Taste of Westwood

Every year, as the library garden breaks into bloom and Taste of Westwood rolls around, I am reminded that the length of my happy tenure here is thanks to the generosity towards, support of and pride in their library by the residents of Westwood. Taste of Westwood is, of course, the flashy example. It's an amazing celebration of the town of Westwood, its businesses, its citizens and, of course, its library. Brought to you courtesy of the labor and love of a myriad of volunteers from the Chamber of Commerce, the Library Board of Trustees and the town in general (check out the complete list at http://westwoodpubliclibrary.weebly.com/taste-of-westwood.html ), it is the perfect party—small town America at its best. The library is transformed, the food delights and the company is stellar. You cannot help but be happy at such a gathering.

The importance of the library to our town is, however, expressed daily in a myriad of less obvious ways. Terence Beutel designed, built and maintains the front garden which delights commuters, walkers, and all our neighbors as well as library patrons. He has given us a calming breath in the midst of busy lives. The Friends of the Library labor daily to deliver the book sale which builds home libraries while it provides the “extras” for the public library. The humans belonging to Lucy and Raffi, our visiting therapy dogs, bring them to the library so that our younger customers can practice reading to them. A generous benefactor thought of the knitting group at the library and donated a huge bin of yarn that kept the girls busy all year. Our ESL program, manned by volunteers, is famous Bergen-wide. The list goes on.

We see the need and appreciation of the library by those who come in to attend programs, borrow materials, use the computers, find information. And we see the appreciation of what the library does for the vibrancy of Westwood, by those individuals and businesses who take care to make it look good and those who participate in it's fundraisers, like the Taste of Westwood.

So come party at the library on June 3 and then return regularly. Bring your family, your neighbors, your friends. The Library is here for you and because of you. Thank you.

Susan Sampietro

Reference Librarian