Reading to dogs at the Neptune Library. Photo by Mary Walton

By Paul Goldfinger, MD, editor @Blogfinger

Mary Walton, literary editor @ Blogfinger, posted an article on March 7  (Library article link) which described how the Neptune Township Library has had to ration services even though demand has gone up. She described the  budget cuts and significant cost cutting that have occurred. Mary reported that classes were eliminated, personnel downsized, hours reduced, and fewer books were being purchased. The library doesn’t even belong to the county system, thus limiting the availability of  borrowed books.

We ran a poll  (Blogfinger library poll ) which asked if people were satisfied with the services at the Neptune Township Public Library.

71 votes were obtained, and remarkably, despite the cutbacks, 66% said “yes”, 23% said “no” and 8% were unsure.

Isn’t it interesting that most Ocean Grovers who voted are still happy with the current Neptune Library despite its drawbacks and significant cutbacks? Why do you suppose that is?  Perhaps the yes vote would have been 90% last year; we don’t have that information.

Maybe we need to re-frame the issue, and for those who use the Neptune Library regularly, let’s tell librarian Marian Bauman specifically what you like and what you don’t like about our library. Take a look at their web site  to find out about their current services and programs.

LINK:     Neptune Township Public Library

—Paul Goldfinger, editor @Blogfinger