A Brief History of the Washington Borough Public Library

 

·        1913

December, 12 citizens including Miss Julia Meaker, principal of Washington High School, meet in the Rectory of St. Peter's Church to form a Library Association. The church library is the nucleus.

·        1914

Library Association's first formal meeting in Borough Hall. Rev. George Young is Librarian. Membership open, at 50˘. Library moved from the Rectory of St. Peter's Church to Grace Morgan's house at 64 E. Washington St. to accommodate increasing number of borrowers. Morgan becomes Librarian of the 1,000 volume library.

·        1915

Washington Star newspaper recommends the Borough make a yearly appropriation to the Library.

·        1919

Sue Beavers Librarian. Fund Drive; Bazaar; Membership $1.00

·        1925

The Library Association bought the 100 year old Allegar house, 21 Broad St., to be used as a library.

·        1926

The Washington Borough Council voted to take over the facilities as a Public Library.

·        1927

The Washington Public Library is Incorporated as the Borough’s Public Library.

·        1928

Picture collection begun.

·        1935

Established junior section in the Library. Served many shut-ins. Completed inventory. Completed card catalog.

·        1939

Story Hour begun.

·        1943

25th Anniversary celebrated. Bought children's furniture.

·        1952

Record collection begun.

·        1955

Miss Elinor Flint retires after 35 years as Librarian.

·        1956

National Society Daughters of the American Revolution donated 135 books on History and Genealogy. Mrs. Fred Alleman is Librarian. In September, the Board decides to close the Library on Saturdays.

·        1957

Complaints about Saturday closing. Township borrowers pay $1.00 per family.

·        1965

At 50th Anniversary, there were 13,000 volumes.

·        1969

Historic but unsafe Broad St. building closed. No library for 3 months. Library moves to rented space in St. Cloud building. Members of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution move Genealogy books.

·        1970

Warren County Garden Club donates Special Collection.

·        1972

Alice Bingert becomes Library Director.

·        1982         

Ground breaking for new Library Building, the first to be designed as a library. Bond ordinance approved: $569,469. State (Tischler) funds added.

·        1983

Dedication of Building. November occupancy.

·        1984

Julia Meaker Furnishing Fund continues.

·        1985

Formal Open House, furnishings completed. Janet Davis becomes Director. Library personnel become part of the New Jersey State Civil Service .

·        1988

The Library becomes a Charter Member of the Region 1 Library Cooperative, part of the New Jersey Library network. Members are from: Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties.

·        1989

Emma Campbell Groves Collection established: Celebration. Videotape collection begun. New inventory. Alice Bingert, Senior Librarian and former Director retires after 32 years with the Library. Janet Davis resigns. Rosary S. Gilheany becomes Director.

·        1990

First computer bought for Library Management.

·        1992

Children’s Area planned. Inspired by the Junior Woman’s Club donation.

·        1993

Friends of the Library organized in April. Begin Anniversary Year celebration: November: Council proclamation. Children’s Area completed. New lighting in Children’s Area and Periodical Area.

·        1994

Computerized Readers Guide installed. Library Logo directional signs on Washington Avenue. Anniversary party during National Library Week (April). Computerization in Process: Catalog and Loan System.  Regions I and II of the Regional Library Cooperatives merge to become Highlands Regional Library Cooperative, expanding to include Bergen and Passaic counties.

·        1995

Patrons and Staff began to use computer system. Library won second place in a New Jersey Library Association competition for a Library Service brochure in the category of libraries with budgets under $750,000. Two memorials were given to the Library: a tree in honor of a beloved high school teacher, Tom Spatz; and the other, a memorial contribution in honor of one of the Library’s regular patrons, Eugene Flanagan. Two full-time Library staffers become members of the Communication Workers of America labor union. Several Library Press Releases, which are published in the Star Ledger, led to full articles with photographs: the post-card campaign to the state legislature; the World War II original water color exhibit by Meredith Davis, a veteran who is a Washington resident.

·        1996

A new memorial fund in memory of Alice Ferguson Bathgate and Frances Ferguson Dryden was set up. The Kiwanis Club of Washington gave the Library a Bulletin/Announcement Board. The Library has no more corporate donors. January through February, the Library hosted a major exhibit from the Canal Society of New Jersey . The thirteen panel exhibit consisted of historical photographs and a variety of maps, all on canals in the state. According to a manual click count, there were 20,476 people using the Library in 1996, with a daily average of 75 people. Reduced summer hours for the second year.

·        1997

Washington Public Library is one of thirty libraries awarded a grant (Tischler) “to assist public libraries in the provision of new or expanded reference or information or children’s services through access to remote electronic resources via the Internet and the World Wide Web.”

·        1999

Rosary S. Gilheany retires as Director.  Auto-Graphics discontinues support for catalog software.  Collection development grant for Books on Tape received.

·        2000

Barbara Carroll becomes new Director.  Mrs. Jesse Devoe Lisowski leaves the library a bequest which the Board decides to use to refurbish the Board Room for further use as an area for library programs.  Winnebago Spectrum software is chosen to run the OPAC and circulation systems, requiring a major upgrade of the computer network.  Parking lot is repaved.  Book Discussion Group is formed.  Books on Tape collection enlarged with a grant from the State Library.  Washington Historical Society begins meeting.

·        2001

Poetry Contest is held, partially funded by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.  Jake’s Carpet donates new carpet to the refurbished Board Room.  Plans for re-roofing the building begun.  Two new word processing computers are available for public use.  Collection development grant for reference collection upgrade received.  Collection of items and cards to donate to the 9/11 rescue teams.  Kiwanis Club of Washington donated money for staff chairs.

·        2002

Jesse Devoe Lisowski archival shelving added to the Board Room.  Spring photography contest held.  Poetry Contest expended to include short essays and is renamed Literary Contest.  Spring photography contest is held.  Summer Readers read record numbers of books—almost twice as many as the previous summer.  Borough funds new roof.  Library celebrates 75th anniversary of incorporation.  Library joins statewide web-based union catalog “Jersey Cat” to facilitate interlibrary loans.  The collection is nearly 45,000 volumes. 

·        2003

Something about Washington, N.J. Yesterday and Today, a joint project of the library and the Washington Historical Society, funded by a grant from the Warren County Cultural and Heritage Commission is published.  The new roof is completed.  A Tipping Point grant from The Karma Foundation provides new computer furniture and a new Internet computer for the public.  DVD movie collection begins as part of Karma Foundation grant, with substantial increases in the books on CD collection.

·        2004

New ceiling tiles are installed throughout the building as part of the roofing project.  Barbara Carroll marries to become Barbara Rose.  Publication of the Washington Lineage Project, a joint project of the library and the Washington Historical Society, funded by a grant from the Warren County Cultural and Heritage Commission.

·        2005

New carpet installed throughout public areas.  Bradford pear trees are removed as being dangerous.  Boiler is replaced.  DSL access to the Internet improves connection speed and computer use rises dramatically.  Department of Community Affairs awards grant for new computers.

·        2006

Nine new DCA grant computers provide Internet and MSOffice access, leaving three for word processing only and one for CD databases for children.  WPL catalog records added to JerseyCat.  Library joins Open Borrowing with six other counties.  Vandalism requires installation of digital video system.  Carol McNeil retires after 25 years on the staff.  Grant provides wireless Internet connection in and near the building.

 

The Washington Woman’s Club and the Junior Woman’s Club have been faithful through the years in their support of the children’s section, providing annual donations.

·        2007

Receipt of the Harpster Collection of photographs, and an oil painting of the Woodcraft factory from the 1950’s.  Celebration of 80 years of incorporation by the borough.  Last video tapes and books on cassette purchased, in favor of DVD and CD formats.

·        2008

Washington Woman’s Club donates and plants dogwood tree for front of building. Mr. Alvin Sloan dies at age 96, leaving the library a bequest.  Library Board replaces storage shed.  In August, begin reduction of hours open due to budget constraints.  Library buys the Gale Virtual Reference Library for online use. 

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LM/CB/RMR/BAR

Washington Public Library
20 West Carlton Avenue
Washington, NJ 07882
 


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