By Liz Sheehan
LONG BRANCH – As the Long Branch Free Public Library celebrates its 100th year, it has added a new service: doorstop delivery of books and other library materials to residents who are confined to their homes for medical reasons.
“I see it as an important service,” said library staff member Kate Angelo. “Homebound people are part of the community.”
Angelo, who now holds a Master’s of Library and Information Science from Rutgers University, said the new idea got a kick start when the library received a grant from the New Jersey Foundation for Aging in honor of one of the group’s trustees, Renee Sklaw, a lifelong resident and avid reader who frequented the library until she was homebound. Sklaw died in 2015. The grant opened a door.
“That’s when we got the motivation,” she said.
To qualify, patrons must have a library card or be able to present “an appropriate identification” in order to obtain a card.
The city of Long Branch will provide the vehicle and fuel for the deliveries, and Angelo will make the deliveries with another staff member. There are several senior housing complexes in the city which would likely use the service, she said.
Patrons can choose their own subjects by email or telephone. If they are unsure, the library staff can use a reader’s profile to learn the patron’s preferences and peeves in order to make recommendations. Every kind of circulating library material will be available, except for new DVDs.
The Middletown Township Library also offers a homebound service program, with volunteers visiting residents’ homes with registration applications and books. Those interested in the program can go to the township library’s website or call 732-671-3700 for more information.
The Long Branch library centennial is being celebrated this year. It was incorporated in 1916 and received a Carnegie Grant for $30,000 in 1917. The grant was used to construct the building at 328 Broadway which still serves as the main branch of the library, which has another branch in Elberon.
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American philanthropist and businessman who financed the building of 1,689 libraries in the United States as well as many others in other countries, including Ireland, England and Canada.
There were 37 library buildings built in New Jersey with Carnegie grants, with 17 still remaining. In Monmouth County, in addition to Long Branch, Avon, Belmar and Freehold continue to use the Carnegie-funded buildings.
For information on the program contact Kate Angelo at 732-222-3900, ext. 2270 or kangelo.lbpl@gmail.com.
