[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 119 (Thursday, September 10, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRATULATING THE RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 1998

  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Ridgewood 
Public Library on its just-completed renovation, a major project that 
has nearly doubled the size of my hometown library and will help this 
outstanding facility better serve Ridgewood residents well into the 
next century. Completion of this project comes as the library marks its 
100th anniversary of service.
  Libraries are more than just a repository of books and other media. 
They are centers of information and ideas, places to inspire thought 
and innovation. They serve the young and old alike, from pre-schoolers 
imagining the world ahead at story hour to seniors re-reading the 
history of their youth. They are an essential, indispensable part of 
every community.
  The Ridgewood Public Library has been a powerful influence on its 
citizenry for a full century. The library had its beginnings in 1898, 
when the Ridgewood Village Improvement Association opened the village's 
first circulating library of donated books in a rented room. The 
association's stated purpose in opening the library was to ``further 
Ridgewood's social development.''
  The library quickly grew. By 1900, the expanding collection of more 
than 2,000 books prompted a move to larger rented accommodations. In 
1916, Ridgewood resident Gertrude Pease Anderson, one of the founders 
of the Village Improvement Association, designated that $150,000 from 
her estate be used to construct and maintain a library building. In 
1923, that building, the George L. Pease Memorial Library, opened on 
Garber Square.
  By 1962, Ridgewood's population had more than tripled and a new 
library costing $367,000 was built on North Maple Avenue. More than 500 
individuals contributed over $50,000 for new furnishings, continuing 
the tradition of the community's philanthropic support for library 
service.
  In 1988, the Library Board of Trustees again recognized the need for 
larger, more flexible library space and began planning for expansion 
and renovation. Fundraising for the project began in 1993. In April 
1997, a groundbreaking ceremony signaled the start of construction.
  The library has now been fully renovated and expanded from 20,000 to 
34,000 square feet. The new library offers more bookstacks, media, 
study space with parkland views, a new community auditorium, and full 
access for the disabled. Computers offer multimedia information through 
the Internet and library networks, and staff will provide ongoing 
technology training.
  New features include: A sky-lit lobby for reading amid art displays. 
A children's Department with story tower, project studio and study 
carrels. Circulation Center offering high-demand books, periodicals and 
media. Young Adult Area featuring lounge seats, computers and 
paperbacks. Auditorium with stage, LCD projector, 160 seats for 
meetings and events. Reference level including rooms for silent study, 
local history, technology training, literacy tutoring, and health and 
career information centers.
  The cost for construction, furnishings and equipment for the library 
will be close to $4 million, funded half through private donations 
gathered in a 5-year, town-wide fund-raising campaign and half through 
a Village of Ridgewood municipal appropriation.
  Augustine Birrell said, ``Libraries are not made; they grow.'' The 
Ridgewood Public Library has been growing for 100 years. It will 
continue to grow for many more years, and as it grows, so will grow the 
minds of those it touches. I offer the Ridgewood Public Library my full 
support in all its endeavors and ask my House colleagues to join me in 
offering our congratulations.
  The Ridgewood Public Library reflects the forward-looking 
enlightenment that has always typified the residents of this 
community--one of the most outstanding communities in all of New 
Jersey.

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