Library Sheds Business Hours

Cranford Library will now open 11 hours less each week.

The Library Board of Trustees voted on Jan. 27 to reduce business hours in anticipation of a shrinking budget, said Cranford Library Director John Malar. The decrease in hours will save the library money on employee salaries.

, Cranford Library is now open from 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. Monday though Wednesday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday. Previously the hours were 9:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Although officials are still mapping the township finances, Malar added library board members "didn't want to wait" until the summer to find out the final cemented budget for 2011.

"We thought, to be safe, reduce the hours now," he explained, adding that if they found out the library will be receiving only bare-bones funding later in the year, official would have to make quick slices into library expenses.

On the other hand if township committee members find money to restore the Cranford Library back to its former operating times, "we can always adjust the hours" back to the way they were, Malar said.

"The township budget is probably the most difficult year they’ve faced since I don’t know when and they’re looking to find savings everywhere in all departments," he added.

The Cranford Library's budget last year was $1,424,649. This year the library is anticipating a budget of $1,377,133, Malar said.

"I regret that the board had to take this step, but now the decisions been made, I'm happy that it’s resolved and the board took action. I think we needed to," he added.

The hour cut could pose an inconvenience for the early birds that Cranford Library staff see on the computers. 

 "We get a lot of people early in the day that...check their e-mail and do other things," he said, adding that "we regret the inconvenience but it’s a really dire year."

The library also reduced the amount of books, DVDs and CDs it normally purchases due to cuts in state aid last year.

Cranford Library isn't the only New Jersey facility of its kind experiencing cuts due to lessening state and municipal funding. And it could be much worse.

The Montclair library system for example, just reduced staff members and closed a branch library, Patricia Tumulty said, Executive Director of the New Jersey Library Association. One Belleville branch laid off nearly a quarter of its full-time staff, she added.

"We're just beginning to track some of these issues, we have seen libraries cutting hours, taking furlough days," Tumulty explained.