With Closures a Thing of the Past, Checkouts Rise at Ridgewood Library

The Ridgewood Village's council's $100,000 allocation to the library for 2012-2013 has paid off in a big way, library officials claim.

"In July, 2,800 more childrens and young adult books were checked out than last year," Ridgewood Public Library Director Nancy Greene said. "It's because we ."

Greene said the figure represented about a ten percent increase, in line with past years where no closings were experienced.

The library closed for nine Sundays and three Fridays last budget year. Fearing the same would happen in 2012, Greene and library members said that during the summer months the library is the primary educator for students and closures would hurt education in town.

But , village administrators and officials were tasked with finding ways to either significantly increase revenue or again make cuts.

The initial 2012 village budget called for the library to receive the lowest amount of funding allowed by state law, at .

Statuatorially, library funding is largely determined by property values. If the assessed value on property in town lowers, the municipality's funding requirements drop as well.

Library officials asked for $133,020 above the minimum funding level allowed in 2012, and wound up receiving $100,000. The sum allowed the library to remain open through the year.

The library board of directors also outsourced its custodial staff, saving several hundred thousand annually. Greene reported Wednesday there have been no issues with the employees from The Castlerock Group, based out of Morris County.

rose 3.78 percent, or an average of $128 per resident.

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