FRANKLIN TWP., Oct. 29, 2009 – The Warren County Library’s Franklin Branch reopened today after a brief closure, in time to celebrate its 20-year anniversary.
The library and the Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders marked the occasion with a “welcome back” party featuring cake, cider and visit from the library system’s brand-new Bookmobile, which went into service on Monday, Oct. 26.
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Freeholder Director Richard D. Gardner and Freeholder Everett A. Chamberlain bookend the staff of the Franklin Branch during their “welcome back” celebration.
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The library branch, located in Warren County Technical School on Route 57, was closed for about a week due to security concerns the school had over sharing its facility with the publicly accessible library.
Warren County Library Director Maureen Baker Wilkinson said those issues were resolved, allowing the library to continue functioning. Access was re-established to rest rooms located in the high school and fire doors that were locked are usable again, she said.
Library officials said the Freeholder board was instrumental in getting the situation resolved. Freeholder Director Richard D. Gardner, who attended the celebration, noted the library is a valuable resource to the citizens of Warren County. Gardner said he had many telephone calls from the public about the closing, and met on Wednesday with Warren Tech officials to resolve the issue.
“I’m just very pleased the library is reopened and we have the opportunity to celebrate 20 years of shared service” with the technical school, said Freeholder Everett A. Chamberlain, who also visited the library branch for yesterday’s event. “I look forward to many more years of shared service that benefits the school and surrounding communities,” Chamberlain added.
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Library patron Veronica Orlans, 7, shows the 20-year anniversary card she made for the library to Senior Library Assistant Anne Sottile, who has worked in the branch since it opened.
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One happy library patron was seven-year-old Veronica Orlans of Lopatcong, who was so excited about the reopening that she made a large card, decorated with fireworks and smiley faces, that read “Happy 20th Anniversary Franklin. We love you!!”
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“She’s home-schooled, that’s why we love this library so much,” Veronica’s mother, Maryrose Orlans. Referring to library staffer Anne Sottile, Orlans noted, “Miss Anne knows how to pick out materials” suitable for the young reader and learner.
Sottile, a senior library assistant, has worked at the branch since the day it opened. Referring to the branch’s 20-year anniversary, she remarked, “It doesn’t seem possible, but it is.”
Branch Manager Lyn Thompson noted the busy location circulated more than 90,000 items last year.
The Franklin Branch was the first satellite location developed by the county library, which is headquartered in Belvidere. The county system now includes the Northeast Branch in Independence Township, the Catherine Dickson Hofman Branch in Blairstown, and a federation agreement allowing county library cardholders to use the Phillipsburg Free Public Library.
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Bookmobile Manager Angela Lundgren shows Freeholder Everett A. Chamberlain the new vehicle.
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The other service outlet for the county system is the Bookmobile. The colorful new Bookmobile was parked outside the Franklin Branch during the celebration, and Wilkinson noted, “It’s sure a good way to tell everybody we’re back.”
The Bookmobile is a 2009 Freightliner chassis modified by Matthews Specialty Vehicles, Inc. of Greensboro, NC. It replaced the previous vehicle, a 1993 model in service some 15 years.
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Paul Kollak, 4, and Julia Schneider, check out a book inside the new Bookmobile.
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The new model carries more than 2,000 books, geared primarily toward early literacy as it visits pre-schools throughout the county, said Bookmobile Manager Angela Lundgren.
“They love the bookmobile,” Lundgren said, referring to the children who use it, and noted their teachers do, too, as it includes books that educators can utilize. There also is a smaller collection for adults, as the Bookmobile makes some stops at adult communities in the county.
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