Melissa Kopecky - Librarian
(973) 762-0230

Visit our website at sopl.org

or contact us at
librarian@sopl.org

History | Hours | Collection | Services and Programs | Library Cards

Brief History

The South Orange Library Association was organized by William Beebe, president of the Republican Club, where on November 14, 1864, a group of men and women met. Books were donated and the library was established in a corner room on the second floor of the Republican Club where it remained until 1867 when it was moved to a second floor room of the building next door on South Orange Avenue, near Sloan Street. It stayed there until 1884, when the building, with the library still on its second floor, was moved by horses up South Orange Avenue to the northwest corner of Scotland Road. Although supported as yet only by members' dues and a few gifts of money which were put into an endowment fund, in 1886 a new association was formed to establish a free circulating library and reading room which took over the loan books and other property of the old association. It was during this period, before Village Hall was built, that Village Trustees met in the Library's room. On May 1, 1889, the library was moved to a ground floor space at 59 South Orange Avenue.

At an annual meeting in 1895, Library Trustees considered the question of obtaining a library building and Eugene V. Connett's offer of a library site on the corner of Scotland Road and Taylor Place, with condition that $7,500 be subscribed, was accepted and the subscription was met. On May 8, 1896, the library was moved into the building on that corner. A referendum held on April 27, 1926, showed that citizens had voted ten to one in favor of the town taking over full support of the library. It thereupon became "The South Orange Public Library." In February, 1929, the Village Trustees passed an ordinance providing funds to construct a rear wing on the library and to provide a Children's Room in the basement, book stacks and a balcony on the floor above, together with rehabilitation work on the older part of the building. In November of 1968, the new library building on the corner of Scotland Road and Comstock Place was dedicated.

Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday (9 a.m. - 9 p.m.)

Wednesday, Friday (9 a.m. - 6 p.m.)

Saturday (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.)

Sunday (2 p.m. - 5 p.m.)

Collection

Books: Over 90,000 books from picture books for preschoolers through large print books.

Magazines and newspapers: 230 current subscriptions, plus microfilm holdings of the New York Times and the South Orange/Maplewood News Record.

Books on tape: Both abridged and unabridged.

Videos

Compact Disks

Services & Programs

Public Access Internet and word processing Online databases

Remote access to library catalog and databases

Story Hours for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners

Summer Reading Club and Read-to-Me Club

Holiday and school break programs

Weekly afternoon lecture series for adults (Sept. through May)

Monthly Book Review discussion (Brown Bag)

Concerts, lectures and special programs sponsored by the Friends of the Library

Home delivery to shut-ins

Library Cards

Membership in the South Orange Public Library is free to residents. One form of identification, with a current South Orange address, is required. Children may register for their own library card as soon as they are able to print their first and last names.