Glen Ridge Library to Rewrite Lost-Item Fee Policy After Regional Billing Change

The Glen Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees will need to rewrite part of its Fine Free Policy after the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS), the regional network that lets the library share materials with other libraries, changed its billing rules. The library can no longer charge patrons a $5 "lost and found" fee for items returned after their billing date, and the director expects to bring an updated policy to the Board's March 2026 meeting.

At the meeting held February 11, 2026, trustees also voted 8-0, with member Damein Phoenix absent, to approve a revised Computer Use Policy barring patrons from occupying a computer seat unless they are actively using it or no other seats are open. The Board separately approved, also 8-0, spending up to $3,250 with Sander Mechanical to replace two heating and cooling actuators before the building's system switches into summer cooling mode, and up to $2,750 with Electrical Contracting, LLC to swap old fluorescent lighting for LED fixtures in third-floor staff offices, the children's area, and the Borough walkway, paid for with a Library Construction Bond Act (LCBA) grant. Trustees also approved $1,498 for a one-year subscription to Library Chef, an online live cooking class service that includes a monthly "Spice Club," with spices to be bulk-purchased from the adult programming budget.

The director reported that money set aside from the LCBA grant for acoustic shades may instead go toward a different noise solution recommended by the library's contractor, still being evaluated, and a Board committee will need to pick an option before the grant funding deadline. Staff health insurance will shift to a new provider effective March 1, 2026, mainly changing prescription drug coverage; although the outgoing insurer sent cancellation notices to Borough retirees, no library staff were affected. The director also reported hiring one new substitute after interviewing six candidates, with a second job offer pending, and said a Wi-Fi outage caused by a power reset has been fixed.

On finances, the Board approved January's bills totaling $148,949.15, covering the Borough appropriation, the BCCLS annual subscription and book delivery fees, routine HVAC maintenance, and grant-funded lighting work. The Treasurer reported $358,591 held in the state's Cash Management Fund. Library staff also arranged with book distributor Ingram to split deliveries and invoices into separate adult and children/young-adult accounts to fix past delivery complaints. The library separately paid $722 for a January HVAC service call after a unit was found blowing cold air, $3,200 for LED lighting upgrades in the Young Adult area, $773.65 for a trustee dinner, and $537 for flights to a library convention in Minneapolis, along with a $35 travel refund. The library also recorded $49,472.20 received from the LCBA grant.

Separately, the director said the Historical Preservation Committee flagged restrictions tied to the building's historic designation that affect a planned exterior signage project; she will seek a contractor quote and look into possible funding support from the Friends of the Library. The Friends group has formed a sub-committee, including the director, to find a new investment adviser for its accounts, and is discussing creating a scholarship for library staff or a student studying to become a librarian. The director also said she will attend the New Jersey Library Association conference in Atlantic City and sit on a panel about the availability of sanitary products for women.

No members of the public offered comment, and the meeting adjourned at 8:59 p.m. on a motion by Jeanna Velechko, seconded by Edward Kastenmeier, with all present trustees voting yes.

What to watch

• An updated Fine Free Policy addressing the lost-item fee change is expected at the Board's March 2026 meeting.
• The library's annual audit begins February 23, with a draft report expected at the Board's May meeting.
• A Board committee must still settle on an alternative to acoustic shades before LCBA grant funds must be spent, and the Friends have upcoming presentations from prospective investment advisers.