Timeline People Services

1:15 p.m.

Martha Liu greets everyone who walks (or rolls) through the door with a smile. Even as a steady stream of people — on foot, on scooters and pushing strollers — fills the floor, she says it’s an unusually quiet Sunday so far. This could be because the previous day was so busy: it was Pi Day and NJ Makers Day, which meant multiple programs on the first and third floors. “I think everyone is recovering,” Martha said.

1:17 p.m.

Dina Bishay comes to the desk with a simple request: the red crayon is missing from the art box she borrowed. Martha reaches into a nearby drawer and retrieves a crayon.

1:21 p.m.

With a lull at the service desk, Martha heads for the north end of the floor overlooking Wiggins Street to select picture books for an upcoming outreach visit to the Marcy T. Crimmins Learning Center at Princeton Community Village, one of six Pre-K programs run by Princeton Public Schools. The theme of the story time will be “movement,” so the selections are based on music and dance. She pauses to point out the picture book “Wild Symphony” by bestselling author Dan Brown, and adds it to the list.

1:27 p.m.

While his children browse the collection, Jamoday Awothar approaches the desk to ask Martha about a library card. He is new in town, having moved here from Paris earlier in the week. Based on the address he shares, Martha suspects he lives in neighboring Montgomery Township. She explains the protocols for purchasing a non-resident card, emphasizes that his family is welcome to use library resources and attend programs and gives him information about the new branch of the Somerset County Public Library System that opened last year in Montgomery.

MARTHA PERRY LIU has been working in the Youth Services Department since 2005. She lives in Hopewell Township with her husband, Ben, and two children, Silas and Evie. In addition to working the desk, she organizes programs, including story times. She writes the popular monthly “Top 5 for Under 5” post on the library blog.

DINA BISHAY is a doctoral candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary focusing on how politics and culture have influenced both secular and Christian education in her native Egypt. Dina and her husband, Amir, have two daughters, Layla and Nelly. “My daughters love the library!,” Dina says with enthusiasm. “They always ask me to take them here, because there is a lot for them to do there, either read books from the amazing collections you have, do arts or play with the nice Montessori-

Pi Day

Princeton is believed to be the only town that celebrates Einstein’s birthday with a multiday series of events for all ages. The library was one of the main venues for the first Pi Day in 2009 and has hosted events ranging from science programs for kids to lectures with internationally renowned physicists.

Artboxes

Located under the Information Desk on the third floor, these boxes for toddlers and older kids contain materials for agespecific projects. These boxes contain a pencil pouch, crayons, coloring sheets and blank paper along with special items such a rubbing plates and lacing cards. The boxes are frequently borrowed on weekend days, and the contents are refreshed by staff on a regular basis.