Expanded Children’s Room Planned for the Cranford Public Library

CRANFORD, NJ –The expansion and renovation of the Children’s Room at the Cranford Public Library is currently out to bid for construction after it was approved by the Cranford Planning Board last month.

The Children’s Room will double in size, allowing for an open-concept design providing staff clear lines of sight of the entire floor. Natural light will fill the colorful new seating areas.  Lower bookshelves will bring books to eye level for even the smallest of children to easily peruse the stacks. New computers for online access and the book catalog will be added to the space. A new energy-efficient HVAC system will also provide a greener alternative to the current system and savings to Cranford taxpayers.

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“We are thrilled to be able to offer our young patrons a bright new space where they can discover the joy of reading and imagination,” said Cranford Public Library Director Kathy Cannarozzi.

Reading niches, comfortable chairs and ottomans, and cozy reading tables interspersed throughout the Children’s Room will provide families with areas to relax and read with their children. Built-in activity stations will allow children to create and develop their fine motor skills with puzzles, coloring, activity books, and more.

A separate tween area with tables and hangout areas will provide pre-teens with a peaceful area of their own, as well as contain the graphic novel collection.

The Raddin Room where the library holds children’s programming, such as readings, crafts, and other special events, will get a facelift, with fresh paint and rugs, a storage area, and new window treatments.

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"The Cranford Public Library is a cornerstone of our community. We want our children to have the space to learn, explore, and grow. This renovation will help to achieve that goal. I am thankful for all of the work of our Library staff, Library Board of Trustees, and our professionals to make this a reality," Mayor Brian Andrews said in a statement.

The expansion and renovation project was funded $2 million from the State of New Jersey,  an investment of approximately $1 million from the Township of Cranford, and approximately $500,000 from the Library Board of Trustees facilitated this project to move forward.

“The Board of Trustees is delighted to announce that the Library will soon begin a construction project that will nearly double the space of the current Children's Room. This expansion has been a priority for the Library for a number of years based on community feedback regarding the size and limitations of the children's space,” said the President of the Library Board of Trustees, Susan Burke, in a statement.

During construction, the Children's Room will move to a temporary location next door at the Cranford Community Center, where the collection will be scaled to fit within the space. Books can also be taken out from lending libraries within the network of libraries through the program STELLA, offering 3.5 million items across 43 member libraries. The Library anticipates construction to begin as early as the end of 2024.

“We thank Senate President Nicholas Scutari for supporting the Cranford Public Library’s vision to create an accessible and modern Children’s Room. The support from Mayor Brian Andrews, who also is a member of the Library Board of Trustees, our Friends and Board members is a testament to their commitment to advancing learning in our community’s youngest readers,” said Ms. Cannarozzi.

Updates on the Children’s room project can be found by visiting: www.cranfordlibrary.org/library-expansion.

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