Known to many of the youngest library patrons simply as "Miss Beth," Beth Halliday has been a fixture in the South Orange Public Library for years, but she has a new job.

Halliday became Coordinator of Children’s Services in September, but she was a library aide for the previous five years. She received the promotion shortly after completing her master’s in Library Information Science at Pratt Institute, which has the oldest library school in the country.

Halliday is a 20-year resident of Maplewood and raised three daughters here. Her philosophy about the Children’s Room matches that of the SOPL: it’s about service. “No one should ever leave without getting what they came for, or the information they need to get what they came for,” she said.

Halliday’s love of books started early. After all, she was named for one of the main characters in "Little Women," her favorite book when she was growing up in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

“We didn’t buy books. I didn’t know the neighborhood kids because I went to parochial school. So, books at the library were my best friends,” she said.

Unlike the SOPL, which has no limit on the number of books you can take out, her local Brooklyn library allowed patrons to leave with a maximum of six books a week. “I’d read them over and over,” she said.

Christine Policastro, who formerly had Halliday's job, is now residing in Trenton but is still helping to redesign the library’s Web site. During her tenure, the children’s section of the library was renovated, complete with an interior clubhouse with cozy nooks for reading.

Look for the laughter to keep emanating from the Children’s Room, which hosts story hours for babies, toddlers and children; drop-in craft workshops; sing-alongs with Marilyn; and banjo picking with a local dad. For older kids, there's also an Anime Club; Hang-out Fridays, which give middle schoolers a chance to interact with Seton Hall student volunteers; and the summer-long reading program.

Everyone is welcome to participate in programming at the SOPL – there is no registration or waiting list. “We want kids to love reading and love being here,” Halliday said.

Have a book club that you’d like to start? SOPL has an open door to new ideas. All you have to do is come in and ask. Check out the Web site for a listing of Children’s Room programming and the library’s calendar of events.