The Burlington County Commissioners and the Burlington County Library System recently celebrated the completion of a $1-million makeover at the Pemberton branch library.
Residents of all ages joined state, county and local officials to commemorate the improvements and the branch’s 25th anniversary. The 18,000-square-foot facility is one of its largest and most popular in the county system.
The Pemberton library first opened in 2001, the result of merging the Browns Mills and Pemberton Borough branches. Last year, it hosted 525 programs, saw more than 90,000 visitors and facilitated more than 50,000 check-outs.
“Our libraries are spaces for communities. They are places to gather, meet, interact, learn and to play,” said Burlington County Library Commission chair Jonathan Chebra. “The improvements to the Pemberton library were a strategic investment in this community. “
“People go to the libraries to learn and to spark their curiosity and their imagination,” noted county Commissioner Ty Burrell. “That happens in our Burlington County libraries every day, and they continue to make long-lasting impacts.
“Today,” he added at the makeover, “we celebrate the Pemberton library and its value as a trusted resource for residents in Pemberton and the surrounding communities.”
The renovations and enhancements were completed over the last two years with funding from two state grants. The first was a $1-million New Jersey Special Purpose Grant secured by state Sen. Troy Singleton in the 2023 state budget for improvements not only at Pemberton, but other library system branches.
The system used $250,000 of that grant for improvements to the Pemberton library’s children’s room. The second grant was a $750,000 Community Center Digital Connect Grant awarded to the library system by the New Jersey State Library.
Visitors at the Pemberton library makeover celebration learned about a 3D printer and other services and programs added to the county library system branch.
Nearly the entire interior space at Pemberton was renovated and enhanced to make better use of the available space. Besides the redesigned children’s room, the improvements include a new children’s learning center to host programs focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) initiatives and digital skill-building for children and their families; new small-group meeting rooms; a new technology lab; and a new teen tech lounge.
The library reference desk has also been redesigned and repurposed to create a centrally-located reference/circulation services point with public-access computers, lounge seating and general use worktables.
The grant secured by Singleton will also help fund planned improvements at the library system’s main branch in Westampton and at the Cinnaminson and Evesham libraries. The improvements planned in Cinnaminson will include renovations to the main floor restrooms and the redesign of some existing spaces.
Upgrades at the Evesham library include retrofitting the existing space to increase the size of the public meeting and activity room, improvements to the children’s room and a technology center. That work – and the improvements in Cinnaminson – are expected to begin later this year.
