It Was 20 Years Ago Today

The opening of the Sands Library Building

April 24, 2004

AN EXHIBITION IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM

PRINCETON PUBLIC LIBRARY

APRIL 24, 2024

Photos by Catherine “Cie” Stroud

It all happened so fast.

After decades of waiting for a decision on the future of the library, then watching steel and brick rise to the sky, the word finally came: We could open. On Thursday or Friday — who can remember? — we received a temporary certificate of occupancy, setting in motion the events of Saturday, April 24, 2004.

None of the communications tools we now take for granted were available. Facebook had launched three months before but was limited to the Harvard campus. Twitter was two years away; the iPhone three.

Text messaging wasn’t widespread and was expensive. So we hung a sign on the window that we were opening at 10, made some phone calls and let word-of-mouth do the rest.

Catherine “Cie” Stroud, who had been working with us since the early days of our temporary library at Princeton Shopping Center. Luckily, she was available and arrived at 9:30 a.m. This exhibit contains 20 of the images she took that day.

In the whirlwind of events necessary to open a new library, we were fortunate to remember to call our photographer,

— Timothy K. Quinn Director, Office of Marketing and Communications

April, 2024

The line formed early to be one of the first to enter and building. The library received its temporary certificate of occupancy two days before the opening. With few of the digital communications tools we have today, news of the impending opening spread throughout town largely by word-of-mouth.

Staff pose prior to the opening of the Sands Library Building on April 24, 2004.

Think they’re excited?

Executive Director Leslie Burger and Assistant Director Eric Greenfeldt stop to pose on their way to opening the doors to the Sands Library Building for the first time.

Marcus Budline is the first to enter the Sands Library Building after Leslie Burger and Eric Greenfeldt open the doors. Marcus is now a product manager at FanDuel in Atlanta.

Executive Director Leslie Burger experiences a cathartic moment after welcoming visitors to the new Sands Library Building.

Executive Director Leslie Burger and Assistant Director Eric Greenfeldt welcome a steady stream of patrons after the doors opened to the Sands Library Building.

From left, staff members Catherine Harper, Andre Levie and Susan Roth at the new Welcome Desk in the Sands Library Building.

Andre is the current Collection Development Manager for the library.

Lending Services staff members Barbara Ackerman, left, and Susan Darkhosh prepare items placed on hold for pickup.

Library patrons had borrowed large numbers of books in anticipation of the two weeks it took to move the collection from Princeton Shopping Center.

April 24, 2004, also maked the debut of public art in the library, including “Happy World,” a collaboration between Ik-Joong Kang and the Princeton Community.

This photo became the cover art for The Art of a New Library film and was shared widely with media interested in the work of the Art Committee.

JiHae Ju answers one of the first questions at the second floor Reference Desk.

Now head of the Access Services Department, JiHae is one of seven employees still at the library who were working on 4/24/04.

The Reference Section on the second floor had a mix of traditional books and Dell PCs running Windows XP. This area is now the Technology Center and Computer Commons.

Staff members Janie Hermann, right, and Bob Keith, center, work with an unidentified Princeton University consultant on a Windows XP consultant.

Janie is now adult programming manager for the library and Bob is director of library law, state aid and statistics for the New Jersey State Library.

Magazine racks on the second floor nlooking toward the Princeton Room. This area is now the Scheide Living Room. Magazines and newspapers are now in the Baber Newsroom.

Princeton University Professor Stanley Katz, right, with his wife, Adria, and his son, Derek, at the bank of public computers near the Reference Desk.

“Everyone seemed to gravitate toward their ownspaces right away,” said Executive Director Leslie Burger after the opening. That was true of this woman, who tried out one of the new public computers.

Staff member Susan Conlon with young patron Nora on the third floor. Susan is now Head of Youth Services.

Students finding new reading material in the Teen Center. One of the features of the

Sands Library Building was the significant increase in the amount of space dedicated to young people when compared to the previous library building.

Liz Lempert, who nine years later would be elected as first mayor of the consolidated Princeton, enjoys the third floor with her daughter Ella, now a senior at Stanford University.

Princeton Professor Ken Norman reads to daughter Madi Norman on the third floor.

Madi will begin work as a public defender in San Francisco after graduating from law school this spring.

The Sands Library Building seen on the afternoon of April 24, 2004. Construction of the Spring Street Garage neared completion; it would open in May.

Steel for the construction of Witherspoon House apartments can be seen going up at right.

Wednesday, April 24

All events in the Community Room unless otherwise noted

1-5

p.m.

It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Photos by Cie Stroud

April 24, 2004, was a transformative day for the library — and for downtown Princeton. Relive the anticipation and joy of the community as seen through the lens of Catherine “Cie” Stroud.

5 p.m. HappyWorld tours Lobby area

StaffmemberAnna Lewiswill give atourof“HappyWorld,”a mural collaboration between artist Ik-Joong Kang andthe community.

6 p.m. Cake by Delizioso Bakery Kitchen and Classic Cinema

We’ll blow outthe candles on a birthdaycake and watch short films about the history, art and architecture ofthe Sands LibraryBuilding.

7

p.m.

How We Built This

In a livelypanel discussion,three ofthe keyfigureswho made the Sands LibraryBuilding a reality— Leslie Burger, HarryLevine and Nick Garrison — discussthe challenges and opportunities ofcreating a newlibraryforPrinceton.

PRINCETON PUBLIC LIBRARY