Saving the Caldwell Public Library

Throughout 2022, the talk of the town was dominated by a group of vocal citizens who wanted to save the physical building of the Caldwell Public Library, which was built with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie’s foundation. Since the new administration has transitioned into office, that loud group has fallen silent as whispers of the library being reduced to one floor or closing entirely have gained traction. With all the rumors swirling about the fate of the Caldwell Public Library, we may be running out of time to save a town institution of over a hundred years.

When asked to describe a library, the average citizen is likely to say that it is a place where you can take books home to read for free. However, libraries are so much more than that. Yes, they provide access to information through books and periodicals, but they also serve as a significant community space.

Libraries provide access to a variety of resources and materials that might not be affordable or available to residents and are not limited to physical books. Residents can check out digital books and magazines from the comfort of their homes through the Libby app and get digital access to The New York Times and The Star-Ledger. Want to spend a day at the Morris Museum, Newark Museum of Art, or the Montclair Art Museum? You can check out a free museum pass from the library. Lost your home internet? You can borrow a wifi hot spot from the front desk. Is your printer or scanner on the fritz? Come down to the library and use theirs.

Libraries are great places to study, learn new skills, and socialize with people in the community. They are excellent places to discover new hobbies and interests, like during this year’s Garden Series, a Book Club meeting, or the Learn to Crochet classes. Lectures are held to teach attendees about local history or how to plant a pollinator garden. Classes and events like this are a way to bring residents with similar interests together, fostering a strong sense of community that we can all benefit from, from our oldest residents dropping by for a Chair Yoga class all the way down to our youngest ones meeting with their Reading Buddy.

The discussions of 2022 illustrate the importance that the residents of Caldwell place on their history. Libraries are a significant source of local history, and without one, we not only lose a beloved historical building, but we lose an important place to remember our community’s shared history.

How can you support our local library? Right now, the most pressing action you can take is to write your elected officials to not just save our library but to build a facility that competes with the other tremendous libraries in the area, encouraging your neighbors to do the same. If you haven’t already, join the more than three thousand people who have a Caldwell library card, attend some of the great events the library holds, and take out some books to read. I encourage all those voices who spoke out to save the building in 2022 to fight just as hard in 2023 to save this institution.