Edison's North Branch Library Reopens After $5.5M Renovation

EDISON, NJ — Edison's North Branch Library celebrated its grand reopening on Saturday, July 11, following a $5.5 million renovation project that expanded and modernized the facility.

The project was funded through a combination of sources, including $1.5 million from the Library Construction Bond Act, along with contributions from the library's capital reserve fund and general operating funds.

The renovation added 5,000 square feet to the building, bringing its total footprint to 18,000 square feet. The expansion includes a dedicated exhibit and gallery space, a new meeting room and community space for library programs, a combined entranceway, and a fully renovated children's space. Two new wings were added to house the adult fiction collection, giving the library room to grow its holdings in the coming years.

Other improvements include three new public restrooms and a new staff restroom, a makerspace for hands-on learning, new flooring and lighting throughout the building, and updated network infrastructure, cabling and wiring. The project also added a new parking lot and an upgraded sidewalk for accessibility.

The idea for the renovation originated at a Township Council meeting shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Over the following six years, the State Library Board, state legislators, library board trustees, council members and staff from the mayor's office worked together to bring the project to completion.

"The North Branch Edison Public Library is the most utilized municipal library in the State," Mayor Sam Joshi said. "Having grown up on the same street as the library, this expansion was one of my earliest visions. To see it now, completed thirty years later as Mayor, it is a wonderful full-circle moment. For decades to come, new generations can also be inspired."

The library will next move into a second phase of upgrades, which will introduce a 24/7 automated book return system and an exterior locker system for patrons to pick up holds outside operating hours. Phase II will also bring new furniture throughout the building, interior and exterior screens to promote events and community resources, renovations to the library's two existing bathrooms, expanded programming and exhibit offerings, and a new Center for Asian Arts and Culture.

More information about the reopening and upcoming programs is available at edisonpubliclibrary.org or by calling 732-548-3045.

Have a correction or a news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com