WEST ORANGE, NJ — One year after holding its first organizational meeting, the Friends of the Library are embarking on a 2017 action plan intended to continue the group’s mission of raising money and support for the West Orange Public Library while also establishing the library as a cultural hub for the township.
A major component of the plan is to initiate an educational program meant to combat bias and promote diversity in West Orange. According to Friends President Gerald Sweeney, the program was devised in response to the national political climate that has fostered fear among immigrants and insecurity among citizens. Since the township consists of an eclectic mix of cultures, Sweeney said the Friends thought such a program would be a service to the community.
And considering its role as an educational center, Sweeney said the WOPL is the perfect place to host such an initiative.
“The library provides so many useful programs and materials,” Sweeney told the West Orange Chronicle in a March 3 phone interview. “It’s not just books.”
The program will launch March 27 with a discussion on immigrants rights. After that, Sweeney said Friends wants to host films, speakers, displays and other discussions on topics related to bias and diversity. He said they plan on partnering with other groups such as the West Orange Human Relations Commission for these ventures. In addition, he said the Friends have asked the library to prepare a resource guide for residents.
The WOPL is indeed on board with the program, with library Director David Cubie and board President Sheri Prupis both lauding Friends for pursuing such an initiative. Prupis held up the idea as an example of how the organization is proactively working to meet the needs of the community.
“In today’s society, this is a critical area to be working on,” Prupis told the Chronicle in a March 3 phone interview.
But the cultural program is not the only idea Friends will pursue as part of its 2017 plan, which also includes book signings and an April rededication ceremony to highlight the library’s new facade. Friends will also continue to host gallery shows in conjunction with West Orange Arts Council while additionally holding fundraisers such as raffling a painted guitar and offering home portraits by local artist Nan Johnson.
Another big project in the works is Friends’ commitment to aiding the WOPL in converting its basement into meeting space for programs such as English for speakers of other languages classes. Substantial funds will be required to pay for the architects and construction needed to create permanent space — monies the Friends currently do not have — but Sweeney said his group plans to clear out many of the books in the basement to gain some interim space.
To do this, Sweeney said Friends will host another book sale in the fall and donate books to the Little Free Libraries scattered throughout town. The president said the group will also contribute money to local senior housing centers, places of worship and other gathering centers for the purpose of purchasing book shelves. Then, Friends will fill those shelves with books along with WOPL promotional materials — thus clearing up space in the basement while advertising for the library at the same time.
In addition to books, the basement also contains a number of historical records related to the township that the Friends want to digitize. Friends Vice President Marge Mingin said it will likely cost between $5,000 and $10,000 to hire a company to do that work, so the organization is pursuing grants to cover the cost. Mingin said Wells Fargo has already pledged to help through its community outreach program.
After they are digitized, Mingin said the records will be preserved and kept in a temperature-controlled room upstairs. And she would like to see this done as soon as possible, saying that it is vital to keep such history alive.
“That’s your heritage — that’s stuff that’s rapidly disappearing,” Mingin told the Chronicle in a March 3 phone interview, adding that sharing these documents with the public is a learning experience for those who live in West Orange. “We need to know where we came from.”
Of course, the Friends must continue growing its membership in 2017. Mingin said the group hopes to double its current number of 130, and is even putting together a promotional booklet highlighting all the group has accomplished so far and what it plans to achieve in the coming year. Meanwhile, she said Friends will also reach out to other community organizations in search of new members. There are certainly a lot of residents who have not joined, the vice president said, pointing out that West Orange has a population of approximately 50,000 people.
Still, the Friends have a lot to be proud of just one year after holding its first organizational meeting on March 9, 2016. From that small gathering, the group has expanded significantly, obtained nonprofit status and raised more than $10,000. Mingin also believes the capital improvement bonds issued by the township came as a result of Friends’ advocacy.
And the WOPL definitely appreciates the Friends of the Library’s support. Prupis pointed out that the monies raised by the group go a long way in supplementing the library’s budget, paying for programming that the WOPL otherwise could not afford. At the same time, she said the group has the ability to galvanize support in favor of the library by educating people as to just how significant the institution is for the community.
Cubie agreed that Friends have proved invaluable to the library, especially since the WOPL cannot apply for certain grants only available to nonprofits; the Friends apply in the library’s stead, most recently earning a $5,000 American Dream Literacy Initiative grant to pay for ESOL materials.
Looking ahead, Cubie is hopeful that more people will join Friends — both to help the library and to benefit themselves.
“It’s a great group of people, and it’s a great cause,” Cubie told the Chronicle in a March 6 phone interview. “It’s a good way to meet your neighbors and to help your neighbors.”
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