Maplewood Memorial Library Director Sarah Lester has been elected vice president/president-elect of the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA), the oldest and largest library organization in the state. Lester began the role July 1 on NJLA’s 2026-27 Executive Board and will serve as the association’s president in 2027.
The Maplewood Library, the first LEED Gold-certified public library in New Jersey, today announced it received the 2026 U.S. Local Leadership Award for Project Excellence in New Jersey from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). USGBC selects one exceptional project per state that was certified within the past two years and represents a significant advancement in green innovation and sustainability outcomes.
Sarah Lester has served as director of the Maplewood Memorial Library since 2012, bringing more than 30 years of experience from institutions including the New York Public Library, San Francisco Public Library, and Nutley Library. Born in Iran and raised in Washington, D.C., she was inspired early on by her parents’ commitment to public service and went on to build a career focused on expanding access to information and strengthening community connections.
The Maplewood Library, the first LEED Gold-certified public library in New Jersey, today announced it received the 2026 U.S. Local Leadership Award for Project Excellence in New Jersey from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). USGBC selects one exceptional project per state that was certified within the past two years and represents a significant advancement in green innovation and sustainability outcomes.
As our community observes Earth Month and promotes environmental protection, sustainability education and climate action, Maplewood Memorial Library is leading by example. In February, the newly reimagined library unveiled its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the only public library in New Jersey to receive this global symbol of excellence…
Olympian Hazel Clark had a busy day Thursday, visiting South Mountain Elementary School, Maplewood Middle School and the Maplewood Memorial Library.
Clark’s visit was in connection with her new children’s book, “Hazel Takes the First Step,” written to foster healthy ways to manage performance anxiety and healthy mindsets around performance.
The Maplewood Memorial Library recently announced the return of its annual Ideas Festival at the Main Library from March 12 through 28. It will be the first festival since the library’s historic renovation and reopening in July 2025.
‘Olive Kitteridge‘ by Elizabeth Strout. Recommended by Maplewood Memorial Library librarians Sarah Lester and Amanda Eigen, this novel is about retired teacher Olive Kitteridge navigating changes that she detests in her life. Lester and Eigen call her an “unforgettable character.”
The Maplewood Memorial Library presents its annual Ideas Festival from March 12-28, 2026 the first festival since the library's historic renovation and reopening in July 2025.
March 12-28 The Ideas Festival returns for the first time since the Maplewood Memorial Library reopened. The festival culminates with the Literary Award presented to Bruce Eric Kaplan, a Maplewood native, author and executive producer and coshowrunner of Netflix’s Nobody Wants This.
Gregory Polzak, a film composer born in Chicago and currently residing in Maplewood, has worked on musical projects for multiple award-winning and nominated films such as “Emancipation” (2022), “Ray Donovan: The Movie” (2022), “Flamin’ Hot” (2023), “The Equalizer 3” (2023) — and now “KPop Demon Hunters” (2025).
Feb. 27: The Maplewood Memorial Library will host a free “The Importance of History in a Time of Erasure" talk event with author and Harvard University professor Imani Perry and speaker Doreen Oliver, Friday, 7 p.m., at the library, 51 Baker St. Attendees will listen to Perry and Oliver’s discussion about the complex history of Black thought, art, and imagination.
On Saturday, January 31, the Maplewood Memorial Library celebrated the unveiling of its LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, recognizing the library as a regional showcase of sustainability and a leader in transforming the building industry…
February 5 6:30-7:45PM Haitian-American musician and Grammy Award-winning artist Leyla McCalla, the Montclair State University John J. Cali School of Music’s 2025–26 Artist-in-Residence and a Columbia High School alumna, appears in a solo performance followed by a conversation with Anthony Mazzocchi, president of Kaufman Music Center.
February 27 7PM Imani Perry Author Talk: The Harvard professor (Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and African and African American Studies) lectures on the importance of history in a time of erasure.
Maplewood Public Library presents Dr. Imani Perry, award-winning author and Harvard professor, in conversation with Doreen Oliver, writer, performer and speaker, for a talk titled “The Importance of History in a Time of Erasure,” on February 27.
Maplewood Library reopens with huge turnout. More than 1,000 people turned out during the busy Fourth of July weekend to be on hand for the reopening of the Maplewood Memorial Library…
If you cannot get enough of the newly renovated main branch of the Maplewood Library at 51 Baker Street, there is now limited-edition merch to help satisfy your library obsession — and provide thoughtful and unique gifts for Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa…
The Maplewood Library recently announced it was awarded a $227,068 state grant over two years from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL). The funding, which is the largest grant in the library’s 112-year history, is earmarked for the significant expansion of its adult literacy services.
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has awarded the Maplewood Library a $227,068, two-year state grant that will allow staff to expand the institution’s adult literacy classes.
The Maplewood Library today announced it received a $227,068, two-year state grant from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL), which will allow staff to expand the library’s adult literacy classes. Issued through the NJDOL’s Community Library Adult Literacy and Career Pathway (CLALCP) program, the grant is the largest in the library’s 112-year history…