Jackson Branch Library

History:

A resolution adopted by the Jackson Township Committee in October 1973 created a seven member library committee to examine the feasibility of a library in Jackson Township. In November, five more members were added. Although another study committee had been formed in 1965, it wasn’t until the second group was established as a Library Commission in 1974 that a library became a possible.

The Commission asked the Jackson Board of Education to donate a parcel of land for the proposed library. A 2.34 acre parcel of land on Coventry Road was deeded to the Township for the site of the library. The name of the road has subsequently been changed to Don Connor Boulevard.

The decision to become a branch of the Ocean County Library, rather than a municipal library, was the result of the Commission’s examination of the dedicated library taxes paid to the County of Ocean, and the kind of services which could be provided through the County Library. A joint agreement was signed by the Jackson Library Commission, the Jackson Township Committee, and the Ocean County Library Commission.

The original plans for a building with a geodesic dome were rejected by the Township Committee in favor of a conventional structure, which was felt to be more aesthetically appropriate. Grand opening ceremonies of the Jackson Branch Library were held in July, 1978. Some books were still on the floor and the parking lot was not paved, but the residents were more than ready to begin using the new library.

The use of the library and materials in it expanded rapidly. By 1982, an addition was being considered. The Jackson Library Commission, which had become the Friends of the Jackson Library, reconsidered the concept of a geodesic dome, particularly in view of the fact that the addition was to be used as a children’s area. This time the Township Committee agreed, and funds for the project were appropriated. The new wing, which housed the children’s collection and a small staff room, was completed in time to celebrate the Branch’s sixth anniversary in July, 1984.

Since then, the population of Jackson has continued to increase along with the need for library services from the Branch. The 1990 Census recorded 33,233 Jackson residents who were being served by the crowded 4,000 square foot facility. Library customers include many families with young children; therefore a second full-time Children’s Librarian was added to the staff.

The library was located on Don Connor Boulevard (formerly Coventry Road), .3 miles from Route 528, between the Jackson Senior Center and the Jackson Memorial High School. It is located in the geographical center of Jackson Township, which is 100 square miles, but in a largely undeveloped area of the township.

The Jackson Library was a single story structure including the attached geodesic dome for the children’s collections and programs. Inside the dome are brightly colored shelves which line the perimeter and extend like spokes of a wheel towards the center of the room. The main room includes a circulation desk and a reference desk. Several wallpaper murals decorate the room, but are largely covered up by shelving as the collection continues to expand. The branch staff shared a work area behind the circulation desk, and there is a separate staff lounge. There are no private offices, and the building is handicapped accessible.