Our beautiful Main Library is located in the heart of the Friendly City on Broadway, next door to Municipal Hall. The Main Library offers all the innovative and award-winning services that you are used to, including: wifi, computers and printing, study and meeting spaces, superb customer service, and a plethora of programs for all ages.
History
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 East Long Branch Reading Room & Library Association 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.
