WEST WINDSOR: New chapter ahead for librarian

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
   WEST WINDSOR — Longtime librarian Kaija Greenberg will be ending her final chapter as manager for the West Windsor Branch of the Mercer County Library this week.
   Ms. Greenberg will enter the library as an employee for the last time on May 31 — the day that will officially bring her more than 25 years of service to a close.
   ”Besides reaching — and feeling — the age, after over 25 years, I feel that this is the right time for a new person to take charge,” said Ms. Greenberg.
   That person will be Rina Banarjee. Ms. Banarjee will be transferring from the Headquarters branch at Lawrence, where she has been running the library’s computer lab for the past six years.
   Before becoming a library manager, Ms. Greenberg worked as a reference librarian in the Mercer County Library System and the Trenton Public Library. She then went on to manage the Hopewell Branch before joining — and staying — with the West Windsor Branch in the fall of 1991.
   Ms. Greenberg said the favorite part of her job was being part of the evolving library system — a system that has sustained many changes since she first earned the title of “branch manager.”
   ”Then we had card catalogs and reference books, now we have online catalogs and databases. Books are being replaced with Nooks, Kindles and Playaway Views,” she said. “The work in the library is interesting and another day is a chance to learn something new.”
   But the work she loved best was developing collections and providing programs that serviced the specific needs of the West Windsor community — an effort made possible with the support of the Headquarters Branch at Lawrence, Library Administration, IT and the Acquisition and Cataloging Departments.
   Ms. Greenberg said she plans on taking the summer off to relax, recharge and think about what she wants to do next.
   ”I hope it includes traveling with my husband, lowering my handicap, gardening and the company of my two grandsons, Zach and Miikka,” said Ms. Greenberg. “Maybe even learning a new language.”
   However, Ms. Greenberg said she would miss her daily interactions with all 28 staff members, the Friends’ Group and her colleagues in the Mercer County Library System.
   ”And my early morning rounds around the building to see that nothing calamitous has happened overnight, while pondering the day ahead,” she added.
   Although she will miss the library, Ms. Greenberg still has many fond memories of big annual events such as kick off parties for the summer reading programs, Lunar New Year and Diwali celebrations and Black History Month events.
   ”Also the film festivals we collaborated with the West Windsor Arts Council, which have brought patrons in hundreds to the library,” she said. “The great thing is, now I can attend these as a patron.”