Glen Ridge Library Grapples With Water Problems as Board Approves Children's Office Upgrade, New Digital Services

The Glen Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees met on September 11, 2024, amid ongoing water problems at the building. Heavy rain caused water to seep into the first floor because of a high water table, forcing staff to run fans to dry the area and prompting an order for materials to absorb future moisture. The Children's Room and staff lounge have also been dealing with water infiltration from the same high water table, a problem currently being managed with extra dehumidifiers and fans; the Borough Administrator and the head of the Department of Public Works are aware of the situation.

The Board voted unanimously to spend up to $17,594 on a renovation of the Children's Office to add staff workspace and storage, working with a company called Creative Library Concepts. The project will be paid for using $12,594 left over from 2023 and up to $5,000 from the library's Building Fund, which will still have roughly $100,000 remaining afterward. Separately, the Board unanimously approved four updated library policies covering computer print job limits, fines and fees, rules for borrowed non-book items like equipment ("Library of Things"), and longer advance notice for booking study rooms.

A new neighbor at 244 Ridgewood Avenue has complained about noise coming from the library's heating and cooling (HVAC) system; the Glen Ridge Police Department's noise officer will check whether the noise meets town limits. During public comment, resident Kavita Kumar, also of 244 Ridgewood Avenue, raised the same HVAC noise concern, and the Board president said the complaint had been received and would be handled following normal Borough procedures. Bills paid included $4,825 to a contractor for HVAC maintenance work, which is relevant background to the noise complaint.

On the digital and reading front, the Board unanimously approved a $3,549 subscription to Freegal, a music streaming and download service, which will actually cost about $2,000 less per year than the library's previous similar subscription. The Board also approved $2,000 for two new reading recommendation services, Novelist Plus and Book Chat, the latter offering live staffed suggestions six days a week.

Other business included flooring replacement work, with the first-floor conference room already redone and second-floor flooring near the public computers still to come; Children's area stools are out being reupholstered, and new tables and chairs are on order. The library's 2023 financial audit, conducted by Garbarini & Co., came back with no problems found, and this was the last audit the firm will handle as the library's business manager moves to a new audit company. The library's Cash Management Fund held $371,000 in August and earned $1,700 in interest that month. The Friends of the Library announced a paper-shredding event for October 26 at Central School, ahead of the group's 8th Annual Town Wide Yard Sale, planned for September 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with 34 homes already registered. At the meeting's close, trustees Geoffrey Darby and Damein Phoenix were recorded as absent with no vote on the motion to adjourn, while all other trustees present voted yes.

What to watch

• The Strategic Planning Committee's community survey launchesaiming for 500 responses by the end of October.
• The library is awaiting drawings and cost quotes for acoustic engineering upgrades to the Young Adult area.
• The director is considering closing the library during upcoming second-floor carpet installation due to adhesive-smell complaints from prior flooring work.