Cranbury LIBRARIES: Funding budget concern

[Guest]

As municipalities look to cut their budgets, many public libraries are in danger of losing funding.

The situations differ from town to town, but the bottom line is the same: libraries are at the top of the list as governing bodies look at each line item to see how they can save money.

According to state law, a municipality must appropriate to its public library at least one-third of a mill (one-tenth of a cent) for every $100 of assessed valuation.

As property values go down,though, that appropriation is decreasing while library expenses at best stay the same.

In Cranbury, the minimum one-third of a mill amount is 4 percent less than last year and 3 percent less than the year before due to decreases in property values.
”In Cranbury, the average (given to the library) is about $100 per household or 1 percent of taxes,” which is $572,604 this year, said Kirstie Venanzi, president of the Cranbury Library Board of Trustees.

”We’ve never been above the minimum,” said Marilynn Mullen, director of the library.

If a public library doesn’t have a strategic and technology plan for the next five years, its governing body can take back some of its money, explained Ms. Venanzi and Ms. Mullen.

Cranbury Public Library has been busy staying up to date and working toward the construction of a new library by 2015 while working with a decreasing bottom line.

The library also plans to buy its own server for its database so it doesn’t have to partner with the school. Cranbury’s library serves as the municipal as well as school library

The library also plans to produce more promotional materials, such as brochures and fliers, and conduct surveys to learn how to better serve its community.

New Jersey’s municipal libraries are run by a board of trustees appointed by the mayor. The salaries of Cranbury library’s three full-time and eight part-time employees are set by the board of trustees and funded by the $572,604 given to the library by the township.

That amount also must cover administrative and executive expenses, office supplies, technology, books and periodicals and audio and visual devices.

Ms. Mullen and Ms. Venanzi explained how the library is getting less funding at a time it needs it most.

”We’ve already had a budget cut,” Ms. Mullen said, referring to cuts the past two years.

At its current size, the library has met challenges in fulfilling its role as both a public and a school library.

The library is 6,000 square feet. The state mandates an elementary school library to be 4,000 square feet and a middle school library to be 6,000 square feet, Ms. Venanzi said.

”We know if we had a bigger library, we’d be able to better serve the community,” Ms. Mullen said.

The Cranbury Library Foundation is campaigning to raise money for the new library, which will be across the parking lot from the current one. The new library will cost about $3 million.

Without actively fundraising, the Foundation has $20,000 set aside so far.
Ms. Mullen and Ms. Venanzi emphasized the library is something the public uses frequently. Over the past 10 years, it has had a 108 percent increase to 53,510 items, including 36,773 books. Also, reference questions have increased drastically, and programs hosted by the library have doubled, Ms. Venanzi explained.

”During this time when we’re being used more than ever, I don’t understand our funding,” she said.

In addition to the increase in general use, the library’s small conference room also is being used more than it can accommodate.

”More and more people are calling, requesting to use our library,” Ms. Mullen said. “I’d say, once a week, we have to turn someone away because we just don’t have the room (in the conference room).”

Two years ago, the library separated the public and school sections so only students are allowed in the school section during school hours.

”Both school and public use have grown,” Ms. Mullen said. “That’s why it’s time for a new library.”

The population of Cranbury and its school have doubled since the library was built in 1969. The population of Cranbury is about 4,070, and its school has about 680 students.

Ms. Venanzi said Cranbury is very much a reading town, explaining how the book discussion group keeps getting donations.

”I can’t imagine this town without a library,” she said.

http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2011/01/28/cranbury_press/news/doc4d41d71d8b9cd641197010.txt

[Guest]

The article state the Library has "decreasing bottom line" yet they want to build a new building?

[Guest]

Leave the library in the school as a school library. Then set up a nice public library website where you can order books, movies, media material just like Netflix.
There will not be a need for a new library. Anything you want to do can be done with the internet and it will save on a new building.

The notion of going to the library to do anything is old and antiquated.

[Guest]

My guess would be that you have not visited libraries recently. They are more than just books...they are community centers. Cranbury could really use something that would bring eveyone together....instead of us all sitting at home writing snide comments on our computers.

[guest25]

The population of Cranbury and its school have doubled since the library was built in 1969. The population of Cranbury is about 4,070, and its school has about 680 students.


Actually the school enrollment has gone from 637 students in the 2006-2007 school year to 596 students in the current year - nowhere near the 680 students quoted. Also, Cranbury population in the 2010 census increased by 7% to put the number of Cranbury residents at 3,400 - not 4070. Seems to be skewed facts to sell a point for a new library.

[Guest]

The library also plans to buy its own server for its database so it doesn’t have to partner with the school. Cranbury’s library serves as the municipal as well as school library


http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2011/01/28/cranbury_press/news/doc4d41d71d8b9cd641197010.txt[/quote]


I keep hearing everyone in the state make the case for shared services. That is why townships and schools need to be consolidated (their argument, not mine). Except here in Cranbury. We already have a shared service, the Library. We want to open a second library. We currently share servers and "partner" with the school. We want to change this.

Does this strike anyone else as strange that while the entire state and both political parties cry out for the need to share services, Cranbury decides to do the opposite?

[visiting]

I would like to know why 11 people work at the library. every time I'm there, during school or after school or on a weekend, they are sitting there chatting amongst themselves.
If the budget is so tight, they should look first at staffing and productivity, not at a new building.

[Guest]

So much incorrect information on this board. New census for Cranbury is 3957...round it up to 4000.

[Guest]

[Guest]

[Guest]

[Guest]

Maybe the budget is getting harder to balance because they're socking away money for a new building? The article says they already have $20k socked away. Isn't that about the same amount as the 4% budget cut?