Mayor’s message: Cherry Hill gears up for National Library Week
Next week, the Cherry Hill Public Library will join libraries in schools, campuses and communities across the country to celebrate National Library Week, a time to highlight the many great things libraries, librarians and library workers do within our communities.
Here in Cherry Hill, it’s also an opportunity to showcase the fact that our library is so much more than just a repository for books — it’s truly become the heart of our town.
With hundreds of special events, lectures, classes and other community programs scheduled throughout the year, our library is a vibrant and active place where residents can connect with each other, learn, create and explore. And our residents are taking full advantage of all the library has to offer. More than 519,000 people visited the library in 2013 alone.
Library cards are free for Cherry Hill residents, so if you haven’t done so already, I hope you’ll stop by 1100 North Kings Highway, sign up for your library card, and explore for yourself.
In honor of National Library Week, Cherry Hill will host a variety of events from April 13 to 19, to help residents of all ages connect with this beautiful facility in the center of our town. The Friends of the Library will staff an information and membership table in the library’s lobby throughout the week as well.
• Kimishibai Story Hour, 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 15: Join us for traditional Japanese storytelling. Learn about Kamishibai or “paper-theater” and then we’ll create our own story as a group. Open to children in grades one to five. Registration is required.
• Declutter Your Life and Reduce Stress, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 16: Therapist, educator and life coach Diane Lang will show you how small changes can help you live a more positive and resilient life. In this workshop, attendees will learn the signs and symptoms of stress and anxiety and the impact it has on your body, ways to simplify your life and live in the now, and how to feel more empowered and motivated. Workshop is free, but registration is required.
• Teen Lit Day, Tuesday, April 17: From Sunday to Thursday, stop by the display in the library’s lobby and browse a selection of young adult books. Young adult literature is a vibrant, growing genre with much to offer today’s teens. Adults like teen lit, too. Be sure to enter your name into a raffle drawing for a chance to win a prize basket of young adult books, bookmarks, buttons and a tote bag.
• Better Book Sale, April 18 and 19: Stop by the lower level of the library for a selection of coffee table books, art and children’s books, good quality local history books and “nicer” sets of books. Prices vary. All proceeds benefit the library.
• 60 Apps in 60 Minutes, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 19: Join us for a discussion of 60 useful apps, with a focus on free apps for Apple, Android and Kindle Fire devices. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
Our library staff works hard to identify and meet the community’s needs — be it technology classes, materials for English-language learners or programs for job seekers, seniors and children. And with free Wi-Fi and access to 78 public computers, 149,000 books, 10,000 volumes of reference materials, 360 periodicals, more than 16,000 e-books and downloadable audio books, and a vast selection of large-print and audio books, CDs, videos, DVDs and research databases, users have at their disposal virtually any tool they might need.
The Cherry Hill Public Library is supported in part by the Friends of the Library and countless volunteers whose passion and creativity have helped to make our library one of the best in New Jersey.
Cherry Hill is very fortunate and, as mayor, I am extremely proud to have such a valuable asset right here in our community.
The library is open 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on the Cherry Hill Library or its events, or to register for any of the programs above, call 667–0300 or visit www.chplnj.org. I hope to see you there!
