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Ocean County Library is a public Library system that serves 32 municipalities out of the 33 municipalities of Ocean County, New Jersey . Beach Haven on Long Beach Island is not a member municipality. The Headquarters branch is in Toms River . It also offers Outreach services to life care centers, Books by Mail and Home Borrowers services for the homebound, and a volunteer program. There are active Friends of the Library groups associated with individual branches. There are approximately 330,000 registered borrowers, and 265,000 bibliographic records in the catalog. Annual circulation was 4.5 million in 2006. All library locations have free wireless access to the Internet and internet terminals for public use. HISTORY The Ocean County Library opened its doors to the public on September 19, 1925. Its location was a small cottage, known as the Lonan Building, on the grounds of the County Courthouse. The service area encompassed 30 of the 33 county municipalities. Dover and Lakewood Townships, and Beach Haven Borough, having municipal libraries, were excluded. The cottage was open to the public one day a week, while a Model T panelled truck took library service to the rural portion of the 28,000 population by stopping at schools and “stations” which were located in post offices, stores and enclosed porches of private homes. During World War II, there was even a station at a Coast Guard Station. A Dover Township referendum vote in 1976 increased the Library's geographical service area to 31 municipalities. Bishop Memorial Library on Washington Street in Toms River became part of the Ocean County Library, but continued to serve Dover residents until both floors were converted to use by the Children's Services Department in 1978. Needing more space, the library was moved to temporary quarters in the Robbins Street Firehouse before moving to the East Wing of the Ocean County Courthouse in 1950. In 1962 the Library moved to 15 Hooper Avenue, a 7,400 square foot building that had been a gymnasium for St. Joseph's School, and is now the Ocean County Probation Office. From this location, the Library expanded into the "White House" on the corner of Hooper Avenue and Water Street and, in 1978, into the Bishop Building. On October 13, 1981, the Ocean County Library opened the doors of a 50,000 square foot building at 101 Washington Street, facing the County Courthouse. This building surrounded and included the former Presbyterian Church of Toms River as a meeting room. The church cornerstone was laid in 1853. The church moved to a new location in 1970 leaving the building empty. The building was purchased by Dover Township and was incorporated into the library in 1981. The church steeple was badly damaged over the years and was removed as part of the expansion of the Toms River Branch in 2005. The former church with a newly constructed steeple is now a coffee shop open during most library hours. [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ASBB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1191CACDF7F2F3C8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=11ECDBF131F44C689BB0EDBA11D99EE0 Freeholders dedicate library's new steeple Asbury Park Press (Neptune, NJ) May 12, 2007] The Bishop Building, named after the writer and adventurer Nathaniel Holmes Bishop, was re-dedicated in October, 1984 to house a non-circulating local history and research collection. On September 18,1997, a new computer training lab was dedicated in the Bishop Building. In 2006, all services formerly available in the Bishop Building were moved to the main building. The genealogical and historical research collection was moved to the Wheeler Room and the computer training lab was expanded and re-established as the Technology Lab with all new equipment. The future use of the Bishop Building includes plans as a venue for community events and training center for the library staff. New life for an old library building Asbury Park Press (Neptune, NJ) April 12, 2007 January 28, 2006, a major renovation and extension of the Toms River Branch opened. The building is now doubled in size. The $12.9 million construction project began in October 2002, when ground was broken on a 52,000-square-foot expansion of the original library building. [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ASBB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=10F8355B0657EAA8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=11ECDBF131F44C689BB0EDBA11D99EE0 Ready to begin a new chapter, Asbury Park Press (Neptune, NJ) January 27, 2006] Over $600,000 was devoted to original art installation in the new building. The art includes ‘Buzzy' and ‘O' steel sculptures by Michael Allen Malpass of Brick, New Jersey, ‘Sandbar # 1' and ‘Sandbar # 2' suspended textile atrium sculpture by Joanie San Chirico Joanie San Chirico public commissions of Toms River, ‘Reflections of the Ocean County Library', an 8-foot bas relief sculpture in bonded bronze created by Toms River sculptor Brian Hanlon, a terrazzo floor in the atrium by Michele Oka Doner of New York and a large mostly argon light sculpture Artist's Reception Enlightens Library Patrons, The Jackson Times, August 11, 2006. Accessed July 2, 2007 called ‘Woven Light' by Chris Freeman in the Hugh B. Wheeler Room. Art a stroke of genius in library transformation Asbury Park Press (Neptune, NJ) January 21, 2006 BRANCHES AND READING CENTERS Branch Locations Barnegat Branch Bay Head Reading Center Beachwood Branch Berkeley Branch Bishop Building - CLOSED - local history and genealogy collections moved to the Toms River Headquarters branch Brick Branch Island Heights Branch Jackson Branch Lacey Branch Lakewood Branch Little Egg Harbor Branch Long Beach Island Branch (located in Surf City ) Manchester Branch Plumsted Branch Pt. Pleasant Boro Branch Pt. Pleasant Beach Branch Stafford Branch Toms River Headquarters Branch Tuckerton Branch Upper Shores Branch (located in Lavellette ) Waretown Branch Whiting Reading Center (located in Manchester ) MEMBERSHIP Free membership is available to residents of Ocean County (except Beach Haven residents) Library still relevant in hi-tech era. Ocean County Observer. Karen Hammerdorfer. February 27, 2005 as well as those who go to school in Ocean County or who own property in Ocean County. Ocean County Library card holders can obtain free Burlington County Library cards and free Monmouth County Library cards. Since Lakewood joined the county library system January 1, 1999 Lakewood Branch profile , only Beach Haven maintains an independent municipal library in Ocean County. Beach Haven Happy with its Little Old Library. The Press of Atlantic City. Karen Sudol. March 11, 1996. Anyone who has a valid Burlington County Library card is also eligible for a free Ocean County Library card under a reciprocal borrowing agreement. Anyone who has a valid Monmouth County Library card is also eligible for an Ocean County Library card. Reciprocal Borrowing at OCL Many Monmouth county towns are not what Monmouth County Library calls member municipalities. Member or NonMember towns Monmouth County Library Anyone who lives in a nonmember Monmouth County municipality must pay for a Monmouth County Library card before they can obtain a free Ocean County card. YOUTH SERVICES Each branch of the Ocean County Library offers children's materials from classics to new titles in a variety of formats. Youth Services staff organize programs for children from birth through 6th grade, including a Summer Reading Club, which encourages reading during the months that children are away from school. In 2007, an online option for participating in the reading club was offered for the first time. The reading club is supplemented by programs corresponding with each year’s summer reading theme. The programs are organized both by library staff and outside performers. Recent outside performers have included Dr. . AWARDS Ocean County Library won one of the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relation Awards for 2007 in recognition of their continuing “Hurricane Katrina--Partners in Caring" project. According to the citation, Ocean County Library has raised more than $120,000 in cash to help Hancock County Library in Mississippi. The Hancock County Library system was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina . Winners of the 2007 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Awards TRIVIA James Brolin filmed a scene in the Bishop Library for the film '' The Amityville Horror ''. Bishop Library photoalbum 2001 worked at several Ocean County Library branches as a reference librarian. John Lloyd, expert on his beloved island. The Star-Ledger.Maryann Spoto.July 29, 2003. Since mid 2005, Ocean County Library has an official mascot called Sparks. County library's mascot Sparks interest in reading. Asbury Park Press. Joseph Picard. June 7, 2005. Sparks is a large pink dragon who loves to read and visit fairs and other special events in the county. He also likes to attend Lakewood BlueClaws baseball games with his friend and fellow mascot, Buster. The former mascot of the library was a ship captain character called Captain Book. Photo of a Captain Book sign saved at Archive.org dated 2002. Accessed August 28, 2007 REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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