RED BANK — Restoring the Red Bank Public Library is akin to “disaster recovery,” according to Library Director Elizabeth Mc- Dermott.
That’s the comparison McDermott used as she presented the 2015 library budget to Borough Council members and residents at the April 22 council meeting.
The library, located at 84 W. Front St., has hired new employees and restored some hours of operation after 2014, when the library experienced a budget crisis that led to layoffs as well as program and schedule cuts.
McDermott acknowledged that just as people recuperate from any disaster, the library is doing the same.
“This was not a natural disaster like a [superstorm] Sandy,” she said. “ … But in some ways, we were recovering last year.
“Something happened, and we were devastated. So we’re in recovery mode. But what I think is important is, we want to come back stronger than we were beforehand.”
Mayor Pasquale Menna and Borough Council members praised McDermott and the library community for their efforts.
“Your staff has done the Herculean work,” Menna said.
Councilman Michael DuPont agreed.
“I think the center and the heart of the town is its library, and I know we have taken wonderful steps to protect our library, but also the energy emanating from the library.”
At the meeting, McDermott announced the budget approved by the library board of trustees, totaling $707,386 for 2015.
Approximately $678,000 — or 96 percent of the library budget — comes from the municipal dedicated tax, while smaller amounts come from sources such as state aid, $6,245; funds raised by the Friends of the Red Bank Public Library, $5,043; and fines and fees, $7,450.
The borough’s contribution is approximately $10,000 higher than in 2014, which was approximately $668,000.
“We are lucky to be up by $10,000, but we’re down probably about $30,000 or $40,000 from a couple of years ago,” Mc- Dermott said. “So we’re dealing with a budget that we can’t really control, and we do the best we can.”
The borough’s contribution is state-based on total assessable property values.
Approximately 69 percent of the library budget goes to salaries and fringe benefits, McDermott said.
The library is hiring employees and has a 2015 budgeted staff of five full-time employees, five part-time librarians and five part-time librarian assistants. Currently, the library employs five full-time employees, three part-time librarians and one librarian assistant.
“[Hiring more staff], we hope, will help us to expand our hours,” McDermott said. “I think it’s important to note that a year ago in January, we were open 35 hours for the week. As of March 31 last year, we had to cut down to 20 hours because of a major cutback in our staff.
“We were able to extend our hours to 27 in June, and then we hired a couple of more people, so we were able to open again on Saturday.”
She said the library has set the goal of opening another seven hours by July so the library will be open for 38 hours each week.
“We’re doing things slowly, conservatively, and hopefully with the future of the library in our sights,” McDermott said.
According to the budget, approximately $75,000 will be spent on books and materials — a sharp increase from 2014, when the budget allotted approximately $32,000 for books and materials.
“We have expanded our books and materials budget this year, because we really had to cut back significantly [last year],” Mc- Dermott said. “ … But the other thing to remember is we’re not just about books. We have a lot of plans in the library to become more of a community center, so our services include a lot of things like programs and other things for the community.”
The budget also includes $38,650 for administration, including office and library supplies, professional services and strategic planning.
“I think this is a really important part of our budget this year, because if you notice that in addition to just basic office supplies and professional services, we’ve been able to put in things like contingency, which is a ‘just in case’ emergency fund,” McDermott said. “We were able to do that by being very conservative last year.”
The administration budget includes a consultant, whom McDermott said she hopes to hire in order to help the library apply for grants and raise funds.
Also included in the administration budget is $5,000 for the library’s strategic planning, which is a five-year plan the library will undertake to identify where it is headed and how it can best serve the community.
According to McDermott, more than 43,000 people visited the library in 2014, more than 4,700 adults and children attended library programs, and more than 34,000 materials were circulated.
She cited a goal for 2015 to be serving everyone in the community.
“Serving Red Bank means serving all, serving everyone — and that’s a focus,” Mc- Dermott said.
McDermott cited upcoming library events that she is looking forward to, including the Mayor’s Charity Ball on May 1. The proceeds will benefit the Red Bank Public Library and the Parker Family Health Center.
On May 2, the Friends of the Red Bank Public Library will organize the eighth annual Red Bank Townwide Yard Sale; all proceeds from yard-sale registrations will benefit the library.
The library also recently celebrated National Library Week, which McDermott said had the theme “Behind every great library is a great community.”
“Everyone is welcome,” she said. “Everyone can come, whether you have a card or not. You can use our computers, you can read our magazines. … We are the most remarkable place in town.”
The library budget can be viewed at www.redbanklibrary.org.