[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15991]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KINNELON PUBLIC LIBRARY

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                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 18, 2014

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Kinnelon 
Public Library, located in Kinnelon, Morris County, New Jersey, as it 
celebrates its 50th anniversary.
  The Kinnelon Public Library was founded in 1963, a movement led by a 
local citizens-group and town leaders. Prior to the library's founding, 
the community was serviced by the Morris County Bookmobile Service once 
a month. However, citizens felt their literary needs were not being met 
and hoped to create a space where the community could come together.
  In 1963, a group of citizens enlisted the Town Council and Mayor to 
help them begin the process of funding a free public library, a space 
the community unanimously agreed they needed. The long and demanding 
process began as the town tried to find space for the library. Several 
locations were proposed before the town was able to agree on a site at 
the Municipal Building Complex on Kinnelon Road. While they worked to 
determine a location, a temporary library was set up in an old medical 
building in 1964.
  A single-story building was built and opened to the public in 1966, 
with a small collection of 900 books. Since then, the library has 
continued to expand to meet the needs of the growing community. After 
three expansions, the library is now a two-story building that occupies 
about 19,000 square feet. Along with space for book collections, the 
library houses four meeting rooms that serve the local community. The 
library is now home to more than 84,000 volumes of books, periodicals, 
DVDs, CDs, and numerous other electronic resources.
  The library continues to follow its mission to encourage learning and 
support discovery for Kinnelon residents of all ages. With 15 computers 
to serve the public, the circulation of electronic book readers, and a 
continuation of exhibits and programs, the library serves the public 
through more than just literary resources. Its adult educational 
organization, The Center for Lifelong Learning, recently celebrated its 
20th anniversary and has provided over 10,000 students with a learning 
experience since it began in 1993.
  The Friends of the Kinnelon Library fundraise annually to support 
improvements for the library and technological advancements to help 
grow their resources for children, teens, and adults. In its 50 years, 
the library has continued to grow as a central gathering point for the 
community. They hope to continue to service the community and evolve 
with its needs in their next 50 years.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
the Kinnelon Public Library as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

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