$1M Will Improve 4 Burlington County Library Buildings, Officials Say

WESTAMPTON, NJ — The main Burlington County Library and three others will be redesigned and upgraded with $1 million in state funding, county officials announced.

The Library Commission voted earlier this month to accept state funds for capital improvements at the Burlington County Library in Westampton —which is now more than 50 years old — and at the branch libraries in Cinnaminson, Evesham and Pemberton Township, according to the county.

The county library system plans to use the money "to redesign some of the interior spaces in each of the four buildings to improve customer experiences," the county said in a news release.

State Senator Troy Singleton (D-NJ-7) secured the funding as part of the 2023 New Jersey State Budget, county officials said. The Burlington County branches did not get funding during New Jersey Library Construction Bond Act award periods.

“Libraries are more than just a place to find books," said Singleton, a founding member of the Burlington County Library Foundation. "They are pillars of our communities that serve as repositories of knowledge and as locations where residents can remain connected in the digital age. Just as our libraries must evolve to meet the needs of our communities, it is incumbent on us to invest in them to ensure they have the resources needed to make those changes.”

Here are some facts about each building, provided by Burlington County:

• The Burlington County Library in Westampton was constructed in 1971 after originally existing in various buildings in an around Mount Holly. The building underwent its first major renovation in 1992 when additions expanded it from 32,000 to 48,000 square-feet. It was expanded again in 2013 when an additional 15,380 square-feet of space was added, including a 250-seat auditorium, café, larger information desk, story room and community space.
• The Cinnaminson Library on Riverton Road opened in 1966 and was the BCLS’s first branch library. It was renovated in the late 1990s to convert the basement into a children’s room and to add a public meeting room.
• The Evesham Library was constructed in 1998 as part of the Township Municipal Building on Tuckerton Road. This will be the first major investment in the library since.
• The Pemberton Community Library, located on Broadway in Browns Mills, opened in 2001 in a building constructed as a replacement for both the previously separate Browns Mills and Pemberton Borough libraries. This will be the first major renovation to the building since then.

Commissioner Deputy Director Tom Pullion, liaison to the Burlington County Library System, thanked Singleton for securing the funding, which will ease the burden on county and local taxpayers.

“Burlington County Library System is over 100 years old, making it the first and oldest county library system in New Jersey, and we are deeply appreciative of this funding to help make some new improvements to our main library and these three library branches," Pullion said.