A short list of everything that's changed at the library

Things have been changing fast for us these days, so we wanted to put all of the changes that have happened at the library in the past few months into a single place.

What’s New

  • COVID Restrictions: As of Monday, March 7th, the library’s mask mandate has been lifted. Masks are now optional for patrons and staff. Social distancing is recommended but will not be enforced.

  • Programming: In-person programming will be starting again on March 8th, but some programs will remain virtual indefinitely. Please check the calendar for details on specific events. We record most of our virtual events and post them to YouTube and Facebook, so check there for hundreds of videos of both children and adult programming!

  • Contactless Pick-Up: You may have noticed the big, beautiful new locker system outside the library! This locker system allows patrons to pick up their materials at any time of the day, regardless of whether or not we are open. Our hope is that this will make our collection available to every single person in the community, even if their work hours prevent them from visiting us when we are open. Details on how to use these lockers can be found here. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant CAG-ML-FY20.

  • We are now fine-free. We still charge for lost or damaged items, but late items will not receive a late fee. Learn more about our reasoning for doing so here.

  • Thanks to a generous grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Sciences and administered by the NJLA, our Labor and Literacy Lab is now open for one-on-one tutoring! This will eventually be a full-blown computer lab with 14 computers, a smartboard, and printing, and offering regular Internet Computing and Core Certification (IC3) courses, but for the moment, our two new instructors, Emily and Victoria, are offering one-on-one tutoring services.

    • What we can help with:

      • One-on-one computer and mobile device tutoring

      • Resume building

      • Interview prep

      • Help with online job searching and applications

      • Building LinkedIn Profiles

      • Connections with employment resources, including the Monmouth County Workforce Development division and local American Jobs Centers

      • Test proctoring

      • GED Test Prep

    • Hours Tutoring is available:

      • Monday: 10 AM - 3 PM

      • Tuesday: 1 PM - 3 PM

      • Wednesday: 1 PM - 3 PM

      • Thursday: 1 PM - 3 PM

From left to right: Instructor Victoria Rubio, tech guy and lab guide Matt Hershberger, and instructor Emily Miller.

  • Thanks to the NJSL CARES Mini Grant, we were able to significantly enhance our on-site wireless network for the public. Our wifi now extends over the entire library property.

  • The RBPL-run Story Walk in Riverside Gardens Park now also has a Little Free Library! Help yourself to these free books, we add new books regularly.

  • Our Book Sale room has reopened! We also put out a cart of books that are available for free on our front porch most days.

  • Our Nintendo Switch is once again available for anyone who would like to play it, as long as there is no event in the Meeting Room! Ask to play at the Children’s Desk. The following games are available:

    • Super Mario Party

    • Mario Party Superstars

    • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

    • 1-2 Switch

    • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

    • Pokken Tournament

    • Fortnite

    • Plants vs. Zombies

    • FIFA 2021

    • Pokemon Snap

  • Early in the pandemic, we launched a weekly newsletter which includes news and events. Sign up for the newsletter and program-specific newsletters here.

  • Need to hold a virtual meeting but don’t have a Zoom account? We’ve got you covered with our Virtual Meeting Room. Learn more here.

  • The Local History Room is still closed to the public, but if you’d like to set up an appointment to see something in it, you can email bpickell@redbanklibrary.org.

  • We’ve added historic photo collections, city directories, oral histories, and more yearbooks to our digitized online archive.

  • We became a Candid Affiliated Library, giving local non-profits access to Foundation Directory Online’s massive funding database. This is available on-site only, so come in and ask us about it!

Coming Soon

  • In the next few months, we will be offering 20 new Google Chromebooks for checkout.

  • We will be getting 20 new laptops for use in-library.