Ridgewood Library
Public Library · Bergen County
14 people are enrolled in a State pension fund through Ridgewood Library, reporting a median pensionable salary of $67,243.
As a public library in Bergen County, Ridgewood Library falls under New Jersey's Title 11A civil service system, which governs competitive hiring, classification, and promotion for its employees.
It is one of 50 confirmed civil service jurisdictions in Bergen County.
About public libraries in New Jersey
Many New Jersey public libraries are set up as legally separate entities from the municipality that funds them, with their own board and their own personnel decisions. That separation is why a town and its library can end up with different civil service status even though most residents think of them as the same organization.
See all 50 civil service jurisdictions in Bergen County, or browse the full employer directory.
Who is on the pension rolls at Ridgewood Library
14 people are enrolled in a State-administered pension fund through Ridgewood Library. That is a count of active memberships reported by the employer, not a payroll headcount: anyone not enrolled in one of these funds does not appear in this data at all, and no separate headcount for a New Jersey local employer is published anywhere we can check against.
| Fund | Name | Members | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| PERS | Public Employees' Retirement System | 14 | 100% |
Pensionable salary at Ridgewood Library
Half of the pension-enrolled workforce at Ridgewood Library reports a pensionable salary above $67,243 and half below, across 14 members with a reported figure.
| Point in the distribution | Pensionable salary |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $51,572 |
| 25th percentile | $60,117 |
| Median | $67,243 |
| 75th percentile | $72,217 |
| 90th percentile | $74,825 |
The range runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile because the extremes are not informative: the lowest reported figures belong to part-time and partial-year members, whose credited salary is a fraction of a full-time equivalent.
Among the 25 civil service jurisdictions in the same county with pension data, that median sits at the 8th percentile, below the county's midpoint of $80,210. Against the 9 bodies of the same kind statewide, it sits at the 100th percentile.
These figures are pensionable salary reported to the NJ Division of Pensions and Benefits for the four most recent quarters, not total pay and not take-home pay. Snapshot of March 31, 2026. How we compile this.
How long people stay at Ridgewood Library
The median enrolled member at Ridgewood Library has 11.2 years of credited service, with the middle half falling between 7.8 and 18.8 years. 14% have passed twenty years, which matters locally because retirement eligibility and the pension formula both turn on service credit.
| Credited service | Members | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years | 3 | 21% |
| 5 to 10 years | 2 | 14% |
| 10 to 15 years | 3 | 21% |
| 15 to 20 years | 4 | 29% |
| 20 to 25 years | 1 | 7% |
| 25 years or more | 1 | 7% |
Membership tier records which pension rules a member was hired under, so the mix is a rough picture of how recently a workforce turned over. At Ridgewood Library, 57% sit in the most recently hired cohort.
| Membership tier | Members | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (longest-serving cohort) | 5 | 36% |
| Tier 2 | 1 | 7% |
| Tier 5 (most recently hired cohort) | 8 | 57% |
Other public employers in Ridgewood Village
The pension system reports these separate public employers in Ridgewood Village. Each is its own employer for pension purposes, and only some are civil service jurisdictions — school boards, charter schools and parking authorities are ordinary public employers that were never part of Title 11A. Names link only where the body appears in this directory.
| Employer | Enrolled members |
|---|---|
| RIDGEWOOD TWP BD OF ED | 651 |
| RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE | 269 |
| RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY (this page) | 14 |
What civil service status means for jobs at Ridgewood Library
A New Jersey public library is usually a legally separate employer from the town that funds it, run by its own board of trustees, with its own director and its own hiring. That separation is why a library and its municipality can end up on opposite sides of the civil service line even though residents think of them as one government.
The library ladder is defined statewide. Librarian 1 through Librarian 4 are the professional titles, and they carry a real credential floor: a master's degree from an ALA-accredited library school plus a New Jersey Professional Librarian Certificate. Below that line sit the library assistant, library associate and library page titles, where education and experience take the place of the MLS.
New Jersey does not require an employer to hire whoever scored highest. When a list is certified, the appointing authority may choose among the top three interested candidates, which is why a rank of two or three on a list is still a serious position and why interviews still decide outcomes.
Not every position at a civil service employer is competitive. The classified service is divided into competitive, noncompetitive and labor titles, and above that sits the unclassified service, which covers department heads, confidential aides and similar positions filled without an examination. Which division a title sits in decides how you get it, so read the specification before assuming there is an exam.
Civil service employers in Ridgewood Village
Ridgewood Library serves Ridgewood Village, a village in Bergen County, but it is in the listing as a public library on its own account rather than as part of the village government.
The Ridgewood Village government is listed too: Ridgewood Village. Both run under Title 11A, and both certify their own appointments, so applying to one tells you nothing about openings at the other.
Civil service titles used by New Jersey public libraries
Real classifications that New Jersey public libraries draw on, each linked to its official specification: the definition of the work, the requirements, and any licence the title depends on. A sample of the system rather than a roster or a list of openings.
Civil service coverage across Bergen County
Bergen County holds 50 confirmed jurisdictions in the Commission's listing: 21 municipalities, 20 public libraries, 4 boards of health, 1 board of social services, 1 county government, 1 housing authority, 1 school district, and 1 municipal utilities authority.
21 of the county's 70 municipalities are among them.
Bergen County is a jurisdiction too, though a county's decision does not bind the towns, authorities, libraries or districts inside it.
Also in the directory: North Arlington Board of Health, North Arlington Borough, North Arlington Library, Oakland Borough, Oakland Library, Park Ridge Borough, Park Ridge Library, Ridgewood Village. See all 50 in Bergen County.
Common questions about Ridgewood Library
Is Ridgewood Library a civil service employer?
Yes. Ridgewood Library appears in the New Jersey Civil Service Commission's listing of local civil service system jurisdictions as of July 2024, which makes it an appointing authority under Title 11A. Permanent appointments to competitive titles there come from eligible lists the Commission certifies, rather than from purely local hiring.
Does civil service status at Ridgewood Library cover the rest of Ridgewood Village?
No. Ridgewood Village has more than one employer in the listing, and each holds its own status, runs its own examinations and keeps its own eligible lists. Seniority and permanent status earned at one do not transfer automatically to another, even inside the same town.
How long does it take to get hired through this process?
Longer than an ordinary job application, and the timing is not in the hands of the employer. An announcement has to close, the examination has to be held and scored, the eligible list has to be promulgated, and only then can the employer request a certification. Several months between filing and an appointment is normal rather than a sign that something has gone wrong.
Does the Civil Service Commission decide who gets hired?
No. The Commission runs the examination, ranks the candidates and certifies the list. The employer is the appointing authority: it decides whether to fill the position at all and which of the reachable candidates to appoint. That division is why a high score improves your odds without guaranteeing anything.
How many Ridgewood Library employees are in a State pension system?
14 active memberships are reported through Ridgewood Library, split across 14 in PERS. This counts pension enrolment rather than payroll, so employees who are not in one of these funds are not included.
What is the median pensionable salary at Ridgewood Library?
$67,243, with the middle half of members between $60,117 and $72,217. These figures are pensionable salary reported to the NJ Division of Pensions and Benefits for the four most recent quarters, not total pay and not take-home pay. It excludes overtime and most supplemental pay, and it is before tax, before the member's own pension contribution and before health premiums.
How does pay at Ridgewood Library compare with the rest of Bergen County?
Its median pensionable salary of $67,243 sits at the 8th percentile among the 25 civil service jurisdictions in Bergen County with pension data, where the midpoint jurisdiction reports $80,210. Local pay is set by ordinance rather than a State schedule, so spreads inside one county are wide.
How long do people stay at Ridgewood Library?
The median enrolled member has 11.2 years of credited service, and 14% have passed twenty years. Credited service drives both retirement eligibility and the pension formula, so a long-tenured workforce usually means fewer open competitive appointments in the near term.