Ventnor’s new two-story library has 17,500 square feet of space with shelving for 32,000 items and among its features are separate areas for reference, adult and children’s services; a story-telling room; reading lounges; community program room with seating for 60 people; wireless hot-spots; and more.
North, south, east and west – large and small – urban, suburban and rural – are all descriptions that fit the diverse group of libraries that have benefited from the $45 million the State of New Jersey invested and made available through matching grants for library construction projects. Newark, Ventnor, Ocean Township, Willingboro, Parsippany, Middletown, West Caldwell, Ocean County and Mt. Olive are among the towns and communities that have applied for and used the matching grants to renovate, expand, restore or even build new facilities.
The matching grants were based on a 3 to 1 formula by which the state staked 25 percent of construction costs against 75 percent paid by the local municipalities.
“We are very pleased that for the first time in over a decade there was grant money available for brick and mortar projects,” declares New Jersey State Librarian Norma Blake, who notes, “The $45 million generated $280 million in economic development for the State of New Jersey.
We hope this is only the beginning. At least 100 other libraries plan to build, expand and renovate if more money becomes available,” said Blake.
Many of the 68 library building projects, in various stages of completion, involve renovation and, or expansion of existing structures, while some involve constructing entirely new facilities. Though the nature and the scope of the projects vary from town to town, many are incorporating features new to them such as computer training areas, teen drop-in zones and in some cases even cafes or gift shops.
Willingboro’s new library is a “green” building. It utilizes materials and methods of construction that are environmentally friendly like counter tops composed from seed pods and recycled material. This library building houses retail establishments, a teen-drop-in center, an art gallery and serves a branch of the county college next door.
Parsippany’s new library facility is considered outstanding by professionals in the field such as Blake. She notes the town considered a number of options – renovating the old library, building a totally new facility or finding an existing structure, which it did when it took over a vacant telephone building in town and made it into “the perfect library”. In fact the building is so well adapted to its new function that Blake recalls a staff member who exclaimed, “Anything you can dream of having in a library, we have it!”
Newark Public Library is a magnificent example of the restoration of a great urban public library. Work there involved replacing its large arch windows, re-doing the ceiling including the installation of skylights and renovating the lobby to make it both secure and welcoming at the same time.
Associate State Librarian Tina Keresztury, as director of special projects including library construction, notes that the Ventnor Public Library is a particular success in that the town “went well beyond the limits of the three to one matching grant and dedicated more money to its project than required by the grant.”
The projects noted here represent only a small sampling of the library construction projects that have been completed across the state. The State Library encourages library professionals to visit these libraries and see the wonderful work done across the state, as New Jersey meets the challenges of the 21st century with new, renovated and expanded libraries.
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