Helen Bradley's Gift
The history of the Asbury Park Public Library begins November 23, 1878 with the formation of the Asbury Park and Ocean Grove Library Association, presided over by Helen M. Bradley, wife of the city's founder, James Adam Bradley.
James Bradley donated two building lots at the southwest corner of First and Grand Avenues to the Library Association for the construction of a library, and he himself worked with an unnamed New York City architect in 1881 to design the new building which was to house an auditorium and museum in addition to a library.
The building was built in the Queen Anne Style and the most characteristic stylistic element was a high tower at the northeast corner of the structure. The integrity and expression of the building's style was greatly compromised and diminished by the removal of the tower and an associated chimney and gable in 1930.
The people of the city voted at a referendum on November 13, 1897 to create a "municipal free public library", and take over the operation of the building as a publicly owned and municipally operated facility. In 1901 another referendum gave approval to a bond issue to complete purchase of the building and completion of construction.
The Asbury Park Public Library has a collection of over 100,000 titles and has been serving the Asbury Park area for over 137 years. We have thousands of registered patrons and in addition to serving our local community we also lend materials to other libraries all over the county, state, and even the world.
Mission
The mission of the Asbury Park Public Library is to provide quality, cost-effective services, and lifelong learning opportunities, through books and a variety of other formats, to meet the informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs and interests of its diverse population.
The library acquires, organizes and provides books and other relevant materials, ensures access to information sources throughout the nation and the world, serves the public with expert and caring assistance, and reaches out to all members of the community.
The library especially recognizes the responsibility to serve as a place for children to discover the joy of reading, the importance of literacy, and the value of libraries.
The library is a forum for all points of views and adheres to the principles of the intellectual freedom as stated in the Library Bill of Rights promulgated by the American Library Association.
Adopted by the Board of Trustees - April 7, 2006
