Camden, NJ, libraries face shutdown threat

The fiscal crunch that has stressed state and local budgets across the country is hitting New Jersey's poorest city in the worst way possible: The Camden Free Public Library may have to close its three branches, lay off all 21 of its employees, and deaccession or destroy its collection if additional funding is not found by the end of the calendar year.

The city of Camden, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, faces a $28 million deficit in its 2011 operating budget due to cuts in state aid and an extremely weak property tax base. Mayor Dana Redd has ordered deep cuts in departmental budgets citywide, but the funding cut for the library -- its budget would be slashed by two-thirds under the mayor's proposal -- is so severe that the amount remaining is not enough to keep even one branch opening.

The state formula for funding local libraries requires the city to provide about $390,000 to the library this year. After informing the library board that only $282,000 was available, Mayor Redd has since stated that the city will be able to provide the state-mandated amount.

Camden city, county and library mull options to avoid total shutdown

With the threat of Camden's becoming the only U.S. city without a public library now looming, all of the parties with a stake in saving the library are considering their options. Frank Fulbrook, a member of the library board, has suggested that the city instead lay off one firefighter and one police officer to save enough money to keep the main library open. As the city council must approve the mayor's budget proposal, the possibility that this might happen exists.

The city library trustees are also talking with the Camden County library system about having it take over operation of one branch.

Should it come to that, closing and dissolving the Camden library system would be neither free, painless nor easy. The library has many valuable records and artifacts dating to the 1870s, some of which would likely need to be preserved at all costs; it would cost $11,000 a year, for instance, just to preserve its collection of newspapers on microfilm. In addition, since the library was established by a vote of the citizens of Camden on Nov. 4, 1903, another vote would be legally required to disband it. Otherwise, New Jersey assistant state librarian Victoria Rosch told The Philadelphia Inquirer, "the trustees by law have to take [the money they get from the city] and somehow provide library service."

The Camden Free Public Library's three branches see some 150,000 visitors each year in a city with a population of about 70,000. The original main library, built with a $100,000 gift from Andrew Carnegie and whose cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1904, lies in ruins just south of the downtown; the current main library is located near the Rutgers-Camden campus between downtown and the riverfront. Two other branches are located in the south central and extreme southern parts of the city.

According to the American Library Association, only one public library system in the country has completely ceased operations: the Hood River County Library in Oregon closed its single branch last year. A ballot question this fall may create a new funding mechanism to allow the library to reopen.

Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.