CELEBRATE! And we SURE did!

The feeling of joy... and happiness... and goodness ... and community... and friendship .... along with the spirit of collaboration and kindness..... all of these things and more were evident @ 268 Bloomfield Avenue (a/k/a The Caldwell Public Library) on Friday, December 17, 2010. And, since a picture tells a thousand words they say: here are two of our favorites. Thank you Marsha Robbins or Pattie Mathieson for clicking what appears to be me leading the group in song ("For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" in honor of Gene Collerd as well as Stephen Cristiano maybe?). You can see I have NO ego if I am including such a goofy picture of myself. The reason I like it is b/c Gene and Elizabeth Collerd are featured as well as our sainted Consulting Archivist for the past 7 years or so, Tony Cucchiara. (And, former Mayor Gartland spent WAYYYYY too many years at Library Board meetings over the past 24 years so it is fair that she is featured in a flattering light as well. Four people who deserve thanks looking good in a picture vs. one who looks goofy -- well -- the odds are against me!)

Thank you as well, Warren Westura, from Caldwell's PATCH for the picture of those gathered in The Gene and Kathryn Collerd Local History Resource Room -- to listen to me lead the rest in song! (Just kidding!) Warren - I believe this picture is my absolute favorite! For - the showing of teens and pre-teens - and a profusion of SCOUTS! - all looking and sounding INTERESTED in our community's history, and the photographs of Caldwell "Then" and "Now." That is a tribute to their teachers, their parents and grandparents, and many in our community. (Thanks as well to Jessica and Tatiana Mickley and Janet Markman for their coverage of December 17th o/b/o The Progress and the Jersey Tomato Press.)

The Library Board of Trustees, the Caldwell Public Library Foundation, and my colleagues and I are working valiantly to bring all these treasures to you ASAP -- so keep a watch on our website and blog. And continue to support our library - YOUR Library - which by all evidence seen on Friday, December 17th really seems to be: "The Heart of Our Town." Happy 2011 all!

~Karen

Bruce White - Fabulous Friend of the Library!

"When something does not insist on being noticed. . . we take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." - Cynthia Ozick

I believe anyone who knows me knows how I feel about Cynthia Ozick - and maybe that is why this quote resonates so deeply. But, it is true - and so very much so as we consider tomorrow night's celebration to be held here at the Library. It is especially true when it comes to a friend, a Library Board Member, a neighbor and friend to many of you, who due to a work obligation is not in Caldwell and cannot be with us tomorrow night - Bruce White.

It seems like yesterday that Joe and Therese Collerd came to the Library to see Bruce's amazing "Images of Eternity" exhibit he shared with us all in June of 2005. After they enjoyed Bruce's exhibit we proceeded downstairs where they were shown the inner sanctum - the "then" local history room/archives/vault. At that time, Bruce described a vision, a dream, and clearly Joe and Therese along with Gene and Elizabeth Collerd could see that dream as well. It took so much time to get to that point, and then hundreds upon hundreds of hours afterwards to get where we are today.

"The Collerd Collection" would not be what it is, or where it is, without hours and hours of time and expertise and passion shared with all of us by Bruce. The meetings and the telephone and email conversations - innumerable! - and those meetings and conversations involved not just Board Members and Library personnel, they included detailed exchanges with our consulting Archivist Tony Cucchiara, the Collerd family, and then yet another call or email from me! (Sorry Bruce!)

Bruce's vision also came into play with the exhibit and project we will celebrate tomorrow night - "Caldwell: Then and Now." Bruce's patient mentorship and guidance shared with EAGLE SCOUT TO BE Stephen Cristiano and his colleagues created a lasting memorial to our community, a living testament to Gene and Kathryn Collerd. Bruce (and his son, Christopher, and Stephen) hung the display you will enjoy tomorrow night - giving up hours on Halloween to do so. And, beyond that, can we talk about gallery guides? Bruce's input on the gallery guide for this exhibit, as well as the Introductory statement he carefully crafted to orient us to the Exhibit, again, he shows he is as much an artist with his words as he is with his photographer's eye.

(Which is how he created -- along with Gene Collerd -- his derivative exhibit of "Caldwell's Age of Innocence" in 2007, which we unveiled as we celebrated this Carnegie Library's 90th anniversary.

Bruce, I know work calls and you are unable to be with us tomorrow night - but - in addition to the thanks to you that I will share with the community and all gathered tomorrow night I needed to state LOUDLY to you and all, I am so honored to call you my friend, and so deeply appreciative for all you have done, and do, and then continue to do, for the Library, for the community, for Scouting, for your family and friends.

~ Karen (Kleppe Lembo)

Director, Caldwell Public Library

Happy 70th Birthday Shop Rite!

Did you see the fabulous Nic Corbett article in the Star Ledger this past Tuesday? Click here if you didn't.

At the right is one of the fabulous "Then" photographs shared with our community thanks to The Collerd Archives, which, when paired up with the "Nows" created thanks to Stephen's Eagle Scout project, will have many talking and walking down Bloomfield Avenue with a different view.

The exhibit is on display in The Gene and Kathryn Collerd Local History Resource Room, and make sure as you come in and enjoy the exhibit you refer to our "Gallery Guide" -- created by a number of us who worked on the archiving the Collerd Collection over the past three years. We hope you will add to the stories we have collected, and that you will most definitely join us on Friday, December 17, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. when Gene Collerd, Jr. and his wife Elizabeth join us to officially open our Local History Collection to the community.

We are so delighted to share with you "Then and Now" and cannot wait for you to see what other parts of our communities' history can be found right in your own library, in your own back yard.

The Caldwell Public Library MUSEUM!

Halloween was a VERY busy day at the Caldwell Public Library as volunteers from the Caldwell Fire Department transported our October exhibit of "The Great Fires and Firefighters of Caldwell" to its permanent home on the walls of the Caldwell Fire House. And, an hour later, Eagle Scout Candidate Stephen Cristiano, with the assistance of fellow Scout Christopher White and Assistant Troop Leader Bruce White hung an exhibit a long time in the making: Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell: Then and Now. My suggestion? Although it will be on display in The Gene and Kathryn Collerd Local History Resource Room from now until December 31, 2010 -- STOP what you are doing, and, check it out. The "Gallery Guides" accompanying the exhibit should be finished momentarily -- so set aside some time to step back in time, and remember, enjoy, appreciate. Thank you Gene. Thank you Stephen. What better way to celebrate 100 years of Scouting than this exhibit, this project?!

93 years later, Andrew's Library is still going strong!

Have you been to the Caldwell Public Library lately? There's a lot to see! We are almost finished with a renovation to bring back the historic simplicity of this "Carnegie gem." (The Caldwell Library is one of the libraries funded by a grant from Andrew Carnegie.) As one of four libraries in New Jersey to be awarded a "SWAT" makeover award, and then with the generous support of the Women's Club of Caldwell, we are especially proud that we have accomplished so much and spent so little! We added doors to existing bookcases, cut a table top into shelves for the Children's Room, and moved things around to make the best use of our space. Our October 2010 exhibit, "The Great Fires, and Firefighters, of Caldwell" is waiting for you to come in and experience (complete with Gallery Guide and stunning bookmarks!). And, for the first time, photos from the Gene Collerd Collection are on permanent display. We are so proud to be your library. Come by and tell us what you think!

Do you remember where you were July 14, 1974?

The Great Fires, and Firefighters, of Caldwell! Do not miss seeing our exhibit of great photographs of the fires of, and firefighters who serve, Caldwell shared by members and friends of the Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department ("CVFD"), along with many Gene Collerd photographs. Join us for our "debut" between noon and 5 as the Library will be open during the Rotary/Kiwanis Street Fair on Sunday, October 3, 2010. A reception for our great Fire Department will be held here on Friday, October 22, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. Please join us Sunday, as well as on the 22nd - and tell all your friends to check out the exhibit which will be on display in The Gene & Kathryn Collerd Local History Resource Room from Sunday, October 3 to Saturday, October 30, 2010.

THIS WEEK AT THE LIBRARY

As we start a new week of our new year, may I suggest, if you haven't done so already, that you:

1) Stop in to renew your library card privileges, if need be.

2) Check out the showcase dedicated to Caldwell's own "The Amazing Kreskin" who will be honored tomorrow by the Mayor and Council at their evening council meeting. He will also be sharing birthday cake with us in the children's room of the library at 3:30 p.m. as he reads one of his favorite books from his childhood. JOIN US for cake and celebrating!

3) Visit The Gene and Kathryn Collerd Local History Resource Room where derivative exhibit of "The Collerd Collection," as curated by talented professional photographer (and Caldwell Public Library Board Member) Bruce White, will be on display for the month of January.

And, once you "ooh" and "aah" at the exhibit, may we suggest a LOVELY calendar created from the images contained in "The Collerd Collection," for a mere $15, and on top of everything, it will benefit the Library. We still have 2010 Calendars featuring the Gene and Kathryn Collerd Collection right here at the library.

We are open until 8 p.m. this evening and tomorrow evening, and we are open until 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday. Pick one up today, or tomorrow at Kreskin's birthday party, or any day this week you bring your children to Story Time (winter sessions start this week, did you sign up yet?), or when you come to see Spot on January 23d, or when you come to hear Brad Parks on January 26^th?