The South Brunswick Public Library reopened its doors to the public on November 7th 2005, after the expansion was complete.

Two documents were created which summarized the need and the request for expansion:

• Expansion Project - PowerPoint document (12.8 megs)
• Expansion Project - PDF document (1.5 megs)

Why Did We Need An Expansion?

The South Brunswick Public Library was founded in 1956 serving a population of 13,000. It did a fine job of serving that size population with the information tools available at that time. By 1990, the town had doubled to 25,790; and the latest 2000 census figures show over 37,734 residents in the Township. South Brunswick Township continues to expand due to existing room for development but also because of a solid area reputation for good schools and good libraries. In fact, Middlesex County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state of NJ, and South Brunswick is one of the fastest growing communities in the County. In just nine years – by 2010 – nearly 40,000 residents should swell South Brunswick’s borders with a population of 45,661 in 2020, according to the Middlesex County Planning Board’s latest projections.

Located between the major cities of New York City and Philadelphia, in southern Middlesex County, the Township covers a broad 42 sq. miles. Two major universities, Princeton and Rutgers, are within easy reach, and the demands of high tech multinational corporations which reside in the area boost the educational levels of the residents. Over 80% of the adults are college educated, and comprise an amazingly diverse ethnic population. Many of our new residents have experienced good library services in their former communities and have come to expect and demand good service in South Brunswick.

One major reason for growth has come from the Children’s area. Of the 7,000 new residents these past five years, 2288 have been births. No longer a transient bedroom community, South Brunswick is where people of a broad ethnic spectrum are opting to raise their families. Just last year, over 1200 children signed up for the children’s Summer Reading Program, and currently all our programs, particularly the Mother Goose Parent & child sessions, are over-subscribed and have waiting lists.

Those children have been growing quickly into Teenagers. South Brunswick recently built a much-enlarged high school, and is in the process of enlarging the Middle School and adding new elementary schools.

Those students flock to the public library on a daily basis, not only during the school months, but summers and holidays find them gathering here as one of the few town centers spots they can come to meet their friends. This new generation of teens grew up with good library service here and has asked for more room for their activities.

Traditional services continue to explode. The Library has made every effort to expand its collections to reflect the needs of this growing population. Ten years ago we had a collection of 95,000 items; we now have over 140,000 items available to the public. The more we have, the more our public demands. Record-breaking circulation figures follow year after year – every 1.7 seconds a patron stands in lines and check out a book. Thousands of new books are published each year, and our patrons demand that we continue to keep up. Ten years ago we did not have CD’s, or CD-ROMS, public computers, or Books on Tape. Many materials now come in a greater diversity of formats: microforms, CD-ROMS, videos, DVD’s, virtual magazines and E-books, and audiocassettes to name a few. New formats demand new equipment, and individual cataloging, and preparations for keeping track and circulating, and we need more space in which to house them.

The South Brunswick population dictates the kinds of highly technologically advanced services of one who knows how to use them and what else they need to improve their lives. Our residents are exceedingly demanding and now want more space to work on the public computers, and more computers to use.

Men, women, and children of all ages made more than 248,000 visits to the library. Some came to check out materials, or use them in-house. Others came for library programs ranging from author talks to tax seminars. And many thousands found answers to pressing questions. Meeting room space is at a premium, as we’ve had to turn down numerous groups wanting to use our facilities. On Sundays, the reading room is already over crammed - every seat taken, and small groups of students must typically find study space on the floor. More seating capacity is needed already.

We are also founding members of the Middlesex County Literacy Volunteers and spearheaded a publisher award program for literacy efforts. We currently support two conversation groups, a number of tutor/student pairs, and a strong collection of materials for new adult readers. Currently, few students & tutors can find space. We have pledged our support to our community’s newly reading residents. We owe them the space to learn.

Our world language collections also continue to support literacy efforts for our new immigrant population. We recently received special grant funds to bolster our collections in other languages. Arabic, Urdu, Chinese, and Spanish language materials in varying formats have all been added. Our latest grant application was for materials in Russian and Hindi. South Brunswick is a township of immigrants who truly treasures their heritage. We must respond to their needs. Special equipment is needed to house these collections, and more space is needed for access to this equipment.