The future of the Pinelands Branch Library
The Medford Town Council has begun discussion to relocate the library.
A branch of the Burlington County Library System, the Pinelands Branch Library has been serving the local community since Feb. 14, 1972. However, in the almost 45 years since its doors first opened, library-goers have since experienced problems with the facility’s location, size and parking, and in response, Medford Town Council has been exploring alternative options.
For a little more than a year, council has brainstormed ways to solve the problems facing the Pinelands Branch Library. According to Mayor Chuck Watson, the current site is simply not big enough and needs updating, including the means necessary for the library to place a greater focus on technology.
“If you go to the library now, there’s a lot of cars parked there because it’s a well-used building in the community,” Watson added. “I’ve talked to people who have said they couldn’t find a parking spot so they just kept going. I want our library to almost be a model for the new libraries of Burlington County, especially with technology being at the forefront.”
To successfully expand the library, council believes the facility will need to be relocated, preferably to a lot in downtown that is closely situated to a new municipal building. Making the town’s resources more efficient and easy to access, Watson believes a new layout could greatly benefit Medford and the surrounding areas.
Although no new site or design has yet been secured, council is actively pressing forward and hopes to be able to begin construction on the project by the end of this year or early next year. To adhere to its timeline, council must first contract an architect to produce a completed design for the new library.
“We have a lot of work to do to make this [relocation and expansion] happen quickly, but it is a priority of town council and not out of the realm of possibility,” Watson said.
As far as the Burlington County Library System is concerned, council, although in very preliminary stages of expanding the library, is on the right track. The Burlington County Library has expressed that it is on board with council’s decision, although moving forward, it’s all about getting the details and staying up-to-date on the project’s progression.
“There’s been dialogue with the folks in Medford and they’ve done some very clear thinking on what they believe the town needs in terms of a new library,” said Ralph Shrom, chairman of the Burlington County Library Commission, which is made up of five volunteer members. “They’re still in something of a deliberative stage, but once they [provide project details] we’ll be talking to them even more.”
Shrom further explained that, while council would own the new building, the Burlington County Library System would still supply the facility’s staff, equipment, books, technology and other resources. He recognizes the Pinelands Branch Library has a popular children’s program and that it is pressed for space.
“When you talk to people about the current library, they say there’s inadequate parking,” Shrom said. “We want to be able to accommodate more computer and related equipment, while meeting the needs of other users there from seniors to students.”
Although funding for a new library facility in Medford will still need to be determined, the Burlington County Library System manages all technology and associated costs to all system libraries, including the Pinelands branch. According to Morgan Boyer, chief of communications at the Burlington County Library System, the library is looking forward to continuing this management and having an opportunity to upgrade the technology offerings that would be available a new library facility.
