Honoring the Jenkintown Library on its 200th Anniversary

Honoring the Jenkintown Library on its 200th Anniversary

HON. JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL

OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, April 1, 2003

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the Jenkintown Library on its 200th anniversary. Established in 1803, the Jenkintown Library is now the third oldest library in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. For two centuries it has been a center for community learning and is still satisfying the changing needs of the area. The library's vast collection contains books, periodicals, DVD's, and other forms of multimedia. The library also offers programs that reflect the diverse interests of the community it serves. It is fitting that the Jenkintown Library is celebrating its bicentennial next week, as it corresponds with National Library week. National Library week is a time to recognize and highlight the contributions of both libraries and librarians for connecting people with the resources that they need to live and to learn. It also recognizes libraries as a place for education, self-help, and opportunity, something that the Jenkintown Library exemplifies. Two hundred years after its founding, the Jenkintown Library still retains its architectural beauty and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. Throughout its long history, the library has been able to keep up with the needs of the community, and I am confident that the library will continue to contribute for many years to come. I am grateful for the service that the library has provided to not only the citizens of Jenkintown but to all Montgomery Countians.