Search Results

In memory of Terry A. Thompson The Board of Trustees of the Bernardsville Library Foundation extends its deepest sympathy to the family of Terry Armstrong Thompson, who passed away, peacefully on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Terry Thompson was a dear friend and a loyal patron of the Bernardsville Library. Terry joined the Friends of the Bernardsville Library soon after moving to Bernardsville in the mid-1980s. Terry was then appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Bernardsville Library, and did so for many years, serving for a time as Board Secretary and as President of the Library Board. In 2010, Terry was instrumental in establishing the Bernardsville Library Foundation. She spent many hours helping to interview and establish the inaugural group of trustees and officers of the Foundation. As a lawyer, Terry was incredibly helpful in structuring the mission and bylaws of the organization. Terry generously donated the seed money to help get the Bernardsville Library Foundation started on its mission of fundraising for the Bernardsville Public Library. Terry’s devotion to the town of Bernardsville, and in particular to the Bernardsville Public Library, was unmatched. She will be dearly missed by the trustees of the Bernardsville Library Foundation.

Our Foundation Mission and Vision Board Members Meeting Dates Financials

In Memory of Edward English After retiring, Ed became a super volunteer in Bernardsville. He was an active volunteer for the Bernardsville Library, the Bernardsville Library Foundation, and the Friends of the Bernardsville Library, using his filmmaking background and photographic skills to help publicize library events with short videos and photos. He also documented library events, such as the library’s role in the community during Superstorm Sanday, and created beautiful photographic albums of the Homes of Distinction fundraisers hosted by the Foundation. In addition, Ed served on the Board of Adjustment, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Green Team, the Shade Tree Committee, and the Open Space Advisory Committee, as well as managing, marketing, and significantly expanding the Bernardsville Farmers' Market, now a fixture and destination in Bernardsville. He was awarded The Bernardsville Environmental Commission Stewardship Award in 2014; the Bernardsville Service Award in 2017; and the Bernardsville Outstanding Volunteer Service Award in 2022.

In Memory of Eugene Kalkin The Bernardsville Library Foundation mourns the loss of one of its Honorary Trustees, Eugene Kalkin, who passed away on November 14, 2023. Eugene Kalkin, a resident of Bernardsville for more than 40 years, was a trailblazer in the retail industry. He founded Linens ‘n Things in 1975 which started as a chain of 8 stores. By the time Mr. Kalkin sold the company in 1983, Linens ‘n Things had grown to 55 stores becoming one of the largest specialty retailers of home textiles, housewares, and decorative home accessories in the country. Mr. Kalkin was a graduate of the University of Vermont School of Business Administration. He spearheaded the campaign to construct a new home for what is now known as the Grossman School of Business, giving one of the largest donations every received by UVM at the time. Kalkin Hall at UVM was named in honor of Mr. Kalkin’s philanthropic efforts for the university. Eugene and his late wife Joan were also supporters of the Bernardsville Library Foundation. We are grateful to Eugene Kalkin for his years of service to this organization as an honorary trustee and we send our deepest condolences to his family.

Support Us Please Support Us There are many ways to support the Bernardsville Library Foundation. Donations to the Endowment are carefully invested to ensure that library operations will be supported for generations to come. With your generous support, we have doubled the size of the Endowment for the Bernardsville Public Library since 2022. Donations to the Annual Appeal go into our General Fund which helps support current library operations. Since 2011, the Foundation has granted $800,000 to the Bernardsville Public Library to help support the Bernardsville Public Library's daily operations. Library Giving Day is a national day of fundraising for libraries and library foundations across the country. The next Library Giving Day is Thursday, April 1, 2027. In 2026 we raised $21,990 to help support the Bernardsville Public Library 2025 operational budget. Thank you! Planned Giving, also known as Legacy Giving, is a way to secure the future of the Bernardsville Public Library by supporting this institution in your estate planning. Volunteer - The Bernardsville Library Foundation is always looking for volunteers to help us with library fundraising events, donor development, marketing, and database management. If you love the Bernardsville Library and wish to join our Board of Trustees to help us maintain the excellence in library services, we'd love to meet you. To speak to one of our board members about the many volunteer opportunities we have, please email us at foundation@bernardsvillelibrary.org or call our dedicated phone line: 908-766-2634. Your support, in any way you choose to give, is greatly appreciated! Thank you for supporting the library! Email: foundation@bernardsvillelibrary.org Phone: 908-766-2634 Registered Charity EIN#: 27-4485942 Annual Appeal CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS Endowment Library Giving Day Planned Giving Volunteer

Building Community Programs Learning Opportunities VITA tax preparation for seniors LinkedIn Learning Workshops on a variety of topics such as cooking, estate planning, and healthcare Meditation and relaxation classes Art exhibitions Yoga For a complete list of upcoming events, please click here .

Endowment The Bernardsville Library Foundation was formed in 2011, with the purpose of raising private funding f or the town's public library so that the library would be able to continue to operate at a level of excellence without regard to variations in public funding. The Bernardsville Library Foundation Endowment was established at about the same time, with the purpose of raising additional funds, which invested over time, would produce enough interest income to offset the gap between municipal funding and the public library's operational budget. The Endowment is currently valued at $1,134,992 (as of 05/31/2026) . With the help of generous donors and corporate partners, th e Foundation hopes to raise the total value of the Endowment to $2.5 million by 2028. Donate

Building Community Library Events Author Lectures Mahjong ESL Programs Evening Book Club and Daytime Memoirs & Coffee Book Club Access to the Local History Room Many Other Programs for Children, Teens & Adults For a complete list of upcoming events, please click here .

Building Community LIBRARY HOURS Mon – Thurs: 10 am – 9 pm Friday: 10 am – 5 pm Saturday: 10 am – 2 pm Sunday: 1 pm- 5 pm Building/ location The Bernardsville Library, located in the heart of downtown Bernardsville, NJ, is a designated emergency shelter for members of the community in times of power outages and natural disasters such as Super Storm Sandy. Meeting and conference rooms are available for community use. The Library offers safe, well-lit study and tutoring space for students.

Join Us The Bernardsville Library Foundation is made up of residents of Bernardsville and surrounding towns, who support the Bernardsville Public Library and believe strongly in the mission of the Foundation. Our volunteer Board of Trustees meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM in the Quiet Room of the Bernardsville Public Library. We are always looking for new members who can help us raise funds for the library, as well as those who have a legal background, a financial background, experience in grant writing, public relations, or photography. To find out more about membership in the Bernardsville Library Foundation or to volunteer to help us in any of the areas mentioned, please complete the form below or send us an email: Foundation@BernardsvilleLibrary.org Thank you for supporting the Bernardsville Public Library by supporting our Foundation. First Name Last Name Email Subject: Please select Type Your Message Here Send Thank you for submitting!

Building Community Resources Library Resources Membership in MAIN Library Alliance , a cooperative of 60+ public libraries in New Jersey offering our library patrons access to over 3 million items to discover. Books, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers, movies, and tv programs available to borrow Downloadable books, audiobooks, Craftsy, Crafts en Espanol, Indieflix, Quello Concerts, and The Great Courses Library collection, are available to borrow online via LIBBY . Downloadable books, audiobooks, music, movies and TV shows are available to borrow via Hoopla Computers, laptops and Chromebooks are available at the library for patron usage Access to printers.

Building Community Children Summer Reading Programs for children and teens Volunteer opportunities