Ridgewood June 15, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Summer library closings could be averted for $42K by John Koster The Ridgewood Library plans to be closed Sundays from June 26 through Labor Day, unless the Ridgewood Village Council or a private benefactor comes up with an additional $42,000 in funds. “We’re extremely grateful that the people on the council were big enough to think it through and restore the $35,000,” said Library Director Nancy Greene last week. “We’re still hopeful for a restoration to the zero-based increase we asked for.” Greene said the library would be able to save all but two Sundays if the zero-based budget increase was restored. The council restored $35,000 of the $76,750 that had originally been scheduled at the public meeting in May. The library also expects to close on three Fridays: July 29, Aug. 26, and Nov. 25. The amount set aside to purchase new books would also be reduced by $24,000. The council has been trimming the municipal budget during the economic crunch, and the library has been tightening up its finances by charging tutors $50 a month for use of library space limited to one quiet section of the first floor, and charging patrons who are not Ridgewood residents $1 an hour for computer time unless they are also library volunteers. These fees, and increased user fees for the use of library rooms and the auditorium, have helped defray some of the library’s costs, but staff and hour reductions have also been necessary. Greene says the $42,000 could save all but two summer Sundays. “Restoring the funds could help preserve the library’s impact on the equalization of Ridgewood,” Greene said last week. She explained that 18 percent of the households in Ridgewood have incomes of less than $50,000 a year and the children of these families, who came to Ridgewood because of the excellence of the school systems, are the ones who need a full-service library the most. “These are not people who have summer houses,” Greene said. “They may go to Graydon, but outside of that, the library is all they’ve got in terms of summer activities. The Children’s Library in particular can make sure that they keep up with their reading over the summer.” The library also maintains ESL (English as a Second Language) programs with volunteer help, and offers special programs to senior citizens and people with special needs. Sundays are so busy that anyone who doesn’t get to a computer early may not get to use one, the Ridgewood Room for quiet reading by those over 18 is usually filled to capacity, and tutoring by fee-paying professionals and volunteers is in progress for the whole four-hour session.