With help from teacher Shari Silverman, far left, and Anita Burke, foreground, 4-year-old Rudra Rane, center, and his 8-year-old sister Aditi Rane participate in the “Yoga for Kids” program at the South Brunswick Public Library in Monmouth Junction on July 23. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR Those who thought libraries might one day be obsolete have had to think again. No longer just a place to borrow books, libraries have evolved into hubs of activity that serve myriad needs of patrons.
“Because libraries offer so much more than books, many of today’s libraries are seen as the center of their community,” said Kim Rinaldi, director of the Middletown Township Public Library.
A Pew Research Center poll from 2014, “The Next Library and the People Who Will Use It,” reported that 91 percent of respondents said libraries are important to their communities, and 93 percent said having a public library improves the quality of life in a community.
Four-year-old Rudra Rane, left to right, his 8-year-old sister Aditi Rane and 5-year-old Khanak Bindal participate in the “Yoga for Kids” program at the South Brunswick Public Library in Monmouth Junction on July 23. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR “Libraries are less about what we have and more about what we do for people,” said Sari Feldman, president of the American Library Association, 2015-2016.
“We create an environment that advances individual opportunity,” Feldman said.
Libraries, said Feldman, “offer equality of access” as they provide community space that is free and welcomes all people. “What is a consistent factor in libraries then and now is their ability to bridge the divide by offering access to information unparalleled by any other institution,” said Judi Tolchin, director of the Monmouth County Library system.
Chris Carbone, director of the South Brunswick Public Library and presidentelect of the New Jersey Library Association, said his library is a thriving center for lifelong learning and continuing education. “Instruction is a growing focus for today’s libraries,” Carbone said.
From babies in strollers to senior citizens, library patrons visit the facilities to meet needs ranging from singing in story time to learning a language.
Libraries have always strived to serve their entire community, Rinaldi said, so librarians are continually looking at usage statistics to identify underserved populations in their community and provide services that would attract these populations.
Through outreach programs, libraries strive to meet the scope of demands from the community.
“Strong diversity and inclusion are always at the core of our mission,” said Susan Quinn, director of the Ocean County Library system.
“The Internet is one of the library’s most popular services. Many households do not have a computer or an Internet connection, so the library is the only access point to this service,” Rinaldi said.
Libraries have always been a depository for information, Tolchin said, but it’s just the way users access that information that has changed so drastically from paper sources to online content.
“Librarians play a significant role in information accuracy and information literacy, assisting people in finding authoritative sources often not achieved using a search engine,” Tolchin said.
Other popular services of today’s libraries include cultural programming, job-seeking assistance, computer instruction courses, maker labs and support groups, according to Rinaldi.
Literacy and language databases meet the needs of diverse populations in the community that might need help with reading and speaking English, Quinn said.
At the Old Bridge Public Library, teaching language skills is offered to the diverse community.
“We teach English as a second language to the Arabic, Indian, Russian, Korean and Chinese populations,” said Nancy Cohen, library director at Old Bridge Public Library.
The Middletown Township Public Library added a job help center a few years ago to serve the needs of the unemployed population, offering job search databases, resume assistance and a support group.
“Almost every job right now has an online application. It is often assumed that everyone has computer access in their homes and that everyone knows how to use a computer. Both of these assumptions are untrue,” said Robyn Miller, Marlboro branch manager of the Monmouth County Library System.
Miller said helping people fill out applications and set up email addresses is offered at the library.
“We make them aware of the resources on the career center section of the Monmouth County Library website, which has job listings, resume writing, basic computer skills classes and other useful information,” Miller said.
During the 2008 economic downturn, Feldman said, libraries were positioned to support career seekers.
“The library is a trained and trusted friend,” Feldman said.
At the Long Branch Free Public Library, Fresh-Start, a re-entry program for ex-offenders returning home to their communities, has been established.
The program offers “12 private sessions to teach computer and job-search skills to those community members who need to catch up with the digital age after incarceration. We help them prepare resumes and cover letters, and use email and online job sites to find work,” said Lisa Kelly, library associate at the Long Branch Free Public Library.
In addition to job seekers, digital services at libraries cater to the old and young alike.
For many senior citizens, the library offers a place to learn about technology, Feldman said.
For teens, the library can be helpful in navigating databases targeted to meet their needs.
“Two especially useful databases for teens are the Learning- Express Library, which provides test preparation assistance such as free SAT practice exams, and Driving_ tests.org, which provides practice driving test exams and manuals,” said Stephanie Chadwick, teen librarian at the Middletown library.
For younger people, the library is a “safe space,” Feldman said.
“The library offers connected learning in areas as diverse as robotics, video and book discussions. Libraries turned around the idea of latch-key kids who had nowhere to go,” Feldman said.
For the very young, libraries still provide traditional services.
“Parents and kids still enjoy good old-fashioned story telling. It’s communication,” said Pat Findra, children’s coordinator, Monmouth County Library.
Familiar offerings, such as book discussion groups, homework help classes, newspapers and guest authors coexist along with innovative programs.
Brothers Alvin and Martin Cohen of Marlboro have spent an hour just about every day for the last 15 years dropping by the Monmouth County Library headquarters in Manalapan to read a variety of newspapers. They agreed that the library gives them the opportunity “to find out what’s going on without paying.”
Of course, patrons can and still do check out books.
Jane Yang visits the Monmouth County Library headquarters in Manalapan about once a week to check out books for herself, as well as her husband and two children, ages 10 and 5. Yang’s 5- year-old son participates in story time, and the family borrows DVDs.
“Library users still come to the library for books, information and educational programs. Annually, we [Monmouth County Library] circulate approximately 3.5 million items each year,” Tolchin said.
The Middletown Public Library reports that in 2014, 456,901 books were checked out and 27,305 audio books were borrowed.
Unlike libraries of decades ago, the physical space of a modern library often includes coffee shops and comfortable couches that invite and encourage visitors to stay and socialize.
For senior citizens, this is important as it “reduces isolation,” Feldman said.
A teen room at the Middletown library offers “computers and comfortable chairs for the teens to use for fun, homework and group work,” Chadwick said.
“The room is heavily utilized. During the school year I always see students working on group projects, studying and reading in the teen room,” Chadwick said.
Café space is available at the South Brunswick Library for drop-in small group meetings, relaxing or working away from home, Carbone said.
“South Brunswick Public Library also offers a quiet space, as the building is often bustling with activity,” Carbone said.
Librarians are always seeking new ways to enrich and support their communities, Rinaldi said.
In the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, libraries stepped in to aid the community.
“The library was once again called upon to expand its role as the region’s community center, as it undertook charitable drives, offered support services and hosted recovery workshops to help those devastated by Hurricane Sandy — whether it be how to file an insurance claim, how to test for mold damage, where to find applications for food and shelter assistance or how to fill out FEMA documents,” said Renee Swartz, chair, Monmouth County Library Commission.
Financially, libraries are struggling at a time when there is increased need for staff to support both traditional customers and digital customers, Feldman said.
When libraries “have to compete for government funds,” it is difficult to obtain them, Feldman said.
“Libraries have become successful when they go directly to the voter for funding,” Feldman said.
According to the website www.ilovenjlibraries.org, New Jersey state law mandates that municipalities with local libraries allocate funding according to the one-third-mill formula, in which each mill is one-thousandth of a currency unit. With this formula, local libraries receive 33 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value. That’s $33 for every $100,000 of assessed property value.
“It has been challenging for the last few years as property values have taken a hit,” said Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association.
Another source of library funding is the library state aid program. This program provides direct aid to New Jersey’s local libraries above the dedicated municipal funding.
Due to recent cuts in state aid, approximately 41 cents per person per year is allocated by the state for library funding, Tumulty said. The state is “woefully behind” other state funding amounts, Tumulty added.
“The free public library is an American institution. We don’t want to lose that,” Feldman said.
The American public library, Quinn said, is essential to democracy.
Mark Your Calendar
The South Brunswick Public Library, 110 Kingston Lane, Monmouth Junction, will host family story time from 11-11:30 a.m. Aug. 8. Details: 732-329-4000, ext. 7285.
The Middletown Public Library, 55 New Monmouth Road, Middletown, hosts an informal knitting group at 12:30 p.m. every Tuesday. Details: 732-671-3700.