On Sat., May 21, 55 guests showed up and pledged a total of more than $10,000 of contributions toward Mendham Township library’s operating budget.  Clare Button and Eric Mauriello, Mendam Township Library trustees, greeted guests at the home of Celeste and Bruce Pellegrino for an evening of wine tasting, education, pledging and socialization.

Eric gave a 10-minute overview of the library’s charter including the fundraising plans for 2016.  These include investing in additional e-readers, live educational programs, e-books, computer work stations and other ideas.

The Mendham Township Library is an “Association Library” which is different than most public municipal libraries such as Chester or Bernardsville. These libraries receive a guaranteed portion of the municipal taxes which is calculated by a predetermined formula.  An association library’s funding is not guaranteed and comes in the form of contributions from the local community and Mendham Township.

Fund raising events such as this one are a necessary part of keeping the library services available to the community.