Mount Tabor Library Officially Reopens After COVID Shutdown

PARSIPPANY, NJ — For many Mount Tabor residents, a library building with more than a century of history has been a pillar of the community.

The Mount Tabor Library, located at 31 Trinity Park, Mt. Tabor, is located in a small, historic section of Parsippany that began as a Methodist camp after the Civil War.

The homes are still "land lease," which means that Mount Tabor homeowners own their houses but lease the land on which the homes are built.

Mount Tabor is on the New Jersey Historical Registry, displaying American architecture from the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first few decades of the twentieth century, and hosts historical walks throughout the year.

The original structure was built in 1873 as an open pavilion; however, the building was enclosed in 1901. The building has been a community library since 1901 and, along with the Lake Hiawatha Branch Library, became part of the Parsippany Library in 1968, where it has remained ever since.

The community's public library is regarded as a jewel by many, so when the COVID-19 pandemic and budget cuts threatened to close it, residents banded together to pressure township leaders to reopen it.

• Read More: Fight For Mount Tabor Library Continues

According to Tabor resident Dawn Catanzaro, who organized the group in favor of the small library branch, their main focus was to convince Mayor James Barberio and the town council agreed to include funds in the budget to cover the costs of operating the Mount Tabor Branch.

After months of waiting, the answer finally arrived on July 25, when Barberio gave an update stating that the lease for the Mount Tabor Branch Library had been signed.

The Mount Tabor library reopened this past Tuesday for the first time since it was closed in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It has been a long ten months, but the Mount Tabor Library Branch will be reopening Tuesday, August 8. After many meetings and emails, the library lease has been signed by the mayor, supported by the Town council, and received in the Camp Meeting Association office," Catanzaro said.

The library website, parsippanylibrary.org, has the current hours and other information.

The Parsippany Library has three branches that serve a population of 56,000 people: the Main Library (449 Halsey Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054), the Lake Hiawatha Branch (68 Nokomis Ave, Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034), and the Mt. Tabor Branch (31 Trinity Park, Mt. Tabor, NJ 07878).