It's up to Gov. Chris Christie to decide the future of public libraries in the Garden State by bringing buildings and technology up to 21st Century standards and assuring that these cornerstones of democracy continue to flourish.
In cities large and small, in rural outposts and amid suburban sprawl, public libraries often serve as the nucleus for thriving neighborhoods.
They are where new moms gather to connect with one another over story times for baby, where otherwise isolated elderly people make new friends, where teens gather after school in safe places.
They are a resource for underserved populations - the disabled, members of the LGBT community - and they provide important tools for small business owners who might otherwise struggle to survive.
Now it's up to Gov. Chris Christie to decide the future of public libraries in the Garden State by bringing buildings and technology up to 21st Century standards and assuring that these cornerstones of democracy continue to flourish.
The state Legislature has sent the governor a bill seeking to put a ballot question before the voters in November, authorizing the state to borrow $125 million to help fund projects at local libraries.
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Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association, testified before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee last week that the funds the proposed bond sale would raise are desperately needed.
Outdated technology and inadequate infrastructure plague many of the state's libraries. A recent survey indicated that more than 50 percent of them would need to expand to keep up with growing demands.
Especially with so many of our residents grappling with unemployment and under-employment, libraries must offer state-of-the art computer technology to help job-seekers compete.
The bond sale would raise revenues to provide grants for the construction, expansion and equipping of the state's public libraries. The measure calls for the state librarian to work with Thomas Edison College to develop eligibility requirements and to formulate a list of qualified projects.
The bond sale's revenues would fund half of a project's cost, with the other half coming from either local or private sources.
In a state already drowning in debt, as the bill's opponents charge, can we afford to enter into a cycle of even more spending and borrowing?
A better question is, Can we afford not to?
As Tumulty pointed out, the measure would be a boon for construction companies, as well as for small businesses that provide items such as flooring and rugs - not to mention computers.
More than 43 million New Jersey residents visited their local libraries in 2015, propelled by a kaleidoscope of reasons, from borrowing books to learning to new skills, from searching for a job to researching the latest drug therapies.
These people, and their neighbors, should have the chance to weigh in on their libraries' futures. That will happen only if Gov. Christie approves the bill on his desk.
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