Princeton Public Library celebrates 100th anniversary

The celebrations began Saturday evening with a sold-out gala and culminated with a birthday party on Sunday in Hinds Plaza, at the corner of Witherspoon and Hulfish streets. Open to community members, the all-day event on Sunday was a celebration of both the library and the Princeton community, featuring a 5-kilometer fun run, performances by local artists and the Princeton High School band, free guided centennial tours, and a birthday cake cutting ceremony.

“The library is the center of community,” library director Leslie Burger said. She added that the library is a place for people of all ages and backgrounds to get together and reduce the “isolation” that arises from “hanging with people just like you.”

The library’s history stretches back to 1909, when plans for the organization were first drawn up. It opened a year later at the Bainbridge House, according to archives from the Princeton Historical Society, which now occupies that building. The library moved to its present location on Witherspoon Street in the 1960s, and in the early 2000s its building was replaced with a new one on the same location.

Throughout its history, the library has maintained strong connections to the University. In its early years, the University rented the Bainbridge House, which is located on Nassau Street next to the Princeton Garden Theatre, to the library. In the 1990s, the University began offering Internet service to the public library, making it one of the first public libraries in the country to offer public Internet service. The University also donated half a million dollars for the construction of the current library building.

Today, the library participates in the University’s interlibrary loan program, which allows its patrons to borrow materials from University libraries. Burger noted that a “not insignificant” number of University students use the library, estimating that between 500 and 750 cardholders are University students.

Princeton’s chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity has also forged a connection with the library. Brothers from the fraternity helped set up before Saturday’s gala and cleaned up afterward.

“We wanted a way for the brothers to give back to the community on a more weekly basis,” said Brandon Chan ’12, philanthropy chair of Sigma Chi. Chan noted that he is working to establish a program for Sigma Chi members to volunteer at the library weekly. Last March, the library hosted members of Sigma Chi for an alcohol education workshop.

Burger said University students, who can obtain library cards for free, have told her that they enjoy the library’s working environment and multimedia offerings.

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Hannah Vazquez ’13, who attended the event with a few friends, said that she visits the public library during school breaks because the library has the “best supply” of books she wants to read. She said she enjoyed the event, adding that “the cake is awesome.”

“Doing work here has a different vibe than working on campus,” said Sarah Gerth ‘12, who was studying on the library’s third-floor balcony on Sunday afternoon. “Studying on campus can sometimes be stressful because everyone else is studying and stressed out. But it’s much more relaxed to work here.”