About the Library
Main Library
Written by Janice Grace, Local History Room Manager & Long Branch Historian
In 1878 the East Long Branch Reading Room & Library Association was formed. With a vision and a borrowed room, a group of 30 women started the first library in Long Branch. After two years and great success, these early members knew they needed a larger space. They built Library Hall on lower Broadway to expand their lending library, and also to provide a place for lectures, tea parties, musicals, and other events for the villagers in the rapidly growing town.
By 1916 the ELBRR&LA women were ready for major change. Andrew Carnegie was offering grants for towns to build public libraries. The founders turned over their project to the city and it became Long Branch Public Library. Today the Main Library is one of only 17 Carnegie buildings in NJ that are still in use as a library, and as it was then, today it remains a vital part in the life of the city.
Elberon Branch Library
Written by Janice Grace, Local History Room Manager & Long Branch Historian
Founded in 1900, the Elberon Branch began as a private-subscription library in the rented parlor of the Rudloff House on Old Stone Rd. (Norwood Ave.). The library served residents in the Elberon section of Long Branch, that included Ocean Twp. area at the time (Ocean Twp. cites it as their 1st library). The early seasons ran from June through October, at a cost of $100.
Their next move into the King Building (behind the current Elberon Post Office) was temporary while the “Ladies of Elberon Library” raised enough money for a new building. While no deal could be struck to purchase the land on Lincoln Ave., they did obtain a 21-year lease at no cost. In 1911 their new building opened for the season. They would operate until 1943 when Mrs. Hamilton F. Kean gifted the property deed to the Bd. of Trustees, finally giving them a permanent home. But by 1992 private subscriptions could no longer support the library, and the city purchased it for $1. Today It continues as an active branch in the Long Branch library system.
