The first regular Library Commission meeting of 2026 was well attended by the public and saw important updates from the library director, who gave her first report of the new year. She reminded the public that the Warren County Library branches will be closed on March 11 for an in-service staff training day.
The reopening of the Catherine Dickson Hofman Branch increased circulation by 32%, door-counts were up 15% across all branches, with Catherine Dickson seeing a monthly door-count of approximately 4,200 patrons. Staff have adapted to the increased circulation as well as the closure of the library system’s longtime book vendor, and have received positive feedback about the addition of two new library apps: Libby and LOTE4Kids. Museum passes will be reintroduced thanks to the Friends of the Library and the Catherine Dickson board of trustees.
Following the director’s report, the public was allowed to make comments, and several people voiced concern with the lack of transparency especially regarding library bylaws.
Commissioner Debroah Pasquarelli would not confirm whether the public would be allowed to see the bylaws before they were voted into effect in the February meeting. She also rejected the idea of waiting to vote on the bylaws in order to allow the public access to their contents. This caused major concern from the public because the current library bylaws state that an amendment must be voted on “provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting.”
Sandy Roberts, founder of Warren County Freedom to Read, ended her comment with a statement she has brought to countless meetings, which was echoed in comments by other members of the public: “Transparency matters, accountability matters. There’s a lot of trust that has been lost between the public and this commission, this would be a wonderful opportunity to rebuild that transparency.”
The next meeting for the Warren County Library Commission will be held on Feb. 24, 2026 at 5:30pm at the Richard D. Gardner Branch or online via Zoom.
Julien Smith is a student journalist from Northwest New Jersey. He has had a lifelong fascination with all things journalism, and mentors elementary and middle school aged kids with the program “Indy Kids” in NYC. He lives in between Hope and Blairstown, and usually can be found puttering around his garden or with his nose in a textbook.
- Julien Smith, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/julien-smith-contributing-writer/
- Julien Smith, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/julien-smith-contributing-writer/
- Julien Smith, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/julien-smith-contributing-writer/
- Julien Smith, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/julien-smith-contributing-writer/
