From the Desk of Library Director Dale Spindel

Nothing has been sadder for me during these past three months than the fact that the library remains closed, even as the school year moves on and the end of 2021 approaches.    Speaking for the staff, I want to say that we all miss you, our patrons, and can’t wait for the library to be completely remediated so that we can once again open our doors to you.   We also know that the temporary closing of our library has been not only an inconvenience, but also an ongoing frustration, and for that we are sorry.

We are thankful that only a very small number of our books were directly affected either by direct contact with flood water or by subsequent mold growth.  Unfortunately, mold is present virtually throughout the library on the lower portion of the sheetrocked walls.     The  situation is  complicated for us  by the fact that prior to the removal of the damaged sheetrock, all of the library’s books will first need to be removed from the shelves and then all of  the shelving units will also need to be taken apart and taken down.    The remediation process will need to be done in stages and the logistics of getting each of these stages properly scheduled is truly daunting.   I am in regular contact with Township Administrator John Bussiculo, Township Engineer Michael Disko, Township Public Works Department Head Robert Boettcher and Township Committee member Chris Capodice, who serves as Mayor Chris Weber’s representative to the Library Board, in order to track their progress in bringing on board the outside contractors that are needed to get the work done.

I know that many of you continue to have at home  items from the library that were checked out prior to the flood,  and the best way to help  us right now is  to  continue to hold on to them.   However, if you are holding on to items that belong to other libraries or if you are dealing with extenuating circumstances such as an upcoming move out of the area, please reach out to me at [email protected] and I will work with you to arrange a time and date when you can return your materials directly into the hands of a member of our staff.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and library staff, I want to wish everyone a very happy and healthy holiday season.  We all look forward to welcoming you safely back inside our wonderful library when all of the necessary work has been completed.

Dale Spindel

Library Director