Party Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Lawrence Library

“Reliable” is the name of a poem that Jean Anderson wrote in honor of . In addition to being a local poet, Anderson is a member of the Friends of the Lawrence Library, a group of volunteers dedicated to supporting the library.

The poem, highlighting the many things the library has to offer, was shared during a party held at the library on Dec. 14 to celebrate the .

“Reliable” by Jean Anderson

That is our library. Whether housed as it was

In small rooms among stores in a strip mall,

Or in luxurious space with solar advantage,

Under visible sun, stars, a warehouse, its freight,

Trucks, transformed to a wellspring of learning.

Do you want to learn to master computers,

Play drums, knit, write your memoirs,

Poems, plays, watch or act in them? Watch

Your children make crafts, sing with musicians,

Listen to stories, learn to play with other? 

During the party, Lawrence Township Councilman Michael Powers shared a story from growing up in Lawrence. Powers, 43, said he remembers when a former trucking terminal stood where the library is now located at the corner of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) and Darrah Lane East.

In the winter, the Lawrence Township Little League used the old building for batting practice. “I hit a baseball from this podium,” he said, then added “I don’t think the librarians would like it if I did that again today.”

Powers recalled going to the library branch when it was still located in the Lawrence Shopping Center next to R&S Strauss to work on research papers. Back then, long before Google and other Internet search engines, he relied on the reference librarians for help, he said.

Pat Colavita, current chairman of the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders and former Lawrence Township mayor, identified himself as “a Lawrence neighbor and user of this library,” and told the library staff, “I congratulate you on 50 years. We are proud of this branch. Lawrence has great heritage.”

Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes spoke of the important of libraries throughout history and said that libraries will have even greater responsibilities in the next 50 years to help preserve history and knowledge.

In addition to the reading of Anderson’s poem, proclamations from Lawrence Township Council and Hughes and the county freeholders were read.

Eve Connolly, president of the Friends of the Lawrence Library, talked about the from The Library Journal, which rated over 7,500 libraries nationwide using a variety of criteria such as per capita circulation, visits, program attendance, and public Internet use.

In 2011 only three libraries in New Jersey earned the five-star rating; it was the fourth year in a row Mercer County’s library system earned five stars.

By using the library, Connolly told those gathered at the party, “you are helping us to earn our five stars.”

Pepper Evans, a frequent user of the library, said the library "is a lifeline for me."

The party included the distribution of cupcakes and the raffling of a Nook electronic book reader to one lucky patron.

The program was followed by a children’s concert with two-time Grammy award nominee Miss Amy.

Two special exhibits are on display in the library through the end of the year.

A collection of historical photographs of Lawrence Township can be found in the library’s East Lobby, while a collection of “altered” books is located in the Reference Department. Among the items in the latter display is a two-foot tall birthday cake made out of pages of the Dr. Seuss book “Happy Birthday to You!”

All Mercer County Library branches will be closed on Sunday, Dec. 25, and Monday, Dec. 26 for Christmas, and Sunday, Jan. 1, and Monday, Jan. 2, for the New Years holiday. The branches will close early at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve), and Saturday, Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve).