Warren Township Library 70th Anniversary Party

The Friends of the Warren Township Library will be celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the library’s inception on September 26 from 1 to 4 PM at the library.

The event, sponsored by the Friends, will offer family-friendly activities including a scavenger hunt, button making and other crafts. There also will be raffles for children, teens and adults. And of course, a birthday party wouldn’t be complete without a cake. Attendees also will get the chance to see artifacts and learn more about the library’s history.

The Warren Township Library has been housed in several locations throughout the township since it modestly began with a small bookcase in the hallway at Central School in 1945. Librarian Zoia Horn loaned the first 5 books to 3 people from a small collection of 183 books housed at the school. Horn gained headlines in 1972 when she was jailed for refusing to testify during a trial.

Horn and Emma Jo Cain were among those early volunteers who helped maintain the collection and in the early 1950s, they spearheaded ambitious fundraising efforts to help the library.

In 1958, the collection was moved to a renovated porch of the Municipal Building, formerly the manor house of the Hofheimer Estate. Four years later, the library had amassed 6,000 books, which were moved to the carriage house (now the current court building) next door.

By 1989, the library’s acquisitions had expanded to more than 92,000 and continued increasing. In November 1993, ground was broken for the current library location in the township’s Municipal Complex. Ten years later, the library celebrated the groundbreaking of a 9,000 square-foot addition, which completed the Robert LaMaire building seen today.

The library continues to grow in other ways, offering free wi-fi, job-networking events, e-books and online resources.

The Friends helps fund many programs for children and adults, including musical performances and the Children’s Winter Festival. People can support the library by making a donation to the Friends of the Warren Township Library and becoming a member. Membership forms can be found at the library and on the Friends website.