Situated at the heart of Bernardsville, the library is a wonderful oasis and asset for the community. The library's youth and adult programs are stellar, the staff is helpful and efficient, and its central location makes it very accessible. The Bernardsville Library Foundation recognizes the importance of the library and is committed to keep the Library functioning in its current excellent manner, and to meet and overcome all future challenges to do so. The Foundation devotes time and effort in fundraising to augment the Library budget, and to raise awareness for the Library's needs in the community. The Foundation is also focussed on increasing its Endowment in order to ensure the Library continues to serve as an award winning example.
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The Bernardsville Library is at the very heart of the town, geographically and metaphorically,
During Sandy and Irene when the people in Bernardsville lost power and other amenities, the Library was the focal point of refuge for warmth, news, water and the internet. It was a special place especially for the elderly in the community and the young people who had no school and needed a place to gather.
The Foundation does a wonderful job supporting Library maintenance and other costs that the annual borough budget cannot cover. The Foundation members are all volunteers who are committed to keep all the Library programs and access available to the community. The fund raising efforts hosted annually by the Foundation are also tied to many of the businesses in town and so keeps the community connected.
Albert Einstein once said, "The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library." Our community is very grateful to the Bernardsville Library Foundation for its critical work in keeping our library open with heat, electricity, and enrichment. This Foundation has done an outstanding job and is indeed a Great Non-Profit organization.
Wonderful library with the best staff and programs!
The Foundation raises money to ensure the library continues to serve the community with outstanding programs for people of all ages and backgrounds.
The Bernardsville Library is a hidden gem in our community and the Bernardsville Library Foundation, Inc. does an outstanding job supporting the library so they can continue to provide the best services possible to our town. Thank You
I have supported this Foundation from the day it was formed,
and I am proud that it has been and still is a major force in providing
funding for library operations over and above the traditional
support of the city budget. The goal of creating a trust fund to
reliably provide dependable support to the library in the future
is now well underway and will prove to be a lasting legacy of the Foundation.
This organization raises much-needed operational and endowment funds for the Bernardsville Public Library. The all-volunteer board of trustees raises money through various fundraisers and donations from private individuals. They have a dual responsibility of keeping the lights on and securing the future of library operations.
This library has been and continues to be a wonderful resource to my family. The value they add to our community is immeasurable.
The Bernardsville Library is a center of excellence in the community. Not only is it a safe haven for young and old alike, but also a great place to meet your neighbors. Their determination to keep getting better shows in their excellent programs and constant activities. I am grateful to have this wonderful resource right in my backyard!
The Bernardsville Library Foundation's operations support is invaluable in keeping the lights on and the smiling staff ready to help our library patrons.
The Bernardsville Library is the center of our community. We had over 32,000 patrons, of all ages, use the library last year. There are programs for all ages, from infants in Bouncing Babies to seniors doing chair Yoga. This is all made possible with the supplemental funding from the Bernardsville Library Foundation. The Library belongs to our citizens and is funded by property taxes but when there are reductions in Borough funding, the Foundation has been created to cover the shortfall. As one of the founding members of the Foundation, I am proud to see the continued support from our community. Photos include the Library and volunteers during Sandy when the Library was a warming station and a place to charge your phone. Kathleen Palmer
Every town has a heart and in Bernardsville, it is Bernardsville Public Library. More than providing books, magazines, & videos to the Somerset Hills community, the library is a warming and charging station during power outages, provides access to computers and meeting rooms to those in need, offers free educational & entertainment programs for all ages, displays works by local artists, and has easily accessible public restrooms. Bernardsville Library Foundation was formed to close the gap between the library's operating expenses and the mandated public funding. I have been privileged to serve on this board for several years. Please consider supporting this most worthy cause.
The Bernardsville Library Foundation is a non-profit organization with a singular, focused goal – to raise funds to help the Bernardsville Public Library, an award-winning institution, maintain consistent operations through the vagaries of public funding. The Foundation does this by contributing to current operational funding and building an endowment for future resources. The volunteers are creative, hardworking and dedicated to goal of the organization. I am pleased to be a supporter of the Bernardsville Library Foundation.
Wonderful organization that donates time, energy and money to help keep the Bernardsville Public Library operating at such a high level for so many years.
As a previous Trustee for 2 terms, I am in awe of the high caliber of work that is produced every year. With funding being stretched more and more every year, the trustees are creative in implementing ways to deliver programs commensurate with a 5-star library. The Foundation then steps in to fundraise for the gap between what funding the library receives from the Boro and what the library needs to spend for their programming. Many services could not be offered without their monetary aid.
The Bernardsville Library Foundation consists of a number of tireless, committed volunteers whose fundraising efforts support the Bernardsville Library. Through their efforts, the Library can continue to serve the community with outstanding programs and resources. As budgets continue to be tight, it is only through the efforts of the Foundation that the Library can continue to serve as such a great asset to our community.
The Bernardsville Library Foundation plays a critical role in the on going success of our library The Bernardsville Library is seen as a integral part of our community and it is through the hard work of our Library Staff, Board of Trustees, The Friends of the Library, and the Bernardsville Library Foundation that we are able to continue to provide critical access to free and meaningful resources and events. I am a supporter of the Foundation, the President of the Friends of the Library and contributor to the Foundation Endowment.
Serving on the Board of Directors of The Bernardsville Library Foundation, Inc. for seven years was a highlight of my time in Bernardsville. The Trustees, Officers, and Board Members are hard-working and committed to keeping the library the invaluable resource it is to our town. People of all ages benefit from the library, from young to old. The Foundation has worked hard to raise funds for various popular programs and to communicate between town and library administrators. As an author and avid reader, libraries have been magical places since my childhood. The Bernardsville Library is one of the best I have known in my years of living up and down the east coast. The Foundation is vital in facilitating its continued excellence.
The library—any library—has been my home since I was a child. That I live within blocks of an exceptional library—the Bernardsville Public Library—is a source of delight. The stewardship of my home away from home has been entrusted to the Bernardsville Library Foundation. Through fundraising and cultivated community engagement, the foundation has increased community access to programs and materials, contributed to budget shortfalls, and generally served as a needed bulwark to protect our community's access to information. As civic budgets are slashed and libraries and bookshops close, that keenest of pleasures—browsing, roaming, finding and enjoying—is in jeopardy. I am happy to provide the Foundation with my support and approbation as it fulfills its commitment to provide a vital resource for our community.
This philanthropic group has been extremely supportive of our town's library. For many years now, the Foundation has come to the need of the library (and it's patrons) by making up budget shortfalls, thus allowing the library to maintain its current level of service and programs.
As a Bernardsville Library Foundation Board member I am proud to serve such a fine and productive institution supporting the mission of fund raising for the library’s operating cost reduction. It has been a very rewarding experience second to none. The Bernardsville Public Library is a fabulous resource for books and far beyond. It’s a place that serves as a haven for the community as a constant, steadfast entity. When doors are open its a peaceful dwelling, emergency shelter, voting place, printed/digital material circulation, art exhibit host, local history archive, adult/teen/child educational enricher, lecture hall, fall plant sale location and there’s more! Unique in size and identity Bernardsville draws from the library as a community magnet keeping it’s citizens connected and well informed. moreover, the Board is a unified group of colleagues who work together to get the job done. It’s a pleasure to be a part of the process.
The Bernardsville Library Foundation is an organization of dedicated volunteers whose goal is to provide support for an integral part in the Bernardsville community-our library. The work done by the Foundation allows for the operation of countless programs, services and resources relied upon by our community. I proudly support the Foundation as it delivers on its mission of supporting a much needed resource for our town.
The Bernardsville Public Library is more than just a library! It is a community affair supporting the arts, ESL students, computer access, children's programs, and senior activities. As a designated emergency shelter, it allows all citizens to come together in their time of need. Being part of the Foundation allows me to give back to my community- and support its financial needs. No other reward could be greater!
The Bernardsville Library Foundation has grown to be an important factor in helping the Library close its gap between funding and budget for the past 12 years, donating over $700,000 to the Library. In an effort to eventually secure the Library's future they have actively embarked on establishing an endowment with a target of $3 million.,It is a long term effort but the good people on the board have focused on making things happen while yearly raising enough funds to close the short-fall gap of the Library.. A+ organization.
I served on the Bernardsville Library Board of Trustees from 2009 until 2020 and was on the Library Board when the Bernardsville Library Foundation was launched in 2011. The Bernardsville Library Foundation is an all-volunteer organization, comprised of citizens from Bernardsville. The trustees of the Foundation are committed to raising funds to keep the library fully operational, 7 days a week, throughout the year. The money the Foundation raises helps pay for books, adult programs, lectures, children's programs, and membership in a consortium (MAIN-Morris Automated Information Network) of 49 local libraries that share their catalogs and costs, providing millions of titles and many shared services to the patrons of the Bernardsville Public Library. It is a beautiful library with helpful staff and an impressive catalog. The Bernardsville Public Library also serves as an emergency shelter for the citizens of Bernardsville in times of need.