Riverhead Free Library celebrated its 120th anniversary today.
The board of trustees invited members of the community to celebrate the occasion in the library’s basement at 1:20 p.m., where elected officials, board members and members of the community reflected on their own experiences with the library.
“Today, we celebrate a happy birthday,” library president Kathy Berezny said to a room of about 50 people. “Thank you for coming out to be a part of this momentous occasion. We’re going to celebrate.”
Berezny presented a proclamation signed by New York State Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo, congratulating the library on its history.
Laurel Sisson, co-president of the Friends of the Library, shared old “date due” slips her husband had insisted she stow away to use as scrap paper when she retired “for the first time” in 1985 from her job as a reference librarian.
“He was a wonderful packrat, he said ‘oh, these will be great to write notes on.’” She held up a stack of slips to show the crowd. “We never did write very many notes,” she said, to the crowd’s amusement. “So if anyone wants one, take it on the way out. It’s a souvenir!”
Senator Ken LaValle gave a speech and announced that the New York State Senate had passed a resolution to record the library’s history in official records in Albany.
“I love events like this because it’s historic. One hundred and twenty years ago, nine men and two women put seeds in the ground. Here we are today, in 2016 – and look at what we have,” LaValle said. “This library is a center of the community.”
Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine also spoke and presented a proclamation declaring April 2 “Riverhead Free Library Day” in Brookhaven Town. He recalled the days when he had frequented the library, and how it had brought him closer to the community.
“When you think of Riverhead — and for those who don’t live here — it really is a special community,” Romaine said. “A community is defined not only by the people that live there, but by the institutions they support. And one of the greatest institutions in a commuinty is a library, because its a available for anyone of any age.
“Whether your a toddler just learning to read and the pictures in the book seem great, or you’re reading a long thick novel, or renting a video, or going to a program, or you’re getting help with taxes — any number of programs a library will run — this is the place to be.”
After the reception, atttendees were invited to refreshments and to have a look at the exhibits now on display upstairs celebrating the library’s history,
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Courtney Blasl.
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