Can you help solve the mystery of Caldwell's missing Cannon?

Do you remember when the Decatur Cannon  was stolen from the Caldwell Green in 1968? Do you have any idea what ever became of it?

Gene Collerd took these pictures of  Dept of Public Works workers searching in vain for that lost piece of Caldwell history. 

The Algerian cannon given to Caldwell by Col. Decatur after his visit in 1824.

Department of Public Works workers searching for the stolen cannon.

Searching for a lost piece of Caldwell's history.

A Letter to our Patrons

On Friday, May 10th, in an article about the proposed 2013 Caldwell Borough Budget, Paul Carelli, Borough Administrator, was quoted as stating that the Caldwell Library budget has been increased by 30%. Although this is technically true, it requires more explanation.  The 30 percent increase attributed to the Caldwell Public Library budget is in fact a reflection of bookkeeping changes by the borough across all departments. 

Included in this 30% are the state mandated pension and benefits that were previously paid directly by the Borough, which are now to be reallocated to the Library's total budget. In actuality, if one were to remove this new line reallocation, our operating budget is flat, and cuts have been made in the areas of insurance, utilities and supplies to partially compensate for the added burden to our budget.

The State of NJ mandates how much money must be collected to support library services. That amount has fallen every year for the past four years. For the 2012 budget, the state mandated that the Borough collect $359,559, but for 2013 our allocation is only $342,890. Additional revenue is provided by the Borough in order to keep our doors open.  We have worked closely with the Finance Committee to keep operating expenses at a minimum while continuing to offer our patrons quality service.

The Caldwell Library Foundation is instrumental in supplementing the money allocated by the Borough. The money raised from efforts like the Mayors' Gala are an important contribution that supplements the Library's budget.

We enjoy a positive, cooperative relationship with our Mayor and Council, and members of the Finance Committee.  We thank them and the citizens of Caldwell for their continued support.

Nancy Caplan, President

Caldwell Public Library Board of Directors

Adele Puccio, Director

Caldwell Public Library

Do you know this drummer?

Can you help us identify the smiling drummer in this photograph?  We can tell from his drum that he was part of the Caldwell Chapter of the Order of Demolay, but beyond that we  know nothing about him. Any light you can shed on his identity or the history of The Caldwell Order of Demolay  would be  much appreciated! 

April At the Caldwell Free Public Library

April at the Caldwell Public Library

We have a great line-up of events here at the Caldwell Public Library this April. Stop in, check us out, and enjoy some fun.

April 8, 15, 22, 29 & May 6

10:00—11:30 AM

Knitting with

Ronni Strell

The Caldwell College Life Long Learning Institute and the Caldwell Free Public Library have teamed up to once again offer a series of Knitting classes. You must call 973-618-3543 to register.

April 8, Noon

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Lunch & Learn

We’ll serve a light lunch and show the documentary Paper Clips. 

This provocative documentary shows that as a part of their study of the Holocaust, the children of the Whitwell, TN Middle School try to collect 6 million paper clips representing the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis . Reservations required.

April 9, 6:30 PM

Judith Ennis

Photography Reception

We’ll have a reception to honor the work of Judith Ennis, which will be on display in the Reading Room during the Month of April. 

Red Sails at Sunset by Judith Ennis

April 10, 6:00 PM

Pizza & a Movie Night

Enchanted April

During the summer of 1922, a group of women rent a castle in Italy to escape their troubled lives in London.  This lavish film is a joy to behold. Reservations required. Please call 973-226-2837.

April 11, 6:30 PM

Poet Sandra Duguid

Caldwell College

Poetry Project

Come celebrate National Poetry Month with poet Sandra Duguid from Caldwell College. She’ll be reading from her new collection, Pails Scrubbed Silver.

Sandra Duguid

April 14—20

National Library Week

April 14-20 is National Library Week! We kick off the week with Food for Fines, where we'll accept non-perishable food for the Caldwell Food Pantry in lieu of fines. For every 1.00 in overdue fines, bring in something that can be contributed and we'll remove the fine. We'll also accept donations for the Pantry that week.

Tuesday, April 16  

6:30 PM

Stephen Baker, author of  Final Jeopardy, will speak about his New Jersey Council for the Humanities Honor Book. Come hear the amazing story of Watson, the computer that competed on Jeopardy! 

Stephen Baker

Wednesday, April 17 

6:30 PM

 

Highlights of a Century: Grover Cleveland Park at 100, presented by Richard Cummings

Thursday, April 18  

6:30 PM

 Violinist Nancie Lederer and cellist Allegra Whiting will be performing this evening. Come listen to their beautiful music and help us honor our volunteers on this Volunteer Appreciation Night. We have some dedicated people who help us behind the scenes, and we'd like to pay tribute to them with a special concert event.

April 24, 6:30 PM

Hudson River School of American Painting

 

This unique art talk and slide show, presented by Anne Cummings, will highlight the Hudson River School of painting.

For more information on these or any other programs, please visit the library or call us at 973-226-2837. You can find us on the web at www.caldwellpl.org and you can Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CaldwellPublicLibrary

On Tuesday, March 5th, members of the Caldwell Public Library Foundation, the Caldwell Borough Council, and the Library Board of Trustees came together to celebrate the purchase of 10 new public access computers for the Caldwell Free Public Library.

Front Row (R to L) Linda Havel – Caldwell Library Foundation, Maureen Mingle– Caldwell Library Foundation and Donor Bob Markman

Second Row (R to L) Nancy Caplan - Caldwell Library Board President,  Susan Gartland – Caldwell Library Foundation President, Sue Panzano– Caldwell Library Foundation, Adele Puccio - Caldwell Library Director, Linda Stewart– Caldwell Library Foundation, Cathy McHugh – Caldwell Library Foundation and Wendy Callaghan - Caldwell Library Board

Back Row(R to L) Caldwell Councilman Rich Hauser,  Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing, John Donovan - Caldwell Library Board, Caldwell Councilman Frank Rodgers, Caldwell Councilman Edward Durkin, Jr., Paul Kotlewski– Caldwell Library Foundation and Edith LeChac- Caldwell Library Board.

The Foundation raised the $12,000 for the computers at the Mayors' Legacy for Literacy Gala held last November. With many budget reductions over the past 5 years, the Library has not been able to keep up with many of the necessary technology changes. Our older public computers were more than 6 years old, out of warranty, and frequently out of order. We average 700 hours of computer use a month by our patrons, and we want to be able to provide everyone with fast, up-to-date technology.

We're grateful to the Foundation, and to Mayor Dassing and the Gala Committee, for all of their hard work. Fundraising isn't easy in the best of times, and it is gratifying to see how this town came together to help the Library with our needs. 

 We invite everyone to come in and try out our new computers. Our first visitors last night were amazed at how fast they were.

Adele Puccio -  Caldwell Library Director, Nancy Caplan - Caldwell Library Board President,  Susan Gartland – Former Caldwell Mayor and Caldwell Library Foundation President and Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing

Some of our new computers. They are Dell 9010s, custom configured for Public Library use.

   

February Happenings at the Caldwell Free Public Library

Come in out of the cold and warm up at the Caldwell Free Public Library this February and enjoy some of our unique programs.

On Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 6:30 PM join us for How to Say I Love You in Italian. Taught by Carla Riefoli, this delightful, beginner course in Italian will help teach you phrases to delight your sweetheart. This is a free lesson in basic Italian and perfect for anyone who has wanted to learn proper Italian pronunciation. We'll have some fun conversation, simple refreshments, and an evening filled with fun. Bring your sweetie and enjoy! 

We are celebrating Black History Month with a very special program: 

Exploring African Art

Divination Cup

Brewing Vessel

Vera Lasser, from the The Newark Museum Speakers Bureau, will be visiting The Caldwell Free Public Library to present the program Exploring African Art on Wednesday, February 13^th, at 6:30PM. The Newark Museum is New Jersey’s largest museum and offers 80 galleries of inspiration and exploration. To make a reservation to attend this program, please call 973-226-2837.

The Newark Museum houses one of the most extensive and oldest collections of African art in the nation and is one of the only museums in the country with a gallery devoted to a permanent collection of contemporary African art.  A major, expansion, designed to provide a stunning backdrop for the more than 5,000 objects, will be completed in 2015, the centennial of the collection’s founding.  The African Art presentation explores how beauty, humanity, power and spirituality are interpreted artistically across the different cultures of the African continent.  Spectacular examples of this diversity include a stunning female figure created by a Chokwe artist, a looming Epa Masquerade Headdress from Nigeria, and the intricate patterns of a stunning piece by the contemporary artist El Anatsui.

The Caldwell Free Public Library offers programs such as Exploring African Art to the community and our members in order to share one of New Jersey’s wonderful cultural attractions, providing educational sessions exposes people to tremendous artwork that they ordinarily may never have the opportunity to see or learn about. 

This event was made possible by a generous donation from library volunteer and Caldwell resident Deborah Abrams, and we thank her from the bottom of our hearts!

Library History Display

 

 

Throughout the month of February, the Caldwell Free Public Library will host a special exhibit as thanks for the community's generosity in support of the library. We'll have a special viewing of the history of the library, as well as images from The Mayors' Legacy for Literacy Gala. 

The gala raised $32,000 which will be used to support essential library services. The event was held on November 15, 2012, and former Gov. Thomas Kean was recognized for his work with The Carnegie Foundation. We are an original Carnegie Library, started with a grant of $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie. Stop in to read up on our history and see some unique images.

Blind Date With a Book 

During the week of February 11th –15th, the Caldwell Free Public Library is pleased to offer a Blind Date With a Book. Who doesn't love a good book??? Come in and pick out a gift wrapped book (while supplies last). You won’t know what the book is but you will have a chance to read something unexpected! All you need to do is write a short paragraph about your experience with that book and hand it in at the front desk. The book yours to keep! This is our way of saying Happy Valentine's Day to all of our favorite people. Books will be available during our normal business hours. 

We hope you'll come show us some love this February and drop in to the Library for these great programs.