Debbie's Libraryland
ABOUT RIDGEFIELD PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Ridgefield Park Public Library​ (RFPK) is a public library nestled in the village of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. It is located at 107 Cedar Street in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, 07660. Ridgefield Park is a suburb located only 6.6 miles from New York City. The library director is Omar Khan. The library is part of the BCCLs consortium.
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According to the United States Census (2020), an estimated 12,901 people call the town their home. The land area is 1.73 square miles (Citi-Data, 2017). The library is located in Northern New Jersey in the county of Bergen.
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The Ridgefield Park Public Library maintains an active web presence at their home page of ​ridgefieldparkpubliclibrary.org​, as well as on social media (​Facebook​, ​Twitter​, and ​Instagram​) for outreach purposes. The staff includes three full-time MLIS librarians. In addition, there are four full-time and seven part-time employees. Ridgefield Park Public Library has been a 501(c) organization, subsection 509 (a) (1) & 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi) since 1991(Internal Revenue Service, 1991). The library serves the community of Ridgefield Park as an extension of the municipal government, supported by taxes and governed by a board of trustees.
My Walkabout!
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The relative location of the Village of Ridgefield Park is that it is located south of Borough of Bogota, Township of Teaneck and the Hackensack River. It is east of the City of Hackensack, Hackensack River and the Borough of Little Ferry. It is west of the Borough of Leonia, Borough of Palisades Park and the Overpeck Creek. It is north of the Borough of Ridgefield and the Hackensack River.
When I initially took my walkabout around the streets of the library , I immediately began to get an understanding of the diverse community found in this small village. I saw schools, places of worship, civic centers, businesses, apartments, and houses to name a few. The library itself is nested in the village’s residential community. The Fellowship Park is adjacent to the library. The park includes a tennis court, playground and a community garden. Village residents, organizations and businesses manage the community garden. The park is dedicated to the Annual Fellowship Gathering of the Knights of Columbus and Masons. People tend to hang out in small groups, sit around on benches, garden and of course play tennis here. It is never over crowded.
The town is rich in history and tradition as it was established in the 1600s. There are four public and one private school in town. Grant Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, and Roosevelt Elementary schools are for children in grades Kindergarten - 6th. All three schools are about ½ mile from the library. Roosevelt is northeast of the library, Lincoln is to the west, and Grant to the southeast. The High School for grades 7th through 12th is one mile away located northeast of the library. Most children who come to the library after school, walk or ride bicycles. Academy of Greatness and Excellence is located one block away from the library. It is a private Muslim school for children in grades PK-12.
Within a two block radius, the library encompasses many but not all the faith-based organizations found in our town which include The First Baptist Church, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, First United Methodist Church, Hope Community Church (Korean), Oversea Chinese Mission Grace Church, and the Living Faith Christian Church (American Korean).
The Rainbow Nursery School can be found in the back the First United Methodist Church. It is a Korean daycare, after school program and a summer camp. Most of the houses in this area are single-family homes located on ¼ of acre of land. There are two apartment buildings located in this area and they can be found across from Academy of Greatness and Excellence.
Walking up Euclid Street, you will see monuments, plaques and even a World War 2 flag proudly displayed. There are open-wreath standing sprays displayed around the monuments.Within a three-block radius, The Ridgefield Park Co-op, a nursery school is located and is intended for children 2 ½ to - 6 years old. The First Presbyterian Church is also located in this same area.
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References:
City-Data. ​Ridgefield Park, New Jersey​. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/city/Ridgefield-Park-New-Jersey.html
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Institute of Museum and Library Services. ( 2015). Library system FY 2015 public Library.
Retrieved from
https://data.imls.gov/Public-Libraries-Survey/Look-up-your-library-/7a72-uw39
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United States Census Bureau. (2020). ​Quick facts: Ridgefield Park Village, New Jersey​.
Retrieved from
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/ridgefieldparkvillagenewjersey/PST045219
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ABOUT ME
Academic, school and public libraries have always been part of my life as a child, teen and now as an adult. Professionally, librarianship became part of my life after September 11th. I left a successful career as an operations manager and went back to school where I received my associate school library media specialists certification from Rutgers University (School of Information) in collaboration with St. Thomas Aquinas College (Graduate School in Education). I became state certified by the New Jersey State Education Department and began working as the school library media specialist. After 13 years, I decided I wanted to go back to school and get my MLIS. In 2016, I began classes at San Jose State University. That same year, I was offered a position as the Reference/Young Adult librarian in a public library where I worked part-time at night. It was a difficult decision to change jobs as I loved my position in the school but I also had grown a fondness of this public library and their community. In 2019, I received my MLIS with Honors. Today, I am the Head of Children's Services, and Children's librarian at Ridgefield Park Public Library.
Great Reads
Here are some books I read this year that I consider great reads for children, teens and/or adults. These books are all available at our library.