Cherry Hill Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Cherry Hill Public Library in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
, United States
is an agency of the Township's municipal government. Originally called The Cherry Hill Free Public Library, the word "Free" was dropped from the title in 2003. The current library building was completed in December 2004 to replace a 1966 structure just northeast of the same location. In old aerial images of the area, the double-diamonds with the brown roof structure and grassy lot are the old Library before demolition. The pad to the southwest of the old library was the site of Richman's Ice Cream before its demolition; and this site has become the site of the new Library building.
At 72000 square feet (6,689 m²), Cherry Hill's newest library is among the largest municipal libraries in South Jersey.
, incorporated unusual design elements, including the cataloguing and administrative offices located in its massive concrete bunker basement, concealed from public view. By the late 1990s, the Wells building was deemed by the Board to be overcrowded, difficult to maintain due to roof leaks and other infrastructure problems, and too expensive to expand, notably due to a lack of parking; so the Library Board of Directors commissioned a new design.
Groundbreaking for the new Library was in December 2003 on the former Richman's Ice Cream site, which adjoins the southwestern edge of the former Library site; with the Wells building then being demolished to expand the parking area.
While the new library building was constructed, Cherry Hill Library members were served via interlibrary agreements by libraries in neighboring Moorestown and Haddonfield
.
in Fairbanks, Alaska
; and was brought to the new Library by longtime Board member Kathleen Schwartz after her visiting the Fairbanks facility in the summer of 2003. Tile number 1 was dedicated to local property management firm Needleman Associates to honor their longtime support of the Library, including their providing overflow parking. Tile number 2 is dedicated to Mrs. Schwartz, who worked as a Library cataloguer in the 1960s, and who had been on the Library Board of Directors from 1973 until 2009 as its longest-serving member.
, which rests on the library's front lawn near the building's main entrance.
, a long-time Cherry Hill resident. On September 24, 2009, the sculpture was permanently installed to the building's front lawn, marking the second major sculpture acquisition by the Friends of the Library.
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is an agency of the Township's municipal government. Originally called The Cherry Hill Free Public Library, the word "Free" was dropped from the title in 2003. The current library building was completed in December 2004 to replace a 1966 structure just northeast of the same location. In old aerial images of the area, the double-diamonds with the brown roof structure and grassy lot are the old Library before demolition. The pad to the southwest of the old library was the site of Richman's Ice Cream before its demolition; and this site has become the site of the new Library building.
At 72000 square feet (6,689 m²), Cherry Hill's newest library is among the largest municipal libraries in South Jersey.
Facility history
Originally located in a storefront at Ellisburg Circle Shopping Center (at Route 70 and Route 41-Kings Highway), in the current location spanning both the Post Office and Blockbuster Video, the Cherry Hill Free Public Library moved 1/4 mile northeast in 1966 into a building at 1100 Kings Highway North. The then-futuristic building, designed by architect Malcolm WellsMalcolm Wells
Malcolm Wells is sometimes regarded as "the father of modern earth-sheltered architecture." Wells lived on Cape Cod, and practiced what he preached by living in a modern earth-sheltered building of his own design. Wells was also a writer, illustrator, draftsman, lecturer, cartoonist, columnist,...
, incorporated unusual design elements, including the cataloguing and administrative offices located in its massive concrete bunker basement, concealed from public view. By the late 1990s, the Wells building was deemed by the Board to be overcrowded, difficult to maintain due to roof leaks and other infrastructure problems, and too expensive to expand, notably due to a lack of parking; so the Library Board of Directors commissioned a new design.
Groundbreaking for the new Library was in December 2003 on the former Richman's Ice Cream site, which adjoins the southwestern edge of the former Library site; with the Wells building then being demolished to expand the parking area.
While the new library building was constructed, Cherry Hill Library members were served via interlibrary agreements by libraries in neighboring Moorestown and Haddonfield
Haddonfield, New Jersey
Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593....
.
Statistics
Membership currently stands at about 67,000 cardholders with roughly 97% of members indicating Cherry Hill residency. Residents subscribe to the library free of charge and access the collection of more than 150,000 volumes, 150 computers with high-speed internet connectivity, and the library's various amenities including a cafe, conference center, art gallery, historical artifact room, meeting, and reading spaces.Friends of the Cherry Hill Library
The library is partially supported by the non-profit agency 'Friends of the Cherry Hill Library.' The Friends organizes various fundraising efforts and public awareness campaigns to benefit the Library, and members of the group volunteer time for library operations and events.Book tile wall
The lobby of the new Library is adorned with hundreds of ceramic tiles in the form of book spines, arranged in a shelf configuration and numbered in order of purchase. This fundraiser is based on a similar fundraising project at Noel Wien Public LibraryNoel Wien Public Library
The Noel Wien Public Library, operated by the Fairbanks North Star Borough, is located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It has a branch library in North Pole, Alaska. Its current director is Greg Hill, who also writes a regular column for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The library has more than 100,000...
in Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
; and was brought to the new Library by longtime Board member Kathleen Schwartz after her visiting the Fairbanks facility in the summer of 2003. Tile number 1 was dedicated to local property management firm Needleman Associates to honor their longtime support of the Library, including their providing overflow parking. Tile number 2 is dedicated to Mrs. Schwartz, who worked as a Library cataloguer in the 1960s, and who had been on the Library Board of Directors from 1973 until 2009 as its longest-serving member.
"Sunday Morning" sculpture
In 2007, the Friends of the Library announced the completion of fundraising efforts to retain the loaned sculpture, "Sunday Morning" by J Seward Johnson, JrJohn Seward Johnson II
John Seward Johnson II also known as J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and Seward Johnson is an American artist known for his trompe l'oeil painted bronze statues, and a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I ....
, which rests on the library's front lawn near the building's main entrance.
"Totem" sculpture
In 2009, the Friends of the Library acquired the loaned sculpture, "Totem" by the artist David AscalonDavid Ascalon
David Ascalon is a contemporary sculptor and stained glass artist, and co-founder of Ascalon Studios.-Biography:Ascalon was born in Tel Aviv, in the British Mandate of Palestine on March 8, 1945...
, a long-time Cherry Hill resident. On September 24, 2009, the sculpture was permanently installed to the building's front lawn, marking the second major sculpture acquisition by the Friends of the Library.
External links
- Cherry Hill Free Public Library Official Website
- Cherry Hill library's overlooked sculpture to move center stage
- Noel Wien Public LibraryNoel Wien Public LibraryThe Noel Wien Public Library, operated by the Fairbanks North Star Borough, is located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It has a branch library in North Pole, Alaska. Its current director is Greg Hill, who also writes a regular column for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The library has more than 100,000...
, Fairbanks, Alaska Book Tile Project