Update for Library Supporters

I found the following posted on the Middletown Township Library's website, it's a message from Library Director Susan O'Neal thanking those that came out to show support for the library during Wednesday night's Board of Trustees meeting.

What is most interesting about this, is her call for supporters to attend the next meeting of the Middletown Township Committee on Tuesday night, February 22nd in order to let the Township Committee know that the Library is special and any effort to dissolve the library or hand it over to the County library system would not be tolerated.

This should make for a very interesting meeting Tuesday night.



Greetings library supporters!

Thanks to the many of you who have written letters of support and/or attended the meeting of the Board of Trustees on Wednesday evening. It turned into a Town Hall type of event, with dozens of people taking their turn to speak.

The resolution of the giveback issue is that there will be a negotiation involving attorneys and administrators for both sides next week, and then the Township Committee and Library Board will each vote of acceptance of the agreement.

On this, I will keep you posted, particularly as the library board may decide to have a special meeting in early March for the express purpose of voting on a giveback of reserves.

Because the Township Committee meeting is next Tuesday at 8:00 p.m., I urge you to attend and let the TC know of your support for the library. In particular, we are fearful that the TC will proceed without public vote on dissolving the library and becoming a member of the Monmouth County Library. Unfortunately, as you may already know, public comments at the TC meetings are always at the end of their meeting. [L]

This threat now must be moved to center stage. There has been no proof presented of savings to Middletown taxpayers, and, in its own investigation, we have found out the possibility that costs might be more. Further, there is no evidence that the Monmouth Cty Library Commission or the Monmouth County Freeholders would vote to approve taking on the services to Middletown, and the prospect of doing so in a hostile environment may make it even less palatable.


On our website [mtpl.org] we are posting background information, budgets, reports, legislation and more. Not everything is there yet- but we’ve been asked for more info and we’re getting it up there as fast as possible. Our webmaster Megan is doing a great job trying to make this access as obvious and easy as possible for you to find. In addition, there’s a table in front of the borrower’s desk at Main with handouts of much of the same information. Next week I’ll have packets to go to the branch libraries with the same.

It’s been a rough week …………….. but it’s always you, our customers that make us smile!

Susan O'Neal, M.S.L.S.

Director