year" while a negative vote would "dissolve the current library and create the East Hanover Association Library," something Cerone says the town doesn't have the authority to do.

The question also didn't say it was nonbinding, which it was.

Councilman Angelo Tedesco said he didn't know what he was voting on in August when he approved adding the special question to the ballot. He moved to have the question removed at the September meeting, and Councilwoman Carolyn Jandoli and Councilman Bob Jocher also voted to have the question removed. Jocher was the lone no vote when the council voted 4-1 to add the question in August. He said he felt the town still needed input from the library board.

In an interview Friday, Tedesco said he was sorry he voted on it without understanding the nature of the resolution and the wording of the question.

"I apologize for voting for it," he said, adding that it would not happen in the future.

Mayor Joseph Pannullo and Councilman Stephen DeRosa voted not to withdraw the special question.

"I for one felt the library is the library, leave the library alone. I haven't heard any complaints," Pannullo said in an interview Friday. But he said the special question was an opportunity to guage opinions from residents.

"A referendum would have put this to rest once and for all," he said. "What better way to find out what the whole town is feeling and thinking?"

The library needs about $980,000 to operate, but received more than $1.3 million from East Hanover this year, Pannullo said. The library has around $1 million in savings. If an association library was set up, the town would have discretion over how much money it gave the library.

The Township Council voted unanimously in April to have the town's attorney, Matthew O'Donnell, look into changing the library's funding status because some officials said the library was getting hundreds of thousands more dollars than it needed because of an outdated state-mandated formula.

Resident Mario Accumanno, who had asked the council to add the ballot question, said he was disappointed the question was withdrawn, but he plans to start a petition to have the question on the ballot the following November. He said he doesn't believe the library should get more funding than it needs to operate, and that surplus money should go toward tax relief or educational initiatives, not building an addition to the library, as the board of trustees was considering.

Residents should "get their pens ready," he said. "Come next year, we're going to be filling out the signatures and we're going to right this wrong."

The town previously had asked for $448,000 from the library surplus to offset a loss in state aid. 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.

Jake Remaly: 973-428-6621; jremaly1@gannett.com

Posted by tumulty at 3:46 PM | Comments (0)
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Library veto step in wrong direction

http://www.dailyrecord.com
September 19, 2010
Letters to the Editor
Did anyone here that big "sucking" sound?

That was the vacuum left by all of the free public libraries rushing to move their surpluses into capital reserve accounts from their general fund account.

Gov. Chris Christie has decided to conditionally veto A2911. In reading his requested revisions, I find that he is not only allowing for libraries to move their surpluses into capital reserve accounts (as the East Hanover Free Public library
is doing), but also is now allowing for the creation of an additional 20 percent surplus in their general account. I believe this is just wrong and is hurtful to our communities' economic well being.

I ask that everyone call their state senators and assemblymen and ask them to vote "no" to the conditional veto and instead try to override Christie's veto in support of the original bill (A2911).

I consider myself a fiscal conservative and am seriously starting to doubt where our governor stands by some of his recent decisions on "Obama-care" and cap and trade issues.

Mario B. Accumanno

Posted by tumulty at 3:36 PM | Comments (0)
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Library referendum a duty in Somerville

http://www.c-n.com

September 18, 2010
Letters to the Editor

"We the People" has been rewritten in Somerville to read: "We the Mayor and Council."

In a direct slap in the face to the citizens of Somerville, Mayor Brian Gallagher and the council have unilaterally dissolved the Somerville Public Library as it has existed since 1912. Even after the Library Board of Trustees explained that the dissolution of the Public Library can only take place with a public referendum, the mayor and council snubbed their noses at the law and the public.

Why? Is it because they want the public to believe that they can save taxes? This will not do it. Is it a public relations ploy? If so it will backfire.

The voters of Somerville deserve the respect of the elected officials they put in office. Only the voters of this town can dissolve the Somerville Public Library. Trust the public as they trusted you when they voted you into office. A public referendum is the law and it is time to obey it. We cannot have Americans dying for democracy overseas if we do not practice it at home.

Rande Aaronson
Past PresidentSomerville Library Board of Trustees

Posted by tumulty at 3:32 PM | Comments (0)
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September 19, 2010

Fight for libraries as you do freedom

http://www.ajc.com
Letters to Editor
Sept. 10, 2010
By Karin Slaughter

My father and his eight siblings grew up in the kind of poverty that America doesn’t like to talk about unless something like Katrina happens, and then the conversation only lasts as long as the news cycle. His family squatted in shacks. The children scavenged the forest for food. They put cardboard over empty windowpanes so the cold wouldn’t kill them.

Books did not exist here. When your kids are starving, you can’t point with pride to a book you’ve just spent six hours reading. Picking cotton, sewing flour bags into clothes — those were the skills my father grew up appreciating.

And yet, when he noticed that I, his youngest daughter, showed an interest in reading, he took me to our local Jonesboro library and told me that I could read any book in the building so long as I promised to talk to him about it if I read something I didn’t understand. I think this is the greatest gift my father ever gave me. Though he was not a reader himself, he understood that reading is not just an escape. It is access to a better way of life.

But, why do we need to read? It’s not a survival skill. Contrary to how some of us feel, we won’t die if we can’t read. I think the need for reading boils down to one simple issue: Children are selfish. Reading about other people creates a sense of balance in a child’s life. It gives them the knowledge that there is a world outside themselves. It tells them that the language they are learning at home is the key to unlocking the mysteries of the greater world.

Reading develops cognitive skills. It trains your mind to question what you are told, which is why the first thing dictators do when they come to power is censor or ban books. It’s why it was illegal for so many years to teach slaves to read. It’s why girls in developing countries have acid thrown in their faces going to school.

You would just as soon cut “Romeo and Juliet” from a high school curriculum as you would cut algebra. Both train young minds how to think in critical ways. Both foster problem solving and spatial reasoning. Both create adults who question and contribute to society. Fundamentally, reading creates better societies. This is not a theory. This is a quantifiable fact: There is a direct correlation between the rate of literacy in a nation and its success.

This is why the funding of American libraries should be a matter of national security. Keeping libraries open, giving access to all children to all books is vital to our nation’s sovereignty. For nearly 85 percent of kids living in rural areas, the only place where they have access to technology or books outside the schoolroom is in a public library. For many urban kids, the only safe haven they have to study or do homework is the public library. Librarians are soldiers in the battle for our place in the world, and in many cases they are getting the least amount of support our communities can offer.

We need to shift our national view of libraries not as luxuries, but as necessities. When tragedy strikes in other nations, Americans are generous, but our libraries are being hit with a tsunami and there has been no call to action. Staffs are being fired. Hours are being cut. Doors are being closed. Buildings are being razed. Kids are being left behind. Futures are being destroyed.

Libraries are the backbone of our educational infrastructure, and they are being slowly broken by bankrupt municipalities and apathetic politicians. As voters and taxpayers, we have to demand that our local governments properly prioritize libraries. As charitable citizens, we must invest in our library down the street so that the generations serviced by that library grow up to be adults who contribute to not just their local communities, but to the world.

Kids who read become students who do well in school. Students who do well in school go to college. College students graduate to good jobs and pay higher taxes. Libraries don’t service only Democrats or Republicans. They don’t judge by class, race or religion. They service everyone in their community, no matter their circumstances. Rich or poor; no one is denied. Libraries are not simply part of our guarantee to the pursuit of happiness. They are a civil right, the foundation upon which time and time again the American dream has been built. If we lose our libraries, we risk losing our communities, our families and ourselves.

Karin Slaughter of Atlanta is a novelist.

Posted by tumulty at 12:42 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

Slow and steady often works

htt://www.mycentraljersey.com
Letters to the Editor

September 16, 2010

Recent decisions by the Somerville Council to join the county library system would seem, on the surface, to be proper. A handful of residents supported the council's votes at a public meeting citing that the council members were elected to make these decisions without voter approval. In some cases, that might be appropriate if the library fell under the council's jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, council members and their legal counsel seem to be unaware that the library board is an independent body not subject to the council's control. The call for a referendum to allow the voters to decide the fate of our library seems cumbersome when Mayor Gallagher advised that we should be "running to the county" to join their system. While the mayor's intentions may be good, he and the council seem to forget that we live in a democracy.
When the New Jersey Legislature created separate library boards, it was likely that it was done to prevent just the type of politicization that surfaced now in Somerville. We have two opposing forces, both of which are in favor of joining with the county. One one side we have members and supporters of the Somerville Free Public Library who believe that the rule of law must prevail and that a public referendum to dissolve the current library must be held before we join the county. On the opposing side, we have the "rush to judgment" group supporting a council that appears not to be concerned with the little details. It is too bad that this council has chosen expediency over discretion.

In our form of government, democracy must be concerned with the little details. Granted, this often results in slower progress than we'd like to see, but history has taught us that the price of expediency can be very dear. I hope that the Somerville Council will learn from this experience and avoid rushing to judgment the next time. The question each council member should ask is "maybe we can do it but should we do it?" Democracy is a slow process but one that is worth the wait
.Granville Y. Brady, Jr.SOMERVILLE

Posted by tumulty at 12:37 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

September 13, 2010

Four shuttered Trenton library branches may never reopen

http://www.trentonian.com

Published: Thursday, September 09, 2010

By L.A. PARKER
Staff Writer

TRENTON — Four city library branches that were set to reopen on Sept. 13 likely will remain closed because the city failed to deliver financial support.

“We haven’t even had a discussion with Mayor (Tony) Mack since he attended a board of trustees meeting in August,” Library Executive Director Kimberly Matthews said.

Mack promised $350,000 then and expected library officials to come up with a plan that would adjust operating hours to 3-7 p.m. weekdays while the main Academy Street branch would stay open a total of 60 hours six days a week.

Matthews and her staff attempted to accommodate Mayor Mack’s wishes but failed. “We would need an estimated $845,982 to do his plan,” Matthews said.

Acting Business Administrator Drew McCrosson informed trustees that the library operated approximately $150,000 under budget last year.

“They’re willing to roll that over but that still leaves us about $350,000 under what we need to implement the mayor’s plan. Because of that the four library branches will remain closed. It’s unfortunate but for now we intend to make the main library the best that it can be,” Matthews promised.

Matthews shut down four branches and issued 14 employee layoffs on Aug. 15 as the city’s library system operated on life support. Matthews has expressed a desire to maintain the Academy Street branch only, saying that one library site could provide credible client services.

The city previously kicked in $2.1 million to support the Trenton library system but that contribution appears in jeopardy as Mack deals with an estimated $60 million budget deficit, a money hole that has forced him to layoff 111 police officers, 72 firefighters and hundreds of city employees.

“We have only a handshake deal. It’s possible that we won’t even get the $2.1 million,” Matthews said.

Posted by tumulty at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

Libraries offering homework help

http://www.c-n.com

STAFF REPORT • September 10, 2010

As the school year begins, a number of area public libraries are among those that will be offering homework help through the New Jersey State Library's popular Homework Help NJ program.

The program, conducted in partnership with PSEG Foundation and Praxair Foundation, will offer assistance at 109 public libraries in the state, including Elizabeth, New Brunswick, Princeton and Woodbridge.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade and those enrolled in introductory college courses will be able to get free help with math, science, social studies and English assignments via the Internet. This online tutoring program, delivered by Tutor.com, allows students with library cards to chat online with tutors who can help them tackle homework problems.

Spanish-speaking tutors are available for help with math and science assignments.
The assistance was made possible by a $250,000 grant from PSEG Foundation, with additional grant funding from Praxair Foundation.

Homework Help NJ is designed to provide one-on-one instruction. Tutors are available online and on demand, from 2 to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Whether students need just a few minutes of help or a significant amount of time to better understand a complex concept, certified tutors work with them to help them build their confidence and do well in school.
Students who live in one of the 110 designated municipalities can connect to a Homework Help NJ tutor through their local libraries or from their home PC or Mac with their library card number. The website is www.homeworkhelpnj.org.

A new service — Adult Career Center — also is available. This service provides adults with tutors to help them study for standardized tests, such as the GED, and review and proof-read resumes and cover letters. The service also provides access to a resource center containing test-preparation materials, job-search tips and ways to help their children with homework. The Resource Center materials are available 24/7.

The service started with a grant in 2007. More than 90 percent of those who have used the service have said it helped them complete homework assignments, improved their grades and made them more confident about their school work.

Posted by tumulty at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

Belvidere groups leader suggest keeping Warren County library headquarters in town

Sunday, September 12, 2010
By BILL WICHERT
The Express-Times.com
BELVIDERE | The leader of two tourism groups is calling on Warren County officials to expand the county library headquarters in Belvidere instead of moving to a new facility outside the county seat.

Victoria M. Meghdir said the headquarters supports the downtown area and that relocating it would be a disservice. Meghdir is president of Belvidere Arts & Events Inc. and acting chairwoman of the Belvidere Economic Development/Tourism Committee.

"Why not improve the beautiful town that we already have?" Meghdir said last week. "It's part of the vitality and beauty and charm of the town."

County officials argue that that proposal wouldn't work given the potential costs involved at the 199 Hardwick St. location and the fact that Belvidere isn't even part of the county library system.

"Being here is of no use to the residents of Belvidere at all," said Warren County Library Director Maureen Baker Wilkinson, adding that the library should be in a more central location. "There's no reason for us to be in this location."

Belvidere proposal

In an Aug. 24 letter to county officials, Meghdir said an addition could be built on what is now a parking lot. A parking garage then could be constructed behind a building along Race Street, Meghdir said.

The cost of renovating the headquarters and building the addition and the parking garage would be less expensive than constructing a library complex elsewhere, Meghdir wrote.

Maintaining the headquarters in Belvidere also would support the state's initiatives of "keeping resources in the downtown area, enhancing existing infrastructure and revitalizing the center of town rather than using open spaces and incurring exorbitant costs," Meghdir wrote.

"We hope that you will seriously consider this solution which supports the state's efforts to promote smart growth and sustainability, rather than excessive spending and the continued erosion of small town life," Meghdir continued in her letter.

Posted by tumulty at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

Bridgeton groups look to raise $67,000 to preserve library

Published: Friday, September 10, 2010, 3:48 PM Updated: Friday, September 10, 2010, 3:59 PM
http://www.nj.com
Sept. 10, 2010
by Joe Green

BRIDGETON — The two groups aiming to preserve the public library here have launched an ambitious campaign to raise $67,000 still needed to partially match a state grant for which they want to apply.

Members of Save the Library! (STL!) and Friends of the Bridgeton Library need a total of $100,000. That would make up a 2/3 match for a $150,000 New Jersey Historic Trust Grant.

They want to use the grant for repairs to the library’s older portion, the former Cumberland National Bank, built in 1816.

They already have $33,000 eligible to go toward the match, Sally Garrison of STL! said earlier this week. The group raised those funds throughout the past year through a variety of campaigns, sales and events.

Another $5,000 was used for work on the building’s roof that was not eligible for such a grant because the improvements didn’t imitate the historic slate roof.

The grant application is due Sept. 16, but Garrison said the Historic Trust will count donations for the match past the deadline because the grant’s availability was announced only recently.

STL! also believes pledges of later donations will be accepted by the Trust up to a point, she added.

“In our minds, we feel we can also count any pledges,” she said.

The News on Friday contacted Lisa Ryan, Public Information Officer for the state Department of Community Affairs, which administers the grant.

“The Bridgeton Public Library does not need to have all the money on hand when they apply for the NJ Historic Trust grant,” Ryan stated in an e-mail, “but they do have to give Historic Trust an idea of how they are going to get the matching funds. Historic Trust needs some kind of insurance that the matching funds will be forthcoming.”

In a written statement, Garrison stated that tax-deductible donations to the campaign should be made out to STL!/Friends of the Bridgeton Library and mailed to Save the Library!, 150 E. Commerce St., Bridgeton, NJ 08302.

STL! meetings, held at the same address (the library), are open to all and are held on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. Members seek volunteers to help with the campaign and other events as well.

STL! and Friends events held throughout the year, including skating parties held locally and a Celtic concert among others, have built up the groups’ funds.

Garrison said organizers may hold a few events concerning the long history of the library’s 1816 portion. That history is now documented in a roughly 30-page booklet written by STL!’s Penny Watson.

Watson on Friday said she’s seeking someone to print the five and a half by eight and a half-inch booklet titled “Bank Notes and Books for Bridgeton: A History of 150 East Commerce Street.”

She said she’ll sell copies to raise funds for the grant effort.

“We’ll try to find of couple of sites downtown that will sell them,” Watson stated. “And they certainly will be available at all our events.”

She said the idea for the booklet came to her while she and other volunteers conducted research for the grant application.

“I thought, ‘We have all this information, so why not write something on it?’” Watson explained.

Posted by tumulty at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

September 10, 2010

Books and bucks in Montville

http://www.dailyrecord.com

September 10, 2010

Commentary

Many municipal libraries in New Jersey are funded through an anachronistic system in which they are guaranteed a steady stream of tax money. This is "one third of a mill" of the total assessed value of real estate. That amounts to $33 for every $100,000.

As assessments in many towns have boomed over the years, money for libraries has kept increasing. No one really saw anything wrong with any of that until recently. First came the recession, which depressed real estate values and fueled tax appeals. Then came Gov. Chris Christie who cut state aid to towns and has now imposed an annual 2 percent cap on property tax increases.

Through it all, money for some libraries has continued to pour in, especially in
municipalities where property assessments have not been adjusted to reflect the new reality. So, while municipal governments are struggling, the local libary is awash in dough — relatively speaking.

Locally, this has been an issue in East Hanover where a campaign is afoot to change the library's funding stream. Backers of the move say the library is "hoarding" a surplus that exceeds $1 million. There is also legislation in Trenton that would require libraries to give the municipality its excess surplus, which is defined as exceeding 20 percent of its audited expenditures for the previous year. That bill has passed the Legislature, but has not been signed by the governor.

Amid all this, Montville Township and its library are trying to work things out
themselves. The library board of trustees has secured state permission to give the
municipality $237,022 in library surplus for property tax relief. And the library is doing this with a flourish. What is called a "short ceremony of transfer" is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Pio Costa Auditorium.

Peter King Sr., the chairman of the board of trustees, says the third of a mill formula nets the library about $1.8 million a year and that giving money to the township is prudent. It's a shame more towns and their libraries can't try to solve this problem themselves.

Posted by tumulty at 2:37 PM | Comments (0)
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Somerville library trustees still demanding referendum on county merger

http://www.nj.com
Published: Thursday, September 09, 2010,
The Messenger-Gazette

By Pete Winter and Rick Epstein
SOMERVILLE — Although Borough Council has voted to merge the borough library into the county system, the library’s Board of Trustees is not yet willing to “roll over and play dead.” Those are the words of board president James Loewen.

He had served on the task force that unanimously recommended that the borough library should join the county system, but that group also recommended that the question be decided by a referendum. When Borough Council decided on Aug. 16 to make the change by resolution without waiting for a referendum, it parted company with Loewen and board member David Hardgrove.

Loewen has refused to serve on the library transition committee, saying in a letter to the mayor dated yesterday, “I am at a loss to see how a governing body, via its own resolution, can usurp the statutory powers of another autonomous governing body.”

Hardgrove has resigned from the library board effective yesterday, noting in a letter to the mayor and council that “any future effort taken by the trustees can simply be overridden by the council’s whim. For me to exert any more of my time, talents or expertise in library management would be futile.”

Besides Loewen, Mayor Brian Gallagher’s appointees to the transition committee are council members Ken Utter and Jane Kobuta, Borough Administrator Kevin Sluka and the library board’s treasurer Herbert Hall.

While the transition committee pursues its mission, the borough library board’s official position remains that a referendum is required to “de-municipalize” the library even though the board generally favors the merger and most of its members seem ready to forgive the lack of a referendum. “I feel like we’re behind the game now,” board member Stephanie Hayes said at the library board meeting last night, a day after Borough Council decided to press on with the merger.

At the next board meeting — on Wednesday, Oct. 13 — the library board will decide whether to give up, hold its own referendum or resist Borough Council in some other way.
At the Sept. 7 Borough Council meeting, Loewen said the Somerville library was created by referendum in 1912 must be dissolved the same way.

But the mayor received different legal advice from the borough attorney. “I give great credit to this council. They sat up here at our last meeting and made a tough decision, but it was the right decision. This is a move that will benefit taxpayers, residents, and our employees,” Gallagher told the crowd of about 40 people at Tuesday night's meeting.

He wanted to resolve the referendum issue once and for all. “We’ve got two options. We can either talk about this more and delay the process, or empower a committee to articulate the issues for us,” he said.

The issue was then put to a vote, and although the decision to appoint a committee was eventually made, not everyone was in agreement.

Councilman Dennis Sullivan, who dissented in the Aug. 16 vote, still believes a referendum is necessary. “I would like to hear more from the people of Somerville on this topic. This is not a one- or two-year process. I believe the people will still make the right choice, but they should be given the chance,” he said.

But overwhelmingly, the support was for moving forward.

“Today’s government often overlooks what the people have to say, and after last meeting the majority of our feedback was for a resolution,” said Councilman Utter.
Councilman Thompson Mitchell agreed, noting, “The costs of a referendum have now actually gone up because we have passed the deadline to put it on the general election ballot. That means we would have to pay to hold a special election, which I do not think would be an accurate representation of the people.”

Residents echoed the council’s call for a transition committee. “I would be saddened if a referendum is brought forth when we all seem to agree that this is the right move… it’s a waste of money,” said Mary DuMont.

“I would like to congratulate the board on making a very wise decision,” said Bob Kapp.
According to Gallagher, the committee will be set up as soon as possible, and the Somerville Library will be a member of the Somerset County system beginning Jan. 1.

At the library board meeting the next evening, several borough residents pressed the library board to facilitate rather than obstruct the merger.

Posted by tumulty at 2:15 PM | Comments (0)
Category:

September 9, 2010

Registration Open for Youth Services Forum

Youth Services Forum “Youth Services in Tough Times” - October 28th

This half day program will be held at the Monmouth County Library in Manalapan on Thurs. October 28, 2010 from 10 am - 1:15 pm (9:30 am coffee/registration).
Everyone has the option to choose to attend one of two programs in three different time periods. The registration fee is $20 for NJLA & NJASL members, $30 for non-members and $10 for students. Breakfast, raffles, CE credits and the NJLA Store will be available.
To register, go to the NJLA website http://www.njla.org and click on the banner ad for the Youth Services Forum for the registration form. The link for the program descriptions is listed separately below that. The registration form and program descriptions are also posted on the NJYAC website http://www.njyac.org under the Youth Services Forum link on the left-hand side of the main page. The deadline to register is October 18th.
For more information, contact Sharon Rawlins, Youth Services Consultant, NJ State Library, srawlins@njstatelib.org, 609-278-2640 ext. 116.

Posted by rawlins at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)
Category: Children's Services Young Adult Services

Jersey City library is cutting back on hours, with most branches open only two Saturdays through end of year

http://www.nj.com

Thursday, September 09, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
The Jersey City Free Public Library is scaling back hours and closing most of its branches on Saturdays due to budget cuts.

Library Director Priscilla Gardner says more service cuts could be in the offing pending possible further layoffs and furloughs, noting that a staff reduction plan submitted to the state Civil Service Commission awaits approval.

The city is expected to provide the library $6 million this year, down from $7.7 million last year.

The Main Library, at 472 Jersey Ave., which had been open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., is now closing at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The library will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Gardner said hours at other branches have been staggered to minimize the impact on library patrons. Those libraries will be closed on Saturdays with the exception of two Saturdays between now and the end of the year when each of the branches will be open.

The Glenn D. Cunningham Branch, at 275 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; with Saturday hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 9 and Nov. 20.

The Miller Branch at 489 Bergen Ave. will be open the same hours at the Cunningham branch, but with Saturday hours Sept. 25 and Dec. 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Five Corners branch, at 678 Newark Ave., and Pavonia Branch, at 326 Eighth St., will be open Monday from noon to 8 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Five Corners will have Saturday hours Oct. 16 and Nov. 27 and Pavonia will have Saturday hours Oct. 2 and Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Heights Branch, at 14 Zabriskie St., will be open Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, noon to 8 p.m.; and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Saturday hours Sept. 18 and Dec. 11 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Greenville Branch, at 1847 Kennedy Blvd., will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; Tuesday, noon to 8 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and will be open this Saturday and Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Lafayette, West Bergen and Marion neighborhood libraries will remain open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Posted by tumulty at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

Raritan library will remain independent

http://www.nj.com
September 08, 2010,
The Messenger-Gazette

RARITAN — Somerville is joining the county library system. So what about Raritan?

The idea has been studied and found untempting, says Borough Councilman Greg Lobell, liaison to the borough library. He said when he joined Borough Council last winter, a couple of the county freeholders suggested he look into the idea of joining the county system.

He met with the previous county library director, Jim Hecht, and was told Raritan’s library would have to be screened by the county to see if it would be accepted into the county system. That lack of eagerness, plus the fact that Bridgewater and Somerville libraries are larger and nearby, made Lobell believe that in “three or four years down the line,” the Raritan library might be considered expendable. And “Raritan definitely needs a library,” he said, “It’s not something we’d ever give up. It’s vital to have access to a library without crossing major highways.”

Although a state law dictates the level at which a municipality must fund its library, Raritan’s library is not so demanding. This year the library board noted the borough’s dire straits and gave back $100,000, Lobell said. If the borough threw in with the county, that kind of budgetary cooperation wouldn’t be possible, he said.

He spoke highly of the library’s computer classes and programs for teens and young children and its inviting atmosphere. “A lot of people were surprised I was even looking at” what the county has to offer.

Another source of local satisfaction with the borough library, said Lobell, is the staff. “I would put them up against any library around. They are interested in what they do and truly care about the people, and make sure the patrons have all their needs taken care of. I cannot tell you how proud I am of the work and effort they put into making the library a success and an enjoyable place to be.”

Lobell noted that many Raritan residents already have access to the county libraries. Students at Bridgewater-Raritan High School and Raritan Valley Community College (and soon Immaculata) can get county cards, as can anyone who is employed in any of the 13 municipalities whose property owners pay Somerset County library taxes. Those municipalities include Bound Brook, Branchburg, Bridgewater, Green Brook, Hillsborough, Millstone, Montgomery, North Plainfield, Peapack-Gladstone, Rocky Hill, South Bound Brook, Warren, Watchung — and soon Somerville.

Furthermore Raritan’s library is part of the Raritan Valley Federation of Municipal Libraries, says borough library director Mary Jane Paese. It’s an eight-library combination that honors each other’s cards. When Somerville drops out in January, that will leave Raritan and libraries in Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Bedminster, Dunellen, Manville, Franklin, Middlesex and New Brunswick in the federation. Also, books from many other libraries in the state can be borrowed via inter-library loan, she said.

Posted by tumulty at 9:11 AM | Comments (1)
Category:

September 8, 2010

Somerville council again rejects referendum for library

http://www.c-n.com
Sept 7, 2010
By STEPHEN REED • STAFF WRITER • September 7, 2010

SOMERVILLE — The Borough Council on Tuesday agreed to establish a committee to negotiate the terms under which the cash-strapped Somerville Public Library will join the Somerset County library system.

In doing so, the council rejected an appeal from the library's governing board for a public referendum on the library's fate.

It was the latest step in a debate focused not on the library's future relationship with the county -- which almost everyone agrees will be healthier for the library -- but rather on the process by which that relationship is established.

Jim Loewen, the board's president, reiterated his assertion that a voter referendum is legally necessary to dissolve the library as a municipal entity so it can become part of the county. The library was created by municipal referendum in 1912, he has said.

Loewen said the council doesn't have the authority to dissolve the library as an institution, and as such it would continue to demand a portion of the borough's budget even if operations were handed over to the county.

"What's being glossed over here is the library is an autonomous body. We're not a committee, we're not a department,'' he told the Council and a standing-room-only audience of residents.

But Mayor Brian Gallagher said the important issue is the continued existence and future prosperity of the library. The council voted last month to join the county without a referendum, a decision he defended as legally sound.

"I'm at a loss that we're even entertaining this discussion further,'' he said. "It doesn't make sense and we need to move on.''

Gallagher proposed the five-person committee. He suggested it consist of Loewen; Council President Jane Kobuta, the council's liaison to the library board; Councilman Ken Utter, who served on a task force that studied options for the
library's future; Herbert Hall, the library board's treasurer; and Kevin Sluka, borough administrator.

The committee will begin the contractual process of determining how funds will be administered, programming managed and existing library employees absorbed into the county system. County library officials have already expressed support for the merger.

Most council members approved the committee idea, though some did so grudgingly.

Councilman Rob Wilson said he would have voted for a referendum at the council's August meeting, had he not been on vacation. But at this point, he said, he'd rather see the borough move forward in working out the details of the merger.

Councilman Thompson Mitchell also expressed doubts about further delays, as well as legal issues that he said could be raised by holding a referendum.

Councilman Dennis Sullivan was the lone advocate of taking the issue before voters, a step that would cost the borough about $15,000 if done as a special election.

"I'm an old-fashioned Democrat and I just feel like you're never wrong in going to the people,'' he said after the meeting.

Loewen was supported in his quest for a referendum by Mary Romance, the president of the New Jersey Library Association.

But many residents appeared to be in favor of moving forward without going to the polls.

Robert Kapp congratulated the board on its decision.

"I think it goes to shared services, one of the things we're trying to do more of in this state,'' he said.

Mary DuMont pointed out that any modern referendum would necessarily be different from the one held in 1912.

"The referendum in the 1900s would not have included the women in this audience, so just bear that in mind,'' she said.

DuMont also said she hoped the issue would not become a legal battle.

"I would be saddened to see a lawsuit because of this,'' she said.

Loewen said he doesn't believe the library board, which will meet Wednesday evening, will have the appetite to pursue a referendum through litigation.

"We're going to look for any instruction on how to dissolve ourselves,'' he said.

And he said he does not intend to serve on the transition committee proposed by the mayor.

"I think the procedure is wrong, and I don't want to support a procedure that I believe is unlawful,'' he said.

Posted by tumulty at 9:40 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

Library branch closes in Camden

http://www.philly.com
Sept. 8, 2010

By James Osborne

Inquirer Staff Writer

There will be no James Patterson novels to borrow today, and no computers for job applicants to use.

The Nancy Drews will be packed up, along with the heavy unabridged dictionary that sat open Tuesday to the letter W and words like wulfenite - a mineral named for an Austrian mineralogist.

The Fairview branch of the Camden Free Public Library shut its doors for good Tuesday, the victim of budget cuts brought on by a $28 million city budget deficit that could eventually shut down Camden's library system altogether.

Set in a former residence on Collings Avenue, the Fairview branch had been in operation since 1925, a cornerstone of the neighborhood that was built as a planned community for workers from the nearby shipyard after World War I.

Today, Fairview is a mixed-income neighborhood, where residents can be seen mowing their lawns and sitting on park benches in Yorkship Square, trying to hold out against the city's problems.

"There's more drug dealers on the corners. It's not the same place it was when I moved here in the 1990s, but it's still a good neighborhood," said Ethel Randall, the library assistant.

There is concern among many in Fairview that with the library closed, neighborhood children will be more inclined to hang out on the street corners and fall into drug dealing, said Jerome Taylor, a community activist.

After school and in summertime, the library is flooded with teenagers and children who use the library's books and computers for their schoolwork, or to check out websites and e-mail their friends.

"The number of our students who don't have the Internet at home far outweigh those that do," said Kristie Wilson, a teacher at Freedom Academy Charter School, across the street from the library. "At the end of the day, you can watch the stream of kids going out of here and right into that library."

For the growing ranks of Camden's unemployed, the library system has been a place to check job listings and file electronic applications. On Monday morning at the Fairview branch, the two computer users said they were there looking for work.

"I applied to McDonald's two weeks ago. I'm still waiting to hear," said Jeffrey Carr, 23.

With library hours being scaled back and branches closing around the country, low-income people are finding it harder to stay connected in a world that is becoming increasingly digitized, said Claire McInerney, the chairwoman of Rutgers' Library and Information Science Department.

"The library is our commons. It is the place we can always count on," she said. "We can all complain about test scores and literacy. But the libraries have been there to support it all, and to cut back on libraries is going to be damaging."

For Camden, the closing of Fairview leaves the city with two branches. The future is unclear for Camden library-goers, and could include a merger with the county library system, or more closures as the city's budget troubles continue.

On Tuesday morning, Randall and her boss, Barbara Park, were savoring their last day at the Fairview branch.

The pair have been working together for 18 years, since Randall, then a struggling single mother, pulled herself off the welfare line to take the civil-service exam. The two became fast friends, sharing a love of reading and trips out to Lancaster to shop for jams and fresh produce.

Park even encouraged Randall to move to Fairview with her son, offering her pickup truck and a hand on moving day.

Both are keeping their jobs, but they found out Monday that Park would be going to the Ferry Avenue branch and Randall would be going to the downtown library.

"We worked together a long time. I don't know how to put it into words," Randall said. "I guess I just have to cope with it."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Posted by tumulty at 9:37 AM | Comments (0)
Category:

September 7, 2010

Somerville library's future likely to be a topic at meetings next week

http://www.c-n.com
Sept. 2, 2010
STEPHEN REED • STAFF WRITER • September 2, 2010

SOMERVILLE — Alan Jankowski likes the idea of the Somerville Public Library becoming part of the county library system.

But he doesn't think the borough's voters need to weigh in on the issue with a special election.
"Who's going to really turn out for a vote like that?" asked Jankowski, 49, as he smoked a cigarette near the library's front steps. "The voter turnout would be so small you could probably argue it's not representative of most of the users anyway."
Andrea Castro, on the other hand, doesn't think a referendum is a bad idea — and she thinks voters would support the change.
"They can see that the library is struggling," said Castro, who at 16 isn't old enough to vote herself.

The issue of whether to hold an election to determine the library's fate likely is to arise at two meetings next week, the Borough Council meeting on Tuesday and the Library Board's meeting on Wednesday.
The library wasn't on the council meeting agenda as of Thursday, but Mayor Brian Gallagher said "there may be some discussion." He predicted, though, that the council would not stray from its Aug. 16 decision to tie the library into the county system without a referendum, despite a formal request from the library board to do so.
"The library board has not put forth a fiscal plan to save our library," Gallagher said. "In the absence of the borough council taking action our library will close even further, and that is disastrous to our residents."

Jim Loewen, chairman of the library board, has continued to gather ammunition to push for a referendum. On Thursday he circulated a statement from the New Jersey Library Association saying the council's vote "should be of grave concern to the residents of Somerville."
The unsigned statement continued, "It is the right of citizens to have a direct voice in public library service."

Loewen argues that because the library was created by referendum in the early 1900s, it must be dissolved as a legal entity by the same process. He and other board members say they're not opposed to joining the county system, but they want voters to have their say.

The borough's attorney believes a referendum is not necessary, and opponents point out that it would be costly - about $15,000 - and would delay the merger, causing the cash-strapped library more strife.

The library closed on Mondays this summer in order to save money. A borough task force found earlier this year that it's on target to lose $74,000 in 2011 and even more the following year.

Jankowski thinks joining the county system would strengthen the library and its offerings, echoing a recommendation by the task force. The fact that the library was created by referendum doesn't matter to him.
"I don't see why that would matter in this day and age," he said. "They probably didn't have computers back then either."

But Christina Dzwonczyk, 16, agreed with Castro that a vote might have merit.
After all, she said, "the people use the library."
Stephen Reed: sreed@mycentraljersey.com, 908-243-6609

IF YOU GO
Somerville Borough Council, 7 p.m., Sept. 7, police station
Somerville Library Board, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 8, New Jersey Room, public library

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Camden delays setting date for closing two libraries

http://www.courierpostonline.com
Sept 2, 2010
Deborah Hirsch

CAMDEN — The cash-strapped Camden Free Public Library board Wednesday held off on scheduling a closure date for the Centerville or downtown branch at the request of city officials, who said the move could hamper negotiations to save the local libraries by merging with the county system.

City Attorney Marc Riondino said he couldn't comment on specifics because the plan was still under negotiation, but stressed that he, like the board, didn't want Camden to lose either of its remaining branches.
"We're looking to make it better than we had before," Riondino said. "We have to find a way."
Faced with only a third of the city funding that had been provided in past years, board members in July began planning to shut down the entire system by the end of the year.
Despite predictions of doom that made national headlines, the buildings remained open through the end of August and the board has yet to submit plans to lay off any of the 21 employees to the state Civil Service Commission.

Patrons will notice a change this month, however, as a furlough program takes effect, temporarily closing libraries on Fridays for an entire calendar year.
The Fairview branch, the smallest of the three and located in a former two-story brick home off Collings Avenue, is scheduled to close down permanently on Tuesday. The two employees based there will be transferred to the Centerville and downtown locations.

Whether one or both of those branches will also shut down remains unclear. Mayor Dana Redd previously announced that the county had agreed to take over the system, but board members have yet to find out when that will happen or how.
"We know nothing," said Board President Martin McKernan.
Meanwhile, McKernan said, library funds have dwindled to $181,325, including capital improvement dollars. City officials budgeted an additional $108,291 to meet the minimum funding required by law, but couldn't say when that would be sent to the library. Even if it comes through this fall, McKernan estimated the system would still run out of money by mid-January.

Though McKernan said he was heartened by the city's efforts to keep the libraries running, the board will need more specifics soon.

"My fear is that we're going to keep going along and all of a sudden have no money," he said.
Board member Parthenia Cogdell worried that there was no way of knowing whether joining the county system would turn out to be a good thing since all the details were being worked out without input from her colleagues, who have direct contact with the city libraries and a vested interest in their needs.
Fairview resident Bill Hatcher, 54, questioned how the board or elected officials could ever allow any libraries to close.

"Why are we negotiating for something we're supposed to have all along?" said Bill Hatcher. "It's not like more money can't be generated or fitted into libraries in Camden. You've got tons of money going to the waterfront."
Reach Deborah Hirsch at (856) 486-2476 or dhirsch@camden.gannett.com

Posted by tumulty at 9:38 AM | Comments (0)
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Camden library board postpones decision on closing branch

http://www.philly.com
Sept. 2, 2010

By James Osborne

Inquirer Staff Writer

The Camden library board, at the request of the mayor's office, postponed a decision Wednesday on whether to close one of its two remaining branches.
Mayor Dana L. Redd's office asked for the delay as the city negotiates to join the Camden County Library System.

A third branch, in the Fairview section, is scheduled to close on Tuesday due to budget cuts.

The delay puts pressure on the county and the mayor's office to come to a deal quickly as the Camden Free Public Library runs through the last of its funds. Library officials had said they had enough money to keep the downtown and Centerville branches open through November.

But at Wednesday's board meeting, City Attorney Marc Riondino committed to providing the $389,000 the city is required to allocate to the library by the state, enough to keep the two branches open through Jan. 19, said Board President Martin McKernan.

"The goal of the city is to keep both branches open," Riondino said. "I don't think we need to decide right now if we're going to close another branch. We're in the middle of negotiations, and if we take actions now, that could impact those negotiations."

At Wednesday's meeting, board members peppered Riondino with questions about when they would get the money owed to them and whether they could be involved in the negotiations.

"Is someone going to tell us what proposals are being made?" asked McKernan. "We know nothing."

The possibility that a U.S. city of about 80,000 people could no longer have a public library has garnered national attention.

A handful of Camden residents went to the noon meeting to express frustration. Most were regulars at the downtown branch and said they could not understand why projects along Camden's waterfront had been funded while the downtown library had been allowed to fall into disrepair.

"There seems to be plenty of money going to the waterfront projects. Instead of going to the suits, it needs to go to the people," said Bill Hatcher, who plays chess at the downtown library.

Camden has cut its funding to its libraries from $930,000 last year to $389,000 this year, after the city's state funding was reduced. Redd's administration is working to cut a $28 million budget deficit that is expected to radically scale back public services and police protection in the struggling city.

Many Camden residents rely on the library for Internet access, and closing branches is painful, "especially in these economic times," said Bob Sorentino, senior librarian.

The library system received more than 150,000 visits last year and employs 21 people.

"So much of our traffic is people filling out job applications online," he said.

What shape a merger between the county and city library systems would take remains hazy, with questions including whether both branches would remain open and what financial commitment the city would need to make to the county.

"I really don't know what it's going to be at the end of the day," Riondino said.

The Camden County Library Commission declined to comment, citing the need to wait until it had all the information from the city, said county spokeswoman Joyce Gabriel.

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

Posted by tumulty at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)
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September 1, 2010

Newark residents hold reading vigil in effort to revive Newark Public Library

http://www.nj.com
Sept. 1, 2010

Newark residents held a 24-hour reading vigil on Tuesday in an attempt to restore the Newark Public Library. The library has lost $2.45 million in funding from the city, closed the First Avenue and Madison branches last month, and will only be open 3 days a week through December. (Video by Adya Beasley.

Video at: http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2010/08/newark_residents_hold_reading.html

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Upper Township's library branch to celebrate its makeover Sept. 8

http;//www.pressofatlanticcity.com

By CAITLIN DINEEN, Staff Writer | Posted: Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The Upper Township Branch of the Cape May County Library system is open again after it was closed for seven months for renovations and improvements.

The upgrades - which cost a total of $980,000 - may not be noticeable from the outside, but library patrons visiting the newly renovated site will notice all the big changes once they get inside.

"It was really a gloomy, dark building," said Deborah Poillon, adding that new lighting was among several changes made to the interior of the library.

The Upper Township branch of the library system has been in operation since 1985 and is located on Tuckahoe Road in Petersburg. It reopened in July.

A ribbon-cutting event will be held 2 p.m. Sept. 8 at the library.

Other changes at the library include a new teen center, glass around the reference room, and making the building more energy efficient. The building will convert to gas heat from electric when a gas line is brought down the street, Poillon said. New furniture also has been brought into the updated space, as well as new counters. System officials said the updates were necessary.

Library staff said public response to the improvements has been positive. "They love it," said Deanna Petitt, who has worked at the library for 25 years, adding patrons have commented on the brightness of the library and the new counters. "They love the counters."

Petitt said that although the library's upgrades mainly serve patrons, library staff also appreciate the result.

"We love it, it's awesome," she said. "What's not to like about it? It's all brand new."

Poillon said changes are necessary because local libraries are a central hub for residents.

She said the Upper Township library's patronage has increased 18 percent from 2007 to 2009. She said more residents are using the library's Internet access, and DVD and CD libraries.

Poillon said she thought library traffic increased because the economy is poor and the library is offering more regular, free programs.

"We wanted to make it a place people wanted to come," Poillon said, adding that the library used to be "a little shabby."

Other libraries in the system - including the Lower Township branch, which reopened July 28 - have undergone renovations. The Sea Isle City library renovations broke ground last week.

Poillon said renovations for the library are paid for by a combination of bonded funds and taxpayer dollars.

Contact Caitlin Dineen:

609-463-6710

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