Some South Jersey Municipalities Want to Move Libraries Off Beachfront, Put Land on Tax Rolls
From the Press of Atlantic City:
The Wildwood Crest branch of the Cape May County Library sits in a prized location, right on the beachfront at Ocean Avenue — and that’s why the borough is moving it two blocks away.
Having such prime beachfront real estate used for a public library might seem like a waste at a time when municipalities are looking for every source of tax revenue available.
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But not all towns are looking to put some distance between books and the beach. Stone Harbor is planning to build its library branch adjacent to the Atlantic, complete with pristine views. So is a seaside library worth it? Or do the drawbacks outweigh the positives?
In October, the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders awarded a $5.3 million contract to build a 13,500-square-foot library, a structure that will be almost twice as large as the existing library branch. Construction is expected to be completed by this time next year.
Filed under: Libraries, Public Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com. Gary is also the co-founder of infoDJ an innovation research consultancy supporting corporate product and business model teams with just-in-time fact and insight finding.
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