Old Bridge Public Library — Attraction in Old Bridge Township

I'm reading through some of the reviews here and I just have to say something. Do any of you realize these folks are operating on a shoestring budget? Library staffing is down well over 70% from the mid nineties. There are probably three people trying to handle: All of the homeless and unhoused and cold or hot people you never see (there are a lot of them) Uninterrupted flows of miscreant and wayward teens, tweens, and other nightmares who have nothing better to do other than avoid their homes A huge responsibility to stock the books you MIGHT want IF you decide to, along with an insurmountable task of wrangling the ones they have. This is referring both to returns and orders Never-ending events; field-trips, expos, book fairs, donations, after-school programs, family support offerings in tandem with social services and even dealing with a large population of recently released previously incarcerated people

I haven't even spoken about what these highly qualified professionals actually do in terms of the job they were hired for.That aspect alone is a (2 x FullTimeJob) If you look at what library science is, you would be amazed at how rad it is.

Libraries are the hub of MANY peoples social, work, and intellectual life. The people working there are doing the job of four or five, maybe seven people. They do it because they care, they know what they do matters, and they are not willing to turn their backs on the communities that rely on them, even if you had to wait for a while or the HUMAN PERSON asked you a question you assumed was out of malice. Maybe, Passport People in Another Post, you might consider she asked that because if you have an appointment, a lot of your information is in the Computer Machine, or else if you just showed up because they were open without bothering to make an appointment, she would have to dash over to the filing cabinet to get you started on filling out forms with a pen and paper, before she patiently and calmly walked you through how to fill out the forms. And then told you what to expect, and answered all of your questions. She didn't go home that night to write a nasty review of you as a customer - she told her little daughter about how she helped a family get their passports so the can go on an adventure, and she never thought of you again, or your pointless and limp 'review' of a PUBLIC SERVICE. If you cared about this, instead of writing a shitpost review, you could talk, vote, and find out where you tax dollars are going. DO SOMETHING other than spread...

I would like to say that the library in itself is great. The facilities are really good, and I am sure it is a saviour for those who can't otherwise afford similar facilities. But I have had unpleasant memories at this library primarily due to its adhoc bureaucratic staff. Back in Jan, I checked in a borrowed book through the slit at the entrance of the library. The book wasn't processed properly and as a result stayed under my name. I didn't realise this until 4 days later, and I came back to the library to ask them to take it off of my account. Since the book was a loan from another library, it must have been shipped off in the interim. The staff couldn't locate the book and presumptuously decided that I must have thought that I had returned it but actually hadn't. When I told the lady at the counter that I had, she said that she would check again and if she couldn't locate it, I would have to pay. This ordeal was weird for me since I was being asked to pay for the incompetence of someone else. Anyway, the library didn't resolve the issue and neither made attempts to locate the book. I spoke about this with multiple staff members who were almost in sync in their inability to help me here. Ultimately, the onus has been out on me, and the item has been declared lost and my card has been blocked. I don't mind paying the $25 amount being charged for the lost book, but when I have returned the book, this just...

What a cozy, comfortable, up-to-date, friendly, pleasant place to spend quality time! It's like stepping out of my living room and walking into another one! Hanging out at this library is a wonderful experience, and the staff is very sweet, nice, and helpful. And I like that it's a normal type of place, with an average level of noise, like at a family restaurant or a bookstore or something. (It's not like when I was growing up -- if you spoke above a whisper in a library, a stern librarian would glare at you and go "SHHHH!") At this library you can even get snacks and stuff; they also have a passport office, computers, study rooms, arts-and-crafts rooms, conference rooms, squeaky-clean bathrooms, etc. It's such a super place to visit; I just...