Friends of the
Plumsted Township Library
Historical Notes
Ocean County Library
Friends Home Page
New Egypt Library Historical Notes
Honor A Veteran
Friends of the Library Happenings
This dynamic group organized one fund-raising event after another. The door-to-door membership drive earned over two thousand new "friends" that first year. The Walkathon and Splash Party at Hanover Country Club benefited the library financially and created interest in its development.
Town officials agreed to share the municipal building with the library. Volunteers donated labor, books, shelves and a desk, and the County Library supplied periodicals, books and staff.
Barbara Simon was appointed to manage the library as a branch of the County Library system. Accommodations, although adequate at first, quickly were outgrown and it became necessary to seek larger quarters. Two store fronts on Main Street were rented and renovated; the library moved In on September 10, 1975. Sherman Howard became Branch Librarian in May, 1976.
The Friends group continued searching for permanent facilities When Bell Telephone vacated its quarters on Evergreen Road the Friends purchased the building for $31,000 at public auction.
The third grand opening in seven years was held on March 22, 1981. The remaining goals included refurbishing all parts of the building to provide a children's section and a meeting area.
Throughout the 1980's, the Friends continued to develop the facility by enlarging the parking lot, adding a small room for a children's area and purchasing a micro-computer for public and staff use. The Library was open 36 hours a week, and the collection had grown to more than 10,000 volumes. Many nearby Burlington County residents were using this facility through a reciprocal borrowing agreement between the two county libraries.
In November, 1990, the Friends leased the building to the Ocean County Library Commission. Under this contract, the Ocean County Library assumed maintenance and operating costs, in addition to providing personnel and materials. A part-time Children's Librarian had been added to the staff to meet the needs of the increasing group of library users. The on-going support of the Friends was evident in building refurbishing and additions to the collection, which exceeded 16,000 items.
The latest Chapter of the Plumsted Branch was begun on April 20, 1998 when ground was broken for a new library building on Evergreen Road. Then on Saturday March 13, 1999 the Ocean County Library, the Friends and the people of New Egypt celebrated the dedication and grand opening of a new 6,000 square foot building.
 Plumsted Mayor Ron Dancer hands "Friends of the Library" President Joyce Cini payment for the old Evergreen Road library site. |