Paul Bass Photo
City Chief Administrative Officer Mike Carter and Brogan at the celebration.
For a 130 year-old, New Haven’s public library is going strong, with a seemingly bright future ahead.
City Librarian Martha Brogan marked the occasion at the downtown main Ives branch by serving cake Tuesday at around 1 p.m. to library supporters and patrons, timed to coincide with the hour when founders first opened a rented space a block away to circulate newspapers and magazines.
Before cutting the cake, Brogan read a proclamation from Mayor Toni Harp, which ended with an exhortation to “keep reading.”
Library Board President Michael Morand noted that the library system has grown to four branches and a 24-hour electronic service, plus a bookmobile. In this digital age it remains New Haven’s “single-most visited cultural institution,” with 600,000 annual visits, he said. A new home for Dixwell’s Stetson branch is planned as part of the Q house project.
In addition to those original periodicals, the library nowadays circulates books, recordings, e‑books, movies … and, at least for one day, dessert.