Willingboro Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Willingboro Public Library (WPL), located in Willingboro Township, New Jersey
, is the municipal public library for the community of 36,500. It first opened in 1960 and operates independently from the Burlington County
Library System. Before 2003, the library was housed in the township’s municipal building on Salem Road. The current library building is 42000 square feet (3,901.9 m²) and is an anchor for the new Willingboro Town Center on Route 130
.
creation in Willingboro in 1958, residents started a grassroots effort to create a new public library for their rapidly-growing community. The Levittown Civic Association created a committee headed by Catherine Costa to help create a library. The new library's first home was in the basement of St. Paul’s Methodist
Church on Levitt Parkway. The first books came from the new residents themselves. The Women's Club of Levittown, which disbanded in 2009, conducted a door to door search collecting 2,500 books for the new library. Even Levitt & Sons
contributed to the new library by donating $500 to purchase dictionaries and other reference books.
By December 1959, the Levittown Library Association adopted its new by-laws. On January 13, 1960, the Association was legally incorporated. By April 1960, the library moved from the basement of St. Paul’s and opened at the Municipal Building on July 12. On November 8, 1960, the new residents of Levittown passed a referendum that the library would be funded by township taxpayers. For its first four years, the library had a part-time director, Frederick R. Hartz. In 1964, Maurice S. Goldman became the first full-time director serving until his retirement in 1995.
The Municipal Building remained the library’s home for over 40 years, except for a brief period in the mid-60s. In December 1964, a fire forced the library to find temporary headquarters at the Willingboro Plaza
. The library reopened at the new Municipal Building in February 1968 with a 10250 sq ft (952.3 m²). facility; enough space for 42,400 books.
director Christine H. King took her position in 1997 and oversaw the development and construction of a new, state-of-the-art library that opened in October 2003. Named an American Institute of Architects
Top Ten Green Project, the new library building is a 70% new construction, 30% renovation of the 1959 Woolworth’s building on Route 130
. The library has also won a Green Building Award from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and a Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Greening Community Award.
The new library features 30 public access computer
s, including a computer training center; multiple large and small meeting rooms; a café; an exhibit room and children’s reading garden. The library also contains a local history collection for Willingboro
. The library also provides local programs for the general public, from free computer classes to cultural events.
recommended that the township merge its independent municipal library with the Burlington County Library System. The proposal was rejected, but out of this discussion, the Friends of the Library was born in March 1996. The Friends, now with over 100 members, raises funds to supplement the library’s services.
The library remains independent from the Burlington County Library system; one of three independent municipal libraries in Burlington County. The other two are Mt. Laurel
and Moorestown
.
residents or non-resident property owners. It is also free to individuals who work in Willingboro Township. Membership is also free for one year to active duty military personnel. Area residents who don’t live in Willingboro can apply for free Internet
-Only Cards. Non-residents can pay $25 a year for borrowing privileges; senior non-residents pay $5.
The library is also connected with the Willingboro Campus of the Burlington County College
at the Town Center. Students at BCC are entitled to a free library membership for one year.
s, 2,528 CDs
and access to over 7,000 magazines. It also can order items for customers as a free service.
Willingboro Township, New Jersey
Willingboro is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 31,629....
, is the municipal public library for the community of 36,500. It first opened in 1960 and operates independently from the Burlington County
Burlington County, New Jersey
There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...
Library System. Before 2003, the library was housed in the township’s municipal building on Salem Road. The current library building is 42000 square feet (3,901.9 m²) and is an anchor for the new Willingboro Town Center on Route 130
U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130 is a north–south U.S. Highway completely within the state of New Jersey. It runs from Interstate 295 and US 40 at Deepwater in Pennsville Township, Salem County, where the road continues east as Route 49, north to US 1 in North Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, where...
.
History
Within a year of Levittown’sLevittown
Levittown is the name of four large suburban developments created in the United States of America by William Levitt and his company Levitt & Sons...
creation in Willingboro in 1958, residents started a grassroots effort to create a new public library for their rapidly-growing community. The Levittown Civic Association created a committee headed by Catherine Costa to help create a library. The new library's first home was in the basement of St. Paul’s Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
Church on Levitt Parkway. The first books came from the new residents themselves. The Women's Club of Levittown, which disbanded in 2009, conducted a door to door search collecting 2,500 books for the new library. Even Levitt & Sons
William Levitt
William Jaird Levitt was an American real-estate developer widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia. He came to symbolize the new suburban growth with his use of mass-production techniques to construct large developments of houses selling for under $10,000...
contributed to the new library by donating $500 to purchase dictionaries and other reference books.
By December 1959, the Levittown Library Association adopted its new by-laws. On January 13, 1960, the Association was legally incorporated. By April 1960, the library moved from the basement of St. Paul’s and opened at the Municipal Building on July 12. On November 8, 1960, the new residents of Levittown passed a referendum that the library would be funded by township taxpayers. For its first four years, the library had a part-time director, Frederick R. Hartz. In 1964, Maurice S. Goldman became the first full-time director serving until his retirement in 1995.
The Municipal Building remained the library’s home for over 40 years, except for a brief period in the mid-60s. In December 1964, a fire forced the library to find temporary headquarters at the Willingboro Plaza
Shopping malls in New Jersey
Shopping malls in New Jersey have played a major role in shaping the suburban landscape of the state following World War II.-History:New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the United States, and in the suburban sphere of influence of both New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a...
. The library reopened at the new Municipal Building in February 1968 with a 10250 sq ft (952.3 m²). facility; enough space for 42,400 books.
New Facility
Overcrowding had been a perennial problem at the Municipal Building library since the early ‘70s. Current libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
director Christine H. King took her position in 1997 and oversaw the development and construction of a new, state-of-the-art library that opened in October 2003. Named an American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
Top Ten Green Project, the new library building is a 70% new construction, 30% renovation of the 1959 Woolworth’s building on Route 130
U.S. Route 130
U.S. Route 130 is a north–south U.S. Highway completely within the state of New Jersey. It runs from Interstate 295 and US 40 at Deepwater in Pennsville Township, Salem County, where the road continues east as Route 49, north to US 1 in North Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, where...
. The library has also won a Green Building Award from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and a Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is a nonprofit organization that promotes horticulture-related events and community activities. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
Greening Community Award.
The new library features 30 public access computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s, including a computer training center; multiple large and small meeting rooms; a café; an exhibit room and children’s reading garden. The library also contains a local history collection for Willingboro
Willingboro Township, New Jersey
Willingboro is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 31,629....
. The library also provides local programs for the general public, from free computer classes to cultural events.
Friends of the Library
In the fall of 1995, a report from the administration of then-Gov. Christie WhitmanChristine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...
recommended that the township merge its independent municipal library with the Burlington County Library System. The proposal was rejected, but out of this discussion, the Friends of the Library was born in March 1996. The Friends, now with over 100 members, raises funds to supplement the library’s services.
Library Board
The Willingboro Public Library is overseen by a seven-member library board composed of members of the community. Five members are appointed by the Mayor. The remaining two include a representative of the superintendent of schools and a representative of the township manager. Each serves a five year term and may be re-appointed indefinitely. The current president is Harry W. Kendall, who has served in that position since 1989. Other members include Martha Hall (secretary), Delbert Payne (treasurer), Martha Hall, James Byrd, Ardeth Holder, Harry Rocco and Jill Cyrus.The library remains independent from the Burlington County Library system; one of three independent municipal libraries in Burlington County. The other two are Mt. Laurel
Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey
Mount Laurel Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, and is an edge city "suburb" of Philadelphia. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 40,221...
and Moorestown
Moorestown Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:At the 2000 census, there were 19,017 people, 6,971 households, and 5,270 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,287.3 per square mile . There were 7,211 housing units at an average density of 488.1 per square mile...
.
Membership
Membership is open to all WillingboroWillingboro Township, New Jersey
Willingboro is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 31,629....
residents or non-resident property owners. It is also free to individuals who work in Willingboro Township. Membership is also free for one year to active duty military personnel. Area residents who don’t live in Willingboro can apply for free Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-Only Cards. Non-residents can pay $25 a year for borrowing privileges; senior non-residents pay $5.
The library is also connected with the Willingboro Campus of the Burlington County College
Burlington County College
Burlington County College is an accredited, co-educational, two-year, public, community college located in Burlington County, New Jersey...
at the Town Center. Students at BCC are entitled to a free library membership for one year.
Statistics
In 2008, 164,852 people used the library, the most of any year in its 50 year history. 82% of Willingboro residents have active library cards. In August 2009, reference desks received their highest number of questions ever for a total of 1,949; breaking the previous record set in July 2008. The library has over 86,000 books,more than 3,900 DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, 2,528 CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and access to over 7,000 magazines. It also can order items for customers as a free service.