Health & Fitness
Donation Funds History Archive
Thanks to a sizable donation from a private donor and matching funds from the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society the new library will have a Cranbury History Archive.
The Cranbury Public Library Foundation received a pledge of $45,000 from the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society (CHPS) to help fund a Cranbury History Archive in the new library facility being planned. “The History Archive will have compact shelving in a room designed for archival storage,” said Kirstie Venanzi, Library Board President and member of the Foundation. “We have to work out all the details, but this archive will allow people to access historical documents whenever the library is opened.”
The funding for the History Archive was spurred by another donor to the Library Foundation. This donor, who wishes to remain anonymous for now, offered a challenge grant. The donor would pledge $26,000 to fund the History Archive if CHPS would pledge the remaining funds needed. “We are so excited to receive these donations,” said Marilynn Mullen, Library Director. “The local library is the logical place to store and access historical documents. The library is delighted to be partnering with the Historical Society in preserving Cranbury’s history.”
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Jo D Andrews, CHPS president, was thrilled that CHPS unanimously voted to fund the History Archive. “Both of our organizations have an interest in preserving Cranbury’s history by safeguarding primary source documents,” she said. “The History Archive in the new library is a great way to accomplish this!”
The Library Foundation assured CHPS that their society would retain ownership of all their materials, even if stored in the library. Detailed instructions will be written up on exactly how the materials are to be stored and accessed by library users. The library staff will take requests for materials and retrieve them from the archive. To view very old, fragile, materials, users may be asked to wear protective gloves and use special book stands to hold the item.
