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Library president urges delay of shared‑services vote, cites patron impacts and security dispute
Summary
Christine Holland, president of the Delanco Public Library Board, asked the Township Committee to postpone a July vote on a shared‑services agreement until August to allow direct talks after new leadership changes and to protect morning library hours patrons rely on; the committee agreed to schedule a subcommittee meeting and to seek state guidance if necessary.
Christine Holland, president of the Delanco Public Library Board of Trustees, asked the Township Committee on June 29 to delay a planned vote on a proposed shared‑services agreement until August so the library, township and school board could meet to seek a mutually acceptable solution.
Holland said she had repeatedly requested a meeting and that the library had not yet received a clean copy of the school board's version of the agreement. She asked for additional time to ensure library employees and patrons would not be "steamrolled by outside interests," and requested the committee consider postponing the July vote to allow negotiation and data review.
The dispute centers on morning operating hours. Library trustees and patrons want to retain morning services used by seniors and families; school administrators and county reviewers raised school‑security concerns about the library being open during some school hours and recommended restricting access so that the parking lot and school grounds are not accessible while children are on the playground. Committee members said 1 p.m. had been proposed as a compromise but warned that continued challenge could lead the Department of Education to require an even later opening (3 p.m. or later).
Residents and stakeholders urged alternatives to cutting hours, including a barrier/vestibule door, an attendant at the library entrance, additional patrols or a school resource officer, and exploring alternate locations and funding. Stephen Lur and other residents emphasized the library’s community programs and urged the committee to find options that preserve morning programming.
The committee said two members of a township subcommittee (named on the record) would meet with library representatives and the administrator to try to resolve outstanding questions; the mayor asked the administrator to request a formal written opinion from the state Department of Education via the superintendent. No final vote on the agreement was taken at the June 29 meeting; the committee urged the library to schedule the subcommittee meeting promptly so the matter could be re‑examined before any future vote.
