Allentown library looking for more financial support
Fundraisers becoming harder to organize due to lack of volunteers
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

Upper Freehold

UPPER FREEHOLD – The Board of the Allentown Public Library Association Inc. is looking for new members to replenish its ranks.

At the Dec. 21 Township Committee meeting, the board’s treasurer, Roxanne Robinson, gave a presentation on the current status and future plans for the library, located at 16 S. Main St. in Allentown.

The library, which is part of the Monmouth County library system, serves residents in Allentown, Millstone and Upper Freehold. Robinson reported that its primary funding for 2006 operating expenses totaled $41,000, including municipal donations of $4,500 apiece from Allentown and Upper Freehold, and $3,000 from Millstone.

A direct-mail solicitation netted $13,955, she said, and this year’s mailing will go out this week.

Fines totaled $4,200, the library’s bookstall brought in $2,300, sales of commemorative bricks totaled $1,200, and the 10 parking spaces rented to neighboring businesses and individuals added another $2,000, according to Robinson. There were also other donations of $4,200, she said.

Despite the income, Robinson said, there was a shortfall of the total operations and maintenance of the library this year.

Mortgage payments were $14,000, utilities cost $12,500, insurance was $8,100, service agreements — including fire and pest control — were $2,300, and cleaning and maintenance were $3,600, for a total of $42,000, according to Robinson. This did not include funds used for building repairs, she said, and the third-floor windows were cracked or broken and had to be repaired as well.

Funds earmarked for building improvements were used to cover operations, Robinson reported.

Next year, the library would like to replace or repair its leaking roofs, which are causing damage to interior walls, ceilings and the fire alarm system, she said. There are four primary leaks in the building, she said, and mold is also becoming is a concern. Robinson said fire alarm sensors must be replaced due to water damage from a heavy fall rainstorm.

The board would like to explore the feasibility of installing solar panels on the roof, she said, and is looking for grants. It would also like to install a security system, such as one with motion sensor lights for the parking lot, according to Robinson.

“The library is nonprofit,” she said. “We are responsible and pay for everything for that building.”

The county pays for the librarians‚ salaries and benefits, as well as the bulk of books, DVDs, and similar materials, she said. County funds are based on circulation, she added.

Robinson said the total circulation through Oct. 31 was 39,702, a period during which librarians processed 3,131 requests. There were 301 new cardholders this year, the majority of them from Upper Freehold, she said. Last year, there were 1,932 cardholders from Upper Freehold, and the number increased by 267 in 2006, she said. Cardholders from Allentown actually declined, from 1,601 in 2005 to 1,562 in 2006. Millstone users also had a slight decrease, from 339 in 2005 to 332 this year.

The library’s community room is used almost every night, with its computers being used constantly by patrons, she said. The fax and copy machines are also heavily used by residents.

A children’s librarian has a program every Thursday, which fills rapidly, she said. Programs for adults are slowly expanding, according to Robinson.

Throughout the year, there were displays by community artists and collectors. Robinson said the library has an important collection of New Jersey history and serves as a resource for historians and genealogists.

Besides increasing its book collection this year, the library also increased its collection of CDs, magazines and newspapers, she said. Next year, it would like to reach out to local agricultural workers, whom she called “invisible members of the community,” by offering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

Robinson said the current active six-member board was “a little group with a lot of responsibility” and that new board members are very much needed. Because of limited resources, fundraisers are becoming more difficult to organize, she said.

This year, the library did not hold its annual golf tournament, formerly a major fundraiser, because there were not enough people to run it, she said.

Robinson asked the Township Committee to consider increasing its financial support for the library’s operating expenses and to help fund possible donors for its endowment fund. She also requested ideas for obtaining help with the roof repairs.

Committeeman Stephen Alexander suggested that Robinson contact the new Upper Freehold Regional Education Foundation (UFREF) for assistance with fundraising.

Mayor Stephen Fleischacker said that Robinson should give her presentation to the school’s PTO, as well as to groups such as the Scenic Byway/

Visions Committee or residents of the Four Seasons active-adult community.

For more information about the library, contact Roxanne Robinson at (609) 259-5039.