By KAYLA J. MARSH
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — Throughout the last several years, public libraries have slowly grown from a place simply used to check out books, to a community center that is lively and full of activities aimed at meeting the different needs of patrons.
For the Long Branch Free Public Library, the journey to becoming the vast hub of knowledge and activity it is has reached a 100-year milestone and is celebrating that accomplishment by reflecting on its history and giving back to those who have helped it grow over the years.
“Today a library is so much more than borrowing books or magazines or doing research,” said Lisa Kelly, publicity and outreach manager.
“We have children’s and teens’ programs, job-searching services, a fresh start reentry program for individuals coming out of prison, résumé-building services and so much more.”
The story of the Long Branch Free Public Library dates to the late 19th and early 20th centuries when businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie embarked on a plan that paved the way for more than 2,500 free public libraries to be constructed worldwide.
The story begins with the founding of the East Long Branch Reading Room and Library Association in 1878.
“This group of women began a reading room in a small borrowed room and started a library feeling that there was a need and that Long Branch had grown into a big enough city,” said Janice Grace, manager of the library’s Local History Room.
“In a couple of years, they were buying property from the local board of education, and there were 30 charter members who I credit for helping it grow so much.”
It was around this time that talk began about expanding even further and possibly getting a Carnegie library grant.
“Carnegie was awarding grants to towns to build libraries … but the property had to be owned by the city so that is where our 100-year history begins,” Grace said, adding that up until this point the library had been private.
Requirements for the grant included officials demonstrating the need for a public library in the area, providing the building site, having the necessary funds to ensure the library’s continued operation and maintenance and the library had to be free for all to use.
“These women were go-getters and not in the business long before expanding and handing this property over to the city, and that is when we became a public library.”
The library was incorporated Dec. 6, 1916, and the $30,000 Carnegie library grant was approved Feb. 3, 1917. The library officially opened Nov. 16, 1920 at 328 Broadway.
“We were one of the later and last libraries to be built under this initiative,” Kelly said.
Grace said that over the years the library has undergone a few renovations, but the function of the library today as a community center parallels what it was in 1916.
“One of the things that is very interesting is that if you go back in time, their library was also a very community-centered place,” she said. “They were also very community-minded and had all kinds of activities from meetings and plays to fundraisers to teas, and they also rented out space to retailers to keep them going … so it was very much the heart of the city.”
In honor of its Centennial in 2016, the library will be collecting “100 things” each month to donate to community organizations.
For March, the library is collecting 100 snacks such as chips, nuts and granola bars for military personnel serving overseas. All items will be donated to Eagles Up!, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving, supporting and assisting military personnel, wounded or fallen soldiers and their families.
“The library is really not a quiet place anymore,” Kelly said. “People come here, and they are looking for books and movies, using the computers, taking part in programs … and it is about providing a space of equality for everyone to feel comfortable.
“People say libraries are out of date or are not needed anymore, and I think they have just become more of a community hub and not just a place for people to borrow things.
“This is a place for everybody to feel equal and have equal access to culture, technology and other resources they might not otherwise have day to day.”