Friends of the Edison Public Library

Come and celebrate the history of the Clara Barton area of Edison at the Clara Barton Branch Library!

Saturday, July 17, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 141 Hoover Avenue (corner of Hoover & Pleasant – Directions & Map)

• Enjoy a 30-minute interactive presentation at 10:30am and 1:00pm Given by Walter Stochel of the Metuchen-Edison Historical Society.
• Browse old photos of the area, local homes and landmarks!
• Discover our history through maps, displays and other memorabilia!
• Members of the Metuchen-Edison Historical Society will be there to answer questions & share stories!
• Parents can relax and participate in the program while children are engaged in supervised activities!

Bring Your Own History!
Dig out those old photos and come over with a friend!

A FREE event sponsored by Friends of the Edison Library, Metuchen-Edison Historical Society and Clara Barton Library Supporters
Please contact us for more information.

Clara Barton Library will be OPEN FOR BUSINESS from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on this Saturday! Check out a book while you’re there!

The Friends of the Edison Public Library holds its monthly board meeting in the large meeting room of the Edison Main Library on Plainfield Ave., Edison, NJ

Meeting starts at 7pm ET.

This is an open meeting. All members or prospective members welcome. We would welcome some fresh ideas with open arms!

Contact foledisonnj@gmail.com or call 732-738-4586 for more details.

Note: This will be the last meeting before our Summer hiatus. There will be no meeting in July or August. Meetings will resume in September.

On Thursday, June 17 at 7pm, award-winning author Chris Grabenstein will be coming to the North Edison Branch Library to talk about his personal background, his writing experiences, and his novels. Grabenstein is the author of screenplays, made-for-TV movies, Muppet scripts and has written the Christopher Miller Holiday thrillers and a series of ghost stories for middle grade readers. But he is perhaps best-known for his six John Ceepak mysteries which are set “Down the Shore” in a New Jersey tourist town called Sea Haven.

His most recent Ceepak mystery is Rolling Thunder, which was published in May. With Grabenstein’s background in improvisational comedy, his program is sure to be entertaining. Seating is limited for this free program which is sponsored by The Friends, so please reserve your seat by calling 732-548-3045, ext. 1, sign up at the circulation desk, or online at http://www.lmxac.org/edisonlib, click on Programs and Displays.

While stocks last, we’ll be selling copies of Rolling Thunder at the program, but you can get your copy right now from the Store page of our website. The price is $25, the cover price of the hardcover book, but we’ll pay the postage for you. All profits will go to Friends of the Edison Public Library.

If you haven’t booked your seat yet, don’t forget that this Wednesday evening at 7pm, Paul Israel presents his free program, Thomas Edison: The Menlo Park Years at Main Library, 340 Plainfield Ave. Paul is an authority on our most famous resident, and an engaging speaker. There are still some seats left; reserve yours by calling 732-287-2298, ext. 1, sign up at the circulation desk or on-line at http://www.lmxac.org/edisonlib, click on Programs and Displays. For more details see the earlier story on this page.

On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, Rick Busciglio will present his lecture on The Greatest Generation at 2pm. at the North Edison branch, 777 Grove Ave., Edison, NJ. Rick, a former broadcast executive, radio disk jockey, and television presenter, will involve his audience with his detailed stories and include anecdotes of the many famous people he worked with, or met, in his 45 year broadcast career.

The audio-visual presentation, including original recordings of the music of the era and numerous photos, recalls that period in American society between 1911 and 1953 and salutes the people who came of age during the Great Depression. It focuses on those who fought and won World War II and came home to build America.

The program is free, but advance registration is required for this Friends of the Edison Library sponsored program. Reserve your seat by calling 732-548-3045, ext. 1, going to the library’s website at http://www.lmxac.org/edisonlib and clicking on Programs and Displays, or signing up at the circulation desk.

You will probably know, either from reading it here on this website, or from the local media, that an announcement was made recently by the Library Board of Trustees that the Clara Barton Branch Library would be closed as of June 30th.

A Town Hall meeting regarding the announcement was well attended by people from the Clara Barton area of Edison, many of whom were angry and upset about the closure. Edison’s Mayor Antonia Ricigliano proposed that the Library Board of Trustees meet with her to see if there was anything that could be done. That meeting was this week, as were a number of other meetings on the subject.

The Township Council have reallocated $100,000 from elsewhere in its budget so that the branch may stay open at least until the end of the year, to allow for time to explore the options. A task-force is being put together to look for ways to raise the necessary funds to keep the library open. Permission is also being sought to use around $70,000 that remains from a neighborhood preservation grant made to the area.

Friends of the Library President, Graham Gudgin, and Treasurer, Becky Gudgin were asked to speak at a community meeting held on Thursday in Clara Barton. They explained what The Friends of the Edison Public Library does and its relationship with the library. They also invited people from the area to join The Friends.

Friends of the Edison Public Library have offered our assistance to both the Library and the community group, as long as it falls within the scope of our organization.

Things are looking a little more hopeful for the branch library – we wish everyone involved much success with their efforts to keep it open.

Here are two recent local news stories on the subject:

Edison’s Clara Barton Branch Library gets a reprieve — for now – NJ.Com (Star Ledger)

Edison library branch gets reprieve from closing – MyCentralJersey.com (Home News Tribune)

Don’t miss this chance to find out more about Edison Township’s most famous citizen! Dr. Paul Israel, Director and Editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, will present insights into Thomas Alva Edison’s life and work at his Menlo Park laboratory. This free program is sponsored by The Friends of the Edison Public Library and The Edison Memorial Tower Corporation and will take place on Wednesday, May 26 at 7pm at Edison Main Library, 340 Plainfield Avenue.

Seating is limited. Reserve your seat by calling 732-287-2298, ext. 1, sign up at the circulation desk or on-line at www.lmxac.org/edisonlib, click on Programs and Displays.

In addition to serving as Director and Editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers University, Dr. Israel is Chairperson of the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation. He has delivered numerous professional papers and public presentations on Edison’s career and on the subjects of invention and innovation. Dr. Israel is author of Edison: A Life of Invention (John Wiley & Sons, 1998), winner of the 2000 Dexter Prize of the Society for the History of Technology. His other books are From Machine Shop to Industrial Laboratory: Telegraphy and the Changing Context of American Invention, 1830-1920 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992) and Edison’s Electric Light: Biography of an Invention (Rutgers University Press, 1986) with co-author Robert Friedel.

In the original version of the previous post, we mistakenly put in the heading that the meeting was 4/4. We apologize for the error. The meeting will take place this Tuesday, May 4.

A Town Hall meeting to discuss the closing of the Clara Barton Branch Library will be held on Tuesday, May 4 at 6:30 pm. Mayor Toni Ricigliano, Director Judith Mansbach and the members of the Edison Library Board of Trustees will be available for questions and answers. The meeting is open to the public, and will be held in the Council Chambers of the Edison Municipal Complex at 100 Municipal Boulevard, Edison, NJ.

More details about the Clara Barton Branch closure can be found in our earlier post.

The Friends of the Edison Public Library holds its monthly board meeting in the large meeting room of the Edison Main Library on Plainfield Ave., Edison, NJ

Meeting starts at 7pm ET.

This is an open meeting. All members or prospective members welcome. We would welcome some fresh ideas with open arms!

Contact foledisonnj@gmail.com or call 732-738-4586 for more details.

We received some sad news today. The Clara Barton Branch Library will be closing June 30, the victim of a tough economy and budget cuts. This wonderful neighborhood branch has been serving patrons since 1980, and was recently refurbished. More details below.

At this time, Edison Public Library needs The Friends of the Edison Public Library more than ever, and The Friends need your help. We need you to support us financially and we need you to get actively involved. If you are not currently a member, please consider joining us. You’ll find forms in library branches or by clicking on the Membership link at the top of each page on our website. If you are renewing your membership, please consider joining at a higher level. Support our programs and events. When a program is sponsored by The Friends, you’ll usually find a donation jar – every little helps. There are also donation jars at all the libraries. Purchase some books from the Friends’ Bookshelf at Main Library or something from our online store; you’ll find the link at the top of each page on our website. If you can spare a little time, please come to one of our meetings (they are usually held the first Wednesday evening of every month); we need your input. Spread the word among your friends and family.

Here’s the full story about the Clara Barton Branch closure:

Edison’s Clara Barton Branch Library Will Close its Doors on June 30.

The Clara Barton Branch Library, part of the Edison Public Library system since 1980, will be closing its doors on June 30, 2010. The library, located at 141 Hoover Avenue, served the Clara Barton section of Edison Township. Judith Mansbach, Director of the Edison Public Library said “the economy and budget have played a major role in coming to this decision. The Edison Library Board took an honest and realistic approach when looking at the multiple factors which affected this decision.” The Edison Main Library, 340 Plainfield Avenue and the North Edison Branch Library, 777 Grove Avenue will absorb the additional personnel and the 2 existing libraries will continue serving the entire community.

A Town Hall meeting to discuss the closing of the Clara Barton Branch Library will be held on Tuesday, May 4 at 6:30 pm. Mayor Toni Ricigliano, Director Judith Mansbach and the members of the Edison Library Board of Trustees will be available for questions and answers. The meeting is open to the public, and will be held in the Council Chambers of the Edison Municipal Complex at 100 Municipal Boulevard, Edison, NJ.

This is not an isolated incident. In light of New Jersey’s budget cuts, libraries across the state are experiencing severe cuts in money and services. The state budget proposal for July 1, 2010 calls for a 74% cut in funding for statewide library services. Libraries in NJ will lose $3M in state aid. 250 of the state’s 302 libraries will lose access to the Internet and 124 libraries will lose their websites or access to them. These cuts, in addition to various services will start on July 1.