Neighbor News
Princeton Public Library opens National Library Week With "Gatsby"
April 7 Community Read-Aloud is Part of Town-wide "Gatsby at 100"; Other Events Planned for National Observance of National Library Week
Princeton Public Library will kick off its celebration with a community read-aloud of “The Great Gatsby” on April 7 at 11 a.m. near the fireplace on the first floor of the Sands Library Building. Members of the community are invited to join library staff, local book clubs and municipal dignitaries in reading from the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic.
The intersection of "Gatsby at 100," the town-wide observance of the “Gatsby” milestone, and the start of National Library Week is significant for the Princeton Public Library, said Janie Hermann, adult program manager.
“The Monday of National Library Week is Right to Read Day,” Hermann said, “and ‘The Great Gatsby’ has been on the American Library Association’s annual list of Banned Books for decades. By the community coming together to read the work of a Princeton University author out loud, we are affirming the timelessness of this classic, but also reinforcing that we serve a town that has declared itself a book sanctuary.”
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Members of the public are invited to reserve a 10-minute slot for the read-aloud by visiting princetonlibrary.org or simply drop in during the day to listen. More information on the library's “Gatsby at 100" events can be found here.
Also on April 7, the Friends and Foundation of Princeton Public Library will host a fundraiser as part of the Beyond Words series featuring Jennifer Weiner. The ticketed fundraising event begins at 3 p.m. at the Nassau Club of Princeton.
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The Wednesday of National Library Week, April 9, is Library Outreach Day and PPL staff will extend their usual outreach in the community with special events. Executive Director Jennifer Podolsky will be leading a special storytime at Labyrinth Books on Nassau Street. The popular Mo Willems character Zoom Squirrel will be popping up all over town between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. And the library will be staffing an outreach table at the Princeton University Farmers Market.
Founded in 1958 by the American Library Association, National Library Week is a celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening communities nationwide. For more on National Library week, click here.
