The Cape May County Library System is celebrating its 100th anniversary with activities for kids and adults beginning this Saturday, Sept. 13, and including historical displays, a 100-Year Celebration Scavenger Hunt and writing a love letter to the library.
The festivities will culminate on Saturday, Sept. 20, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Sea Isle City Library, featuring a ceremony, a performance by singer-pianist Jay Daniels, food treats and a raffle for a Kindle Fire. Just before that celebration, a kids celebration story time will start at 11 a.m.
For the scavenger hunt, participants will pick up a card with nine different clues and library history questions. They must follow clues to nine different library history posters located throughout the library, and once located, answer the scavenger hunt questions using the discovered information. The scavenger hunters can then turn in their cards for a prize.
Events will continue all week at the library locations in Cape May City, Lower Township, Wildwood Crest, Cape May Court House, Stone Harbor, Upper Township, Sea Isle City and Woodbine, or by contacting the library at outreach@cmclibrary.org or 609-463-6350 for further information.
“Libraries have changed greatly over the last 100 years, but the shift to digital technology and resources has had the greatest impact,” said Andrea Orsini, director of the county library system. “During the age of technology, we have transformed from solely manual operations and print resources to an integrated library system with digital cataloging, circulation, acquisitions, reports and more.
“What’s more, library digital resources have transformed how users perform research. Utilizing the libraries’ online databases allows users to access a wealth of peer-reviewed articles from home. That level of research used to take hours of dedicated time in Reference sections of both public and academic libraries.
“While e-books have impacted how many users read library books, digital download versus checking out physical books, the library is still providing the books that our community needs and wants,” Orsini added. “The library has adapted its services over the years to change with the times and serve our patrons, and will continue to do so for the next 100 years.”
Today, there are eight library locations in the county, and all have books, audiobooks, downloadable e-books, video games, music, magazines, movies, free Internet, computers, printing, scanning, mobile Wi-Fi hot spots and other services. There’s also a bookmobile service with stops throughout the county every Thursday and Friday.
According to Orsini, people visit the library predominantly for books, computer/Internet usage and programs. In 2024, there were 384,587 library visitors, 584,643 materials circulated, 118,153 computer and Internet users, and 88,438 program participants.
The Cape May County Library can trace its roots back to 1923, when Sarah Askew, secretary of the New Jersey Public Library Commission, made frequent visits to Cape May County to enlist support for a free county library. It worked, and the Cape May County Free Library was established by referendum in November 1924, according to historical records.
Orsini said the Library Commission in April 1925 hired Bess E. McGregor, formerly the librarian at the Staten Island Branch of the New York Public Library, as librarian, with an annual salary of $2,000 (about $37,000 in today’s value).
The library’s “birthday” is Jan. 16, 1925, when the first Library Commission was appointed by the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders. It consisted of Alfred Cooper, chairman; Roxanna Gandy, secretary; Lanning Myers; Elida K. Sheppard and George Soeder.
“Two assistants, Dorothy Bennett and Rachel C. Tozour, were hired at salaries of $60 (about $1,108 today’s value) and $50 (about $923) a month, respectively,” she said. “A five-room first-floor apartment in a house on Mechanic Street in Cape May Court House was rented for use as the library. Yearly rent was $350 (today’s value $6,461), including heat and water. A library truck was purchased for $883 ($16,300 today’s value).”
The physical organization of the library began on June 15, 1925, when McGregor spent several days at the New Jersey State Library in Trenton, selecting the 2,000 books the state contributed to each new county library. The general distribution of books to “stations” began on Sept. 1, 1925.
The Library’s first Annual Report, in January 1926, showed 10,679 books, of which 9,864 were deposited throughout the county in 71 “stations.” These stations were found in stores, homes, post offices and schools.
In December 1927 the library moved from its “inadequate apartment to quarters on Main Street, north of the courthouse building, formerly the offices of the county clerk. Its 2,000 square feet were considered large and spacious, comfortable and dignified,” Orsini said.
At the time, the library owned almost 23,000 books.
The library continued to grow, and based on county government functions and space requirements, the county Planning Board recommended a new library building in January 1960.
Lisa Brownback, head of reference for the library, said that before the establishment of a county library system, public libraries existed within individual municipalities, including Ocean City (1915), Cape May City (1919), Sea Isle City (1916) North Wildwood (1917) and Villas (1955), according to newspaper articles.
In 1920, Brownback said the American Library Association announced its “Books for Everybody” movement, urging the adoption of county library systems throughout the nation to help provide literature to rural areas. It was recommended that “the county library system provides for establishing one central library at the county seat or in the largest town in every county.”
From 1925 to 1974, the annual library reports only mentioned “member libraries” and “stations,” according to Brownback. “Member libraries paid into the county and received library services and materials, but the library remained owned and operated by the municipality,” she explained. “The very first branch, as we understand them today, was Stone Harbor, opened as a branch on July 1, 1974.”
Avalon joined the official county library system in 1975, but left the system in 2004. Sea Isle City joined June 6, 1979, followed by the Lower Cape branch Aug. 26, 1982; Upper Cape branch, Oct. 19, 1985; Cape May City Jan. 1, 1995; Wildwood Crest in June 2003 and Woodbine on Oct. 1, 2007.
Orsini said the Library Commission today has a lot of the same responsibilities as it did 100 years ago. “In reading through historic annual reports, it’s evident that they were the governing body responsible for hiring staff, acquiring building space, purchasing library materials and vehicles, and overseeing the library budget,” she said. “Although we no longer lend out Victrola records like the library did 100 years ago, the concept is the same.”
The library system is funded mostly by the dedicated County Library Tax, and also receives annual per capita state aid, she added.
“Libraries, most assuredly, remain an active and vital part of our communities,” Orsini said. “In addition to the expected books, we provide a myriad of services and resources for all ages, such as technological help, educational and enriching classes, and e-resources that our patrons can access from their own homes. We provide a community gathering space and a place for quiet study.
“We’re proud of our role in our community, and we invite all Cape May County residents to visit us and see what we offer to them.”
Contact the reporter, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.
