Library has established
record of achievement

The amazing popularity and importance of the Mon-mouth County Library Headquarters on Symmes Drive in Manalapan was confirmed late last month when a patron checked out a children’s book and in doing so took home the one millionth item to be circulated by the branch in 2001. The items circulated included books, videotapes, compact discs and audio tapes.

The Monmouth County Library System includes the headquarters in Manalapan and branches in Shrewsbury, Allen-town, Colts Neck, Hazlet, Holm-del, Howell, Marlboro, Ocean Township, Oceanport and Wall Township.

The one million items circulated from the Manalapan headquarters during 2001 only reflect the numbers from that building, not from the library system.

The achievement is a testament to the support the library has received over the years from the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders and from the public, specifically the residents of western Monmouth County.

Years ago, Manalapan had a public library in an office building at the intersection of Tennent and Gordons Corner roads. That one-room library which had a couple of shelves, two tables and a small children’s section was, in effect, a precursor to what became the county library headquarters.

No one could have predicted at the time that the headquarters building to be constructed on Symmes Drive would become the busiest library in the state. Apparently, that’s just what has happened.

The library headquarters has been expanded since it was constructed and in a community with no real "downtown," it may be the closest thing Manalapan has to a full-time public gathering spot.

Programs are conducted at the library throughout the year that draw people of all ages to the building.

Monmouth County Library System Director Kenneth Sheinbaum said that to his knowledge no library facility in the state has ever loaned one million items in a year’s time. Many library systems, including Monmouth County, have achieved this status, but no one building has done it on its own, the director said.

Now that honor belongs to the Monmouth County Library Headquarters.

"We’re the busiest public library in the state," Sheinbaum said. "One can only hope that we can do this again, but it’s the first time that really counts. This is really a big deal."

It is a big deal and should send clear notice to the freeholders that continued support for the library headquarters — and the rest of the county library system — is a priority for residents. The library system is among the public programs that enhances Monmouth County’s quality of life.