The Lawrence branch of the Mercer County Library System turns forty-five.
By: Lea Kahn
Fifty years ago, borrowing a book from the Mercer County Library System meant waiting for the bookmobile a library on wheels to visit Lawrence Township.
Readers would enter the bookmobile and choose a book or two from the few volumes that could be carried in the back of the modest truck. While the county library system had about 45,000 books in 1953, only a few would fit in the vehicle.
The bookmobile has long since been retired, and next week, bookworms will gather at the Lawrence branch of the Mercer County Library System to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the opening of the Darrah Lane location in December 1961.
The program, set for 10 a.m., Friday, Dec. 8, will feature library memorabilia, plus photos of library programs and events. A children’s program is planned for 10:30 a.m., followed by refreshments.
Much has changed in the county library system over the past 45 years, most notably in the area of technology, said Ellen Brown, director of the Mercer County Library System. She joined the county library system in 1994 as manager of the Lawrence branch.
"When I first started here, the biggest dilemma was whether we should fax reference responses to patrons," Ms. Brown said. "Now, we e-mail, instant message and offer virtual reference assistance 24/7."
"It isn’t necessary for patrons to visit the library to use it," she said. "They can download audio books, search our catalog from home and use any of our over two dozen online resources, all from our Web site, www.mcl.org."
Ms. Brown said the library is "still the place where people want to come" when they need answers to questions. The library continues to play a key role in people’s lives, she said, adding that she is amazed at how "resilient" the library is in their lives.
In fact, more than 267,400 people walked through the doors of the Lawrence branch last year in search of material for pleasure or research, according to statistics supplied by the county library system. The Lawrence branch employs 27 full-time and part-time staff.
The Dec. 8 celebration, which will highlight some of those changes, is the brainchild of township resident Robert Immordino, who serves on the Mercer County Library Commission. He played a role in establishing the Lawrence branch of the county library system as a member of the county library commission in the early 1960s.
"I think people should know about it," Mr. Immordino said. "People think this thing (the Lawrence branch) just happened. From 1928 to 1961, there were no branches of the county library system at all."
The Mercer County Library System was created in 1928 and opened with 4,661 volumes, according to research compiled by Kevin Cyrus, a research librarian in the county library system. The library headquarters was located at the Mercer County Courthouse, but did not distribute books.
"The bookmobile was necessary, (because) the county was more rural," said Mr. Cyrus, adding that according to his research, the bookmobile had traveled more than 8,800 miles in 1937.
Former Mercer County Librarian Robert Malone suggested opening the first branch of the Mercer County Library System in Princeton Township in the late 1950s, but the proposal was nixed by Mercer County officials, according to Mr. Immordino.
Mr. Immordino said another proposal was made to open a branch of the library system in Lawrence. Although Lawrence had been a rural community, new housing developments popped up during the 1950s and changed the nature of the township.
"Those (housing) developments brought a pile of people into Lawrence and the county began to get demands for better (library) service" from the new residents, Mr. Immordino said.
When Mercer County officials rejected the request for a Lawrence branch, some residents created a citizens committee to publicize the need for the branch library. The group circulated a petition calling for a branch library, which was signed by more than 1,600 township residents, Mr. Immordino said.
The effort paid off, because Mercer County officials relented and authorized the opening of the first branch of the library system in Lawrence Township, located in the Lawrence Shopping Center, between Princeton Pike and Brunswick Pike, where it remained until 1984.
Mercer County officials purchased the Darrah Lane site, a former trucking company terminal, and remodeled the building to accommodate the Mercer County Library System’s headquarters and the Lawrence branch of the county library system.

