[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16042]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CELEBRATING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BLOOMFIELD FRIENDS OF THE 
                                LIBRARY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 2015

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Bloomfield 
Friends of the Library, located in Bloomfield Township, Essex County, 
New Jersey, as they celebrate their 80th Anniversary.
  In 1902, the first library in Bloomfield was founded by a man named 
James Newbegin Jarvie. A wealthy business man, he founded the Jarvie 
Memorial Library in memory of his parents. At this time, the library 
was located in the Westminster Presbyterian Church. It remained here 
until 1923, when he sold the library, complete with its collections and 
equipment, to the Township of Bloomfield for $60,000. Over the course 
of the next four years, the library moved to several different places, 
until finally the Board of Trustees purchased land at 90 Broad Street 
for $23,000, where it remains to this day.
  As the years passed, the library's collections grew, and as the 
collections grew so did the need for more space. In 1963, the library 
began planning and fundraising, and soon started construction. On 
September 5, 1967, the library finally reopened. The main floor of the 
original building was now refurbished as the Children's Library. The 
adult library had moved into the new addition, and the lower levels 
were now to be used as a meeting room and for the staff area. In 1969, 
the meeting room was redesigned into a theater, which is still used 
today for musicals, films, lectures and even children's programs.
  Presently, the Bloomfield Public Library offers a wide array of 
services for children, teens, and adults. Here, one can research the 
Township's history, look up the High School's summer reading program, 
or look up Driving Permit Practice Tests. The Library also provides 
accommodations for the physically and visually impaired and for those 
with reading disabilities, among its many other services.
  Behind the scenes, keeping all of this running over the last 80 
years, has been the Bloomfield Friends of the Library. As a matter of 
fact, in 1935, the Bloomfield Friends of the Library was the first in a 
public library in the East to be established, and they are the oldest 
Friends of the Library east of the Mississippi. The Library's public 
relation's director, Helen Scherff Taylor, presented the idea as she 
thought it would inspire more library services to the community. She 
was right, and the idea spread to the Bloomfield Chapter of the 
American Association of University Women and to the Women's Club of 
Bloomfield who decided to sponsor the Friends of the Library. Less than 
a year later, the organization had their first meeting.
  Today, the Bloomfield Friends of the Library continually works to 
assist the library to provide and improve its facilities and services 
to the residents of Bloomfield. Some of their recent accomplishments 
include donations for the purchase of books for both the Adult and 
Children's Libraries, donations for the Audiovisual Department for the 
purchase of tapes and DVDs, and donations for equipment such as 
computers, appliances, and copiers. It is also thanks to these 
donations that the library is open on Sundays.
  It is through the tireless work of the Bloomfield Friends of the 
Library that the Township of Bloomfield and its residents continue to 
enjoy the Bloomfield Public Library.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
the Bloomfield Friends of the Public Library as they celebrate their 
80th Anniversary.

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