Glen Ridge Library Board Weighs Grant Funds for Whiteboard, Acoustic Fixes as Federal Funding Uncertainty Looms

At its April 9, 2025 meeting, the Glen Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees discussed how to spend roughly $68,000 remaining in its improvement project budget, with plans to replace a cracked whiteboard in Room 3 and install curtains to address noise problems on the mezzanine level. Board member Dan Kopec had recommended against a window-based fix due to concerns about airflow.

Director Tina Marie Doody also updated the board on the dismantling of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, the agency that helps fund library programs nationwide. She said the move has created uncertainty for local libraries and grant funding, and that New Jersey has joined a lawsuit with 20 other states opposing the action. She also flagged concern that state databases and reading services for blind and dyslexic residents could be affected.

In other business, the board voted unanimously to spend $500 on an American Sign Language add-on called ASL Inside for the library's Mango Languages platform, following a positive two-week staff trial. The library has also begun a new partnership with Hackensack Hospital to bring community health services on-site, and Doody connected with the "Golden Circle" senior group coordinator to plan joint events after presenting library services to seniors at the train station. A "Books and Brews" event with Fitzgerald's restaurant is being planned for the Sidecar space later in the year, and separately, Doody is working with Paul Brewster to launch a monthly "Books & Brews" book club at the same venue starting in September.

The library has joined a beta test of a new room-reservation system called LibCal Spaces, costing $80 a year, which is cheaper than its current scheduling software and will show patrons room capacities; this is part of a wider 10-library pilot run by the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS) ahead of the expiration of its current booking software next year. Separately, intermittent network outages tied to BCCLS equipment are still being addressed; the library later learned the problem was caused by a faulty network controller that BCCLS plans to replace.

The Personnel Committee met on April 4th to review proposed revisions to the library's Personnel Manual but tabled further discussion until Trustee Tina Payne can attend. The Friends of the Library announced they will hold only one Shredding Day, on April 19th, rather than two, after a new $1,200 fee made a second date unprofitable; the group is also sponsoring a graphic novel author visit by Jay Cooper and plans to table at the Glen Ridge Eco Fair on May 17th. The board also received a note from the Bloomfield Historical Society congratulating Doody, who received a Community Service Award from the Suburban Essex Chamber of Commerce alongside Bloomfield Public Library Director Holli Belli and Belleville Interim Director Frances Bacardi, plus a certificate from Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill.

Trustee Geoffrey Darby abstained from the vote approving the March 12, 2025 meeting minutes, while all other members present voted in favor. The board also noted the 2024 financial audit is underway, with a draft expected for review at the May meeting. Treasurer David Lefkovits and Doody confirmed a prior issue with the Borough over health benefits payment coordination has been resolved, though the Borough separately billed the library an adjustment of $5,891.82 for January and February benefits on top of its regular March charge. Routine spending included $1,490 for HVAC controls repair, $66.45 for paint to touch up the Children's Department trim, and $428 for a point-of-sale upgrade. March's bills list totaled $48,393.96. The board also noted a patron had mistakenly paid Glen Ridge $35 for a lost book belonging to Elmwood Park Public Library, which was refunded.

The Children's Room will close starting Monday, April 14th, and reopen at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 17th, for renovation of the Children's Office. A planned teen wood-carving program was cancelled due to instructor illness, a financial literacy class for teens ran long, and a grades 3-6 program saw no attendees despite eight registrations, attributed to warm weather. The library's "Library of Things" tri-fold brochure has been replaced with a new club card, first distributed at Forest Avenue School, and the Reader Rewards punch card program saw 154 cards distributed, with three patrons completing the full challenge. The Strategic Planning Committee, meeting March 26th, identified Communication, Programming, Technology, and Community Outreach as its four goal areas and plans to share survey results with the Mayor and Board of Education President. The library is also working with the Environmental Advisory Committee on a Plant Swap Cart and exploring a screening of the film "Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics." A discrepancy was also noted in the printed adjournment vote tally, which omitted Aye marks for Trustees Tina Payne, Matt Doyle, and Damein Phoenix despite recording that all members voted aye.

What to watch

• The Personnel Committee will meet again to finalize proposed Personnel Manual revisions once Trustee Tina Payne is available.
• A draft of the 2024 financial audit is expected to be presented to the Finance Committee and full board at the May meeting.
• The Strategic Planning Committee plans to share survey result highlights with the Mayor and Board of Education President, on dates still to be coordinated.