It was fitting that township officials recognized Earth Day and National Library Week back to back.
As Vicky Binetti, chair of the environmental commission, said in her remarks, “the library are wonderful partners.”
Proclamations were presented to members of the township Environmental Commission and the Mary E. Heggan Free Public Library at a council meeting on April 22.
Throughout the month of April and leading up to the celebrations of Earth Day on April 22, as well as Arbor Day, the commission hosted a number of ways to celebrate.
Many programs were held at Heggan library, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, including reptiles and raptors; attracting butterflies to backyards; “Secrets of the Forest,” a NOVA/PBS film; and Shorebird Eggstravaganza.
National Library Week was celebrated from April 19 to 25 and National Library Workers Day fell on April 21. The library has served as a trusted institution for township residents since 1966, according to its proclamation. It has a collection of more than 90,000 books, movies, magazines, audio books, music, American girl dolls, and museum passes for residents to borrow.
The library provides hundreds of programs each year for residents of all ages and plays a critical role in the community by furnishing vital resources such as internet and technological services; fostering literacy skills; and providing invaluable support for job seekers, educators, small businesses and entrepreneurs alike.
Library director Sheila Mikkelson shared statistics from January through March of this year.
“The first three months of the year, over 26,000 visitors were in the library,” she noted. “We checked out 52,000 items that were physical items, and over 4,000 digital items were borrowed. Forty-six American Girl dolls were borrowed, which is 119% increase from last year.”
During her comments, Mikkelson read a quote from a book called “The Astral Library,” by Kate Quinn.
“…A library, and I mean any library, even the most roach-infested, underfunded branch in the worst part of the worst town you can imagine, is a sanctuary,” she read. “It’s one of the only places left where you can walk through the doors and draw a breath and stay without needing to buy something, without having to justify your presence.”
