Last week, when Patch scheduled a sitdown with Jane Kennedy, Director of Maplewood Memorial Library, few would have predicted that she would be at the center of municipal budget conversations a week later.

On Saturday, January 9, Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta caused a stir by suggesting a long-range goal of merging the library system with South Orange and closing and selling the main branch of the Maplewood Library. While other Township Committee members were open to the idea of merging the libraries (as well as some other departments), Profeta's suggestion to close and sell the main branch has been controversial and was rejected outright by Mayor Vic DeLuca.

Meanwhile, Kennedy found herself in the position of defending the library. Kennedy, who lives in West Orange and has been Maplewood library director for almost seven years, said that 19, 565 people in this town of about 24,000 have library cards.

She also felt that both branches were vital but that the main branch was just that, the main branch, with more books, more equipment, more programs and longer hours of operation.

And, she said, the libraries are busier than ever. She had the numbers to back that up. In 2009, the number of all materials borrowed was 239,576, up from 235,285 in 2008. Even more remarkable was the fact that the borrowing rate was up despite cutbacks in staff and hours and a two-week furlough.

"You should have been in the library the day before our furlough," said Kennedy. "It was a feeding frenzy. It was great to see."

In fact, unlike almost anywhere else, the economic recession has been a boon to the library, at least in the sense of usage. "It makes sense," said Kennedy, who explained that people who were out of work and "in transition" used the library as a place to research jobs, go online, write resumes, make copies and just find a sense of community. The phenomenon of increased library usage has been chronicled elsewhere and is such a trend that Brian Lehrer interviewed Kennedy for a National Public Radio segment on "uncommon economic indicators."

Library staffers have taken on new roles along with the library. "We help people use the computers and write resumes." Added Kennedy, "We stepped up to the plate even before it was called a recession. We had staff running job hunting and how-to-use-library-resources sessions in the computer lab."

Losing days at the libraries has been difficult—a negative impact of the budget crisis. (Sundays at the main library were cut, as were Fridays at the Hilton Branch.) "I hated closing Sundays. That was a real family day," said Kennedy who talked of seeing lots of fathers bringing their children, particularly in the winter months. "There was an outcry but people understood" the budgetary realities, said Kennedy, especially when they realized that staff were paid time-and-a-half on Sundays.

"There's the funny perception. People think that the library is run by volunteers."

Kennedy understands the budget pickle that the town is in. She knows the library is being measured against public safety, but she points out that while public safety represents 32% of the town budget, the library was allocated 5% last year.

Kennedy also wants residents to understand that the library is not a nonprofit. It is run by a board that is appointed by the town (a 9-member board with 5-year, staggered terms). Its budget, she said, is reliant upon the town. The library has some reserves but they are minimal. $10,000 of the library's $15,000 reserve was spent last year to help balance the budget. "That leaves us with $5,000."

"We had a house, the Stokes estate, but the Stokes' will stipulated that we can't touch the principal for balancing the budget." Only the interest on the principal from the proceeds of the estate sale can be used for such purposes. The library has used the Stokes' account money for special projects above and beyond  the main budget: for example, the outfitting of the computer lab at the Hilton Branch. Kennedy said that about $30,000 is left in that account.

In 2009, the library's main budget was comprised of $1,687, 654 from the municipal appropriation; another $131, 245 came from fines, fees, donations and state aid, according to Kennedy.

The Friends of the Library and Kennedy are looking at doing more fundraising—above and beyond the book sale and special events—said Kennedy, who is thinking bigger, in terms of corporate and foundation sponsorship.

Because, unlike Profeta, Kennedy sees this library system and libraries in general as expanding, not contracting. "We were the first to provide Wifi," said Kennedy. "We've gone through tremendous transformations." Kennedy said that libraries will continue to adjust to the electronic age. She notes that, contrary to popular perceptions, not everyone in Maplewood has or can afford at-home Internet access. 

"Wifi is expensive. People are shutting it off." In fact, Kennedy suspects some people are spending days at the library because they have lowered the heat in their houses.

Also, as Kennedy stated at the budget priority meeting on Saturday, the libraries can play a crucial role in bridging the much-discussed achievement gap between African-American and white students in the school district. She cites the summer reading club that "keeps kids reading all summer" (up through 6th grade).

"We are a community center," said Kennedy. "We are where people gather."