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By BARBARA S. ROTHSCHILD
Courier-Post Staff
Like other institutions in this all-American inner-ring suburb, the Collingswood Public Library has found itself changing to meet the changing needs of the borough's citizenry.
"Twenty years ago, every table upstairs would be filled with kids after school. But school requirements are different now, and a lot of them make for the computers first thing," said library Director Peter Childs.
The library has eight computers for public use, none more than three years old. Two can also be used for word processing.
"There will be more. We plan to add two more just for word processing," Childs said.
Much has changed at the library since it moved into its current building on downtown Haddon Avenue in 1974. Its resources have had to keep step not only with changes in the world at large, but in the borough's demographics in particular.
"There's no question that there's a different makeup in who uses the library now than when I first came here," said Childs, who will soon mark a quarter-century of service at the library.
"Collingswood is more of a multicultural town. We have some more blacks coming in, some Hispanics, more Asians. Back when I first came here, we wouldn't have seen someone come in wearing a sari," he noted.
To meet the borough's changing needs, the library's collections have become broader. Today, there are more novels by black, Hispanic and East Indian writers. Childs said the state has awarded the library two collection development grants, allowing it to increase its holdings in African-American history, Hispanic and Latino literature, books about Native Americans and more histories and biographies about women.
Four times a year, the library borrows 25 assorted titles in Russian from the Newark Public Library. The books are in demand because of a small but steady population of native Russians, most of them Russian Jews who settled in the borough while the Soviet Union was breaking up.
Vera Zorich, who moved into the Parkview Apartments with her husband, Semen, after leaving Russia nine years ago, is a great fan of the service.
"I like it very much, but it is too small an amount for me," said Zorich, who counts love stories, fantasies, biographies and even cookbooks among the Russian-language books she devours.
The library's 12-member staff has also become more diverse, and now includes members of black, Hispanic and Asian heritage.
"People see someone they can identify with. That's good. We have somebody who can speak Chinese and two staff members who can speak Spanish," Childs said.
The library's multicultural holdings now include jazz CDs and other diverse types of music, augmented through an audiovisual grant. To keep costs down, the library is also a member of audio and video circuits, with 110 audio and 110 video titles available through that resource at any given time.
Childs anticipates even more change as technology increases. Later this year, through yet another grant, the library will be going into a shared catalog system with Gloucester City and Haddon Heights.
In the future, Childs hopes funds will be available to establish a Web-based circulation system.
Despite additions to the audiovisual collections and the computer inventory, books remain at the heart of the library's resources. That would be reason enough why the 13, 000-square-foot facility is bursting at the seams.
"When the building opened in June 1974, it was planned for 37,000 books. We now have 65,000. We don't have any extra space, and no storage space," Childs said.
The library discards 1,000 to 1,500 books a year, but it purchases 1,500 to 2,000 books per year, he noted.
With the opening of a new community center in town, it's possible that the library's community room can be used for other purposes. Currently, the room is used for everything from line dancing to meetings of the genealogy club, the borough historical society, the AARP, the town's Junior Women's Club and other non-profit groups.
Whatever happens, it's unlikely the library - which has had a site on Haddon Avenue since it first opened in 1911 - will leave the borough's center.
"We are right downtown. Despite the lack of space and the parking problem, this is still probably the best place for us. We're very visible, and we're an anchor for the borough," Childs said.
Today and Tomorrow stories:- Profile: Collingswood
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While many teachers at Collingswood schools have seen their class sizes shrink over the past decade, the number of students in Alyce DelCastillo's classes has doubled in the last five years. - Collingswood booms with robust business districts
There's no doubt about it - business in Collingswood is booming. - Slowly, but surely, town's population is becoming younger
Joan Ferrara can easily recall three neighbors on her street - all of whom were well into their sunset years - who have passed away in the past few years. - Library stays connected to town's changing ethnic patterns
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On the corner of Collings and Haddon avenues is a building that shines in the evening like a welcoming beacon on a mostly darkened street. It's The Living Room, a coffee house where locals and people from out of town gather to hear live music and have a good time. - What do you think will be different in Collingswood in 2010?
Donna Herbster, 31, owns Halo, a boutique on Haddon Avenueand lives above the store.