Library and township officials joined the Friends of the Jackson branch of the Ocean County Library Saturday for the dedication of a statue they named “Jack and Jill.”
The statue becomes part of a restful area just outside the building. The area includes a gazebo that was created by Eagle Scout Andrew McAllister and a garden created by Down to Earth Landscaping. The gazebo and garden were created in part from a financial contribution from the Friends group.
The sculpture was purchased from Large Art Company in Baltimore and was cast in California, said past Friend’s president Roger Friend.
The sculpture has a boy and girl on a bench. They boy is reading a book while the girl is doing research on her laptop computer.
“Libraries used to be measured by the number of books on their shelves,” said Friends president Murray Blasz, “but that is no longer true. The library brings media of all types to us, including the latest technology.”
Saturday’s program was the culmination of a years-long dream, said Friend. He said the sculpture speaks about all the wonderful resources the library has to offer.
A children’s concert followed the dedication program.
Photos from the event can be viewed as a slideshow at http://www.flickr.com/photos/22036136@N07/sets/72157621791134755/show/
