Maplewood Library Turns 100 This Spring

The Maplewood Memorial Library will turn 100 years old this month, and the town is planning a year of activities and events to celebrate this key milestone in the life of the town.

"We are kicking off our centennial festivities with birthday cake, games, prizes and music at both the Main Library and Hilton Branch Library on Tuesday, April 30 at 4 p.m.," said Library Director Sarah Lester in a recent interview.

The Library Board of Trustees will present "The Centennial Quiz" on Thursday, May 23 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Columbia High School. In this community-wide family friendly game show fundraiser hosted by Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca, competing teams will square off to answer questions about the library, the town and special "Wild Card" questions.

The show will be broadcast live on SOMA-TV. To register as a participant or just an audience member, email programs@maplewoodlibrary.org or call (973) 762-1622 x5003. All proceeds will support the library.

This fall, the Library Foundation will host a Centennial Library Gala. More information will be upcoming about that.

The Township Committee issued a centennial proclamation at the township meeting on April 16.

The library's genesis can be traced to the spring of 1913, when five prominent local women met to discuss the launching of Maplewood's first public library. 

The first regular meeting of the Maplewood Library Association was held on April 30 of that year, and the Maplewood Library was formally established in the building that is now the Maplewood Post Office on Maplewood Avenue. (That building also served as a school, Town Hall and Police Headquarters).

In 1956, the Baker Street Branch was opened, and the Hilton Branch opened shortly after in 1959.

Thanks to two grants, the library has been digitizing its entire newspaper collection from 1915 to the present. The project will be completed in June, and the library plans to host an exhibit.

But Lester said the celebrations "are not just to talk about our past. [Instead], it's 'here we are in 2013, how do we become a 21st century library, and what does that mean?'"

In fact, the library conducted a community survey that found that the institution is very well-used by the community, with over 1,000 people visiting the two branches each day and 87% of residents having a library card -- a very high number, said Lester.

The survey results tie in with the library's Strategic Plan, which has been in the making for some time and will be released in the early summer, said Lester.

"[Hurricane] Sandy changed people's perception of the library," said Lester. "Before that, people had no idea" of the integral role the library plays in the community. 

Lester turned to look out the window as students from Maplewood Middle School were dismissed for the day, many of them making their way to the library.

"Look at those kids," she said. "They're our future."