As you honor those who served in the U.S. military this Veterans Day, your thoughts likely won’t turn to your local library. Perhaps they should.

In leading the Maplewood Memorial Library – and as a military parent – I very much understand the vital lessons these institutions share. I also recognize those lessons aren’t necessarily intuitive.

In fact, most residents in my town likely don’t know why the word “Memorial” appears in our library’s name. Although the library was founded in 1913, it received the “Memorial” designation in 1956 as a living tribute to the Maplewood residents who served their country and to the memory of those who gave their lives…

Sustainability takes on a range of contexts in this year’s libraries, from resilience in the wake of natural disasters to thoughtful incorporation of legacy elements that speaks to both economy and a sense of history…

When the doors of the new Maplewood Memorial Library opened this July, more than 4,000 people poured inside, drawn by curiosity, pride, and a sense of homecoming. Among them stood Library Director Sarah Lester, the woman who spent more than a decade transforming Maplewood’s once-aging library into a vibrant 21st-century hub of learning, collaboration, and sustainability…

On July 5, the community celebrated the grand opening of the newly rebuilt Maplewood Memorial Library. This expansive facility, now a third larger, showcases inclusivity, sustainability, and innovation. More than 1,100 residents attended the ribbon cutting, and nearly 4,000 visited throughout the day to explore the light-filled space…

The newly expanded and renovated 32,000-square-foot Maplewood Memorial Library, designed by Sage & Coombe Architects, meets the programming needs of the community, honors the site’s historic footprint, and infuses the space with a sustainable, contemporary design…

Earlier this month, the Maplewood Library Board of Trustees and the Maplewood Library Foundation celebrated the grand reopening of the Maplewood Memorial Library at 51 Baker Street…

Patrons had to walk several blocks to attend.  They sat or stood in the shade where they could but so many people were present that the majority were under the hot sun, covering the lawn of the Maplewood Middle School across the street. More than 1,000 people turned out for the re-opening of Maplewood’s library after a renovation…

The Maplewood Library board of trustees and the Maplewood Library Foundation have announced the reopening of the Maplewood Memorial Library after raising a total of $24 million in government and philanthropic funding…

Founded in 1913 and considered a cornerstone of civic life in Maplewood, the library is 33% larger, and the 32,000-square-foot building includes an additional floor and reflects the community’s commitment to investing in civic infrastructure. The library said It will be the first in New Jersey to be awarded the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council…

After nearly a decade of careful planning, community input, fundraising and — more recently — “opening soon” teasers, the stunning, thoughtful, accessible, delightful Maplewood Memorial Library has reopened…