Camden library board postpones decision on closing branch

The Camden library board, at the request of the mayor's office, postponed a decision Wednesday on whether to close one of its two remaining branches.

Mayor Dana L. Redd's office asked for the delay as the city negotiates to join the Camden County Library System.

A third branch, in the Fairview section, is scheduled to close on Tuesday due to budget cuts.

The delay puts pressure on the county and the mayor's office to come to a deal quickly as the Camden Free Public Library runs through the last of its funds. Library officials had said they had enough money to keep the downtown and Centerville branches open through November.

But at Wednesday's board meeting, City Attorney Marc Riondino committed to providing the $389,000 the city is required to allocate to the library by the state, enough to keep the two branches open through Jan. 19, said Board President Martin McKernan.

"The goal of the city is to keep both branches open," Riondino said. "I don't think we need to decide right now if we're going to close another branch. We're in the middle of negotiations, and if we take actions now, that could impact those negotiations."

At Wednesday's meeting, board members peppered Riondino with questions about when they would get the money owed to them and whether they could be involved in the negotiations.

"Is someone going to tell us what proposals are being made?" asked McKernan. "We know nothing."

The possibility that a U.S. city of about 80,000 people could no longer have a public library has garnered national attention.

A handful of Camden residents went to the noon meeting to express frustration. Most were regulars at the downtown branch and said they could not understand why projects along Camden's waterfront had been funded while the downtown library had been allowed to fall into disrepair.

"There seems to be plenty of money going to the waterfront projects. Instead of going to the suits, it needs to go to the people," said Bill Hatcher, who plays chess at the downtown library.

Camden has cut its funding to its libraries from $930,000 last year to $389,000 this year, after the city's state funding was reduced. Redd's administration is working to cut a $28 million budget deficit that is expected to radically scale back public services and police protection in the struggling city.

Many Camden residents rely on the library for Internet access, and closing branches is painful, "especially in these economic times," said Bob Sorentino, senior librarian.

The library system received more than 150,000 visits last year and employs 21 people.

"So much of our traffic is people filling out job applications online," he said.

What shape a merger between the county and city library systems would take remains hazy, with questions including whether both branches would remain open and what financial commitment the city would need to make to the county.

"I really don't know what it's going to be at the end of the day," Riondino said.

The Camden County Library Commission declined to comment, citing the need to wait until it had all the information from the city, said county spokeswoman Joyce Gabriel.