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Overview
Established in 1881, the award-winning Plainfield Public Library serves Plainfield’s residential, educational, and business communities through a central 45,000sf facility that is open six days and four evenings a week. Through inter-local agreements, the Library also serves residents of many neighboring towns. The Library houses over 70,000 volumes, including 14,000 special collection items, and employs approximately 38 full and part time staff members. Eighteen of the part-time staff are grant funded and work in our Literacy program.
Centrally located with free parking, the Library is heavily used as a community meeting place. Meeting rooms of various-sizes are available to the public for programs, meetings, tutoring, and private study. Special events, such as town-hall meetings and awards programs, are regularly sponsored by community organizations. The Library itself presents a variety of special events, such as exhibits by local artists and photographers, thematic local history exhibits, lectures, candidate forums, computer training, and children’s activities. The basic services of the Library are funded by the City of Plainfield. Grants from private and government agencies provide funds for upgrading and enhancing services. In 2024, the library was officially designated as a “Book Sanctuary”.
In accordance with the legal requirements of the State of New Jersey, the Library is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees. Five community members, who serve five-year rotating terms, are appointed by the Mayor, subject to the approval of the City Council. The Mayor and Superintendent of Schools, or their appointed delegates, also sit as Trustees for the length of their terms.
(updated 9/2024)
Our Vision
To be the center of cultural enrichment and information for lifelong learning for the Plainfield community.
Our Mission
The Plainfield Public Library will provide all citizens of Plainfield full and equal access to information resources, technologies, and programs for a lifetime of learning and cultural enrichment, by promoting literacy, preserving the history of the community, and serving as a community center.
Our Key Services
Plainfield Public Library offers many award-winning services:
- The Adult Literacy Program is a volunteer-based program that provides support in ESL (English as a Second Language), Citizenship, GED preparation, basic skills, and computer training for adult learners.
- Youth Services for all ages are conducted in the unique “Reading Rainforest,” a magical space for children and parents. Popular programs include storytime, craft day, game day, school class visits, Friday films, the annual Summer Reading Club, and Reading Is Fundamental™.
- Special Collections houses one of the finest local history collections in New Jersey, containing rare local, county and statewide resources. Many of its resources, including digitized newspapers, photographs and thumbnail views of the Library’s exceptional fine arts collection can be located through the collections index and searched online via the collections database.
- Computer Services include free public-access Internet computers, WIFI accessibility, Computer Training, and the Job Search Assistance Center that became available in 2012. The Children’s Library provides additional Internet computers for homework assistance, handheld tablets, and a SmartTable.
- The Plainfield Public Library is an officially designated Passport Acceptance Facility, where you can apply for a passport and get a photo. Expedited processing is available.
- Volunteers are an important resource of the Plainfield Public Library, with approximately 25 volunteers assisting in the delivery of library services. Opportunities are available in nearly every department:
- Adult Literacy trains volunteers to be office assistants and/or tutors for our ESL and GED programs.
- Children’s Library seeks adults and teens to help with crafts, after-school homework assistance to elementary students and to help with large summer programs.
- Local History trains for a variety of fascinating archival projects from indexing to digitization.
- User Services include a variety of services residents find useful: fliers about community events, self-service fax machine, and self-check-out borrowing and return.