Cape May County Library
Cape May County Library, NJ: Advocacy and Close Government Partnership Pay Off
By Kathy Anderson
In the current economic climate, how did the Cape May County Library, based in historic Cape May Court House, NJ, manage to get funding allocated for three brand new branch library buildings and major renovations for three other branches over the next two years? By using instinctive advocacy skills and cultivating a close relationship with county administration and legislators (the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders), this library is now experiencing a building boom.
“County officials use us as an example of good government,” said Deborah Poillon, library director. “It’s invaluable if you can get administrators and freeholders (legislators) on board with you.”
“We knew we had to make changes about seven years ago,” she recalled. “When the economy was doing well, we met with the county and started planning for renovations.” The library was part of a county-wide facilities analysis that revealed significant energy inefficiencies in several library branch buildings. At the same time, several municipalities in need of new library buildings were considering pulling out of the county library system. During the analysis and planning stages, the county made the commitment to keep the library system strong, agreeing to build new buildings for the three towns considering withdrawal.
Currently, Cape May County Library is renovating its Lower, Upper, and Cape May City branches and is designing three new LEED Silver “green” buildings for its Court House, Sea Isle City, and Stone Harbor branches. As a resort area, the library has an ample tax base and a stable budget. Still, considering the scale of the new buildings and renovations, the library’s ambitious plan is remarkable in these tough economic times.
“We have been very active lately. The library is always out there and we do a lot more PR than we used to,” said Deborah Poillon. “People in county administration noticed us. And good PR reflects well on them.” She recalled attending a Gates Foundation workshop on advocacy and realizing that they had instinctively been doing advocacy without calling it that term.
The Cape May County Library “really makes an effort to be current,” said Poillon. The library quickly adapts social media and new technology. It has a Joomla-created website, with separate gaming and kids areas; their own You Tube channel, and Twitter and Facebook pages. They recently won the statewide “Tell Us Your Story” video contest with a gaming story and have been featured in “Tame the Web: Libraries, Technology, and People”. The library has received wide attention for events like “National Gaming Day” and “Teen Sleepover in the Library.” They present a wide array of programs and events, including the very popular computer and technology classes at the library’s Technology Education Center (TEC).
“Our staff is very enthusiastic and forward-thinking,” said Deborah Poillon. The library is considering alternative forms of communication with its users, including cell phone notifications and texting. A committee has been formed to study the adoption of a shelving and organization system pioneered by the Darien (CT) Public Library that uses a Dewey/bookstore mashup approach, calling subject areas “glades” for browsing.
Library Director Deborah Poillon welcomes questions and comments and may be reached at debp@cmclibrary.org. For more information, please visit the Cape May County Library website at www.cmclibrary.org.
