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OUR LIBRARY

Mission Statement:

The Springfield Free Public Library strives to provide free, open and timely access to ideas and information from around the world which will satisfy the different intellectual pursuits of the library public, provide personal pleasure through cultural enrichment activities and resources, and offer an environment conducive to the pursuit of learning, relaxation and personal accomplishment.

Our Role in the Community:

The Springfield Free Public Library works to meet the needs of the community. The library is open 57 hours a week, including 3 evenings and Saturdays. The library is open from 10 to 1 on Saturdays in July and August and closed on Sundays from June to September. The library is also open Sundays October through May.

In 2003, almost 118,000 people visited the Springfield Free Public Library. That means that every resident in Springfield could have visited the library at least eight times. They also could have asked one to two reference questions, read nine books and used the computer at least once during the year. With the costs of buying books steadily increasing, the library offers an inexpensive alternative to shopping at the local bookstore. Nine books could cost a resident more than $250, while the amount paid in tax support to keep the library running is far less per year.

The Township allocation to the library of $790,000 was less than 4% of the township budget. For the $790,000, the library was able to provide more than $4 million worth of services. The cost per resident for library services in the fiscal year 2003 was $55.44. This is equivalent to less than 3 new adult hardcover books.

The library owned 71,562 volumes, more than 5 books per every resident. The library owned more than 10,000 audio-visual materials. In addition, the library holds subscriptions to 230 magazines and a variety of databases that are available to residents daily.

Other facts: 156,605 items were circulated, equivalent to about 11 items per resident. The library borrowed 739 items from other libraries for Springfield residents. More than 21,519 reference questions were answered by library staff, an increase of 14 percent from 2000. More than 5,000 people attended programs at the library, which is equivalent to one-third of Springfield’s population.

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Springfield Free Public Library
66 Mountain Ave., Springfield, NJ 07081
Tel: (973) 376-4930
Fax: (973) 376-1334
questions@springfieldpubliclibrary.com

This page was updated on Monday, December 13, 2004