By KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
METUCHEN — The new Metuchen Public Library director has hit the ground running with the goal of keeping the library a vital component in the community.
Mayor Peter Cammarano and the Township Council invited John Arthur to the Township Council at a meeting on Feb. 6 to officially welcome him into his new role.
Arthur started as the library director in December, taking the role over from Susanna Chan, who retired after three years as director.
“My goal in Metuchen is to really continue for the library to be a vital component in the community and work with other institutions in the community … the schools, the businesses and all the residents to do great programming,” he said.
Arthur previously served as a library director in Fairfield Township in Essex County, and before that, he served as a children’s and teens’ director at the library in Chatham Borough in Morris County.
“I have worked with all ages with different roles in a library,” he said.
Arthur said everyone has been so welcoming and he is excited to be part of the community. He mentioned the library’s upcoming programming, which includes the Lunar New Year program on Feb. 15.
On March 11, Arthur will hold a meet and greet from 2-3 p.m. at the library and around 3:15 p.m., Arthur will change hats and moonlight as a musician.
“I’ll do a concert with the families for the little kids ages 2 to 5,” he said. “I’ll sing some silly songs and we all will jump around.”
For more information about the library, visit metuchenlibrary.org.