Local readers can now borrow from the Orange Public Library's sizable collection of books in Spanish. Residents need a REBL sticker from their home library, but there is no cost and books can be returned either to Orange or to the South Orange Public Library.

The Orange Public Library (OPL) collection includes literary powerhouses such as Isabel Allende and Sandra Cisneros, but what makes this collection unusual is its breadth. The OPL owns and lends Spanish-language versions of bestsellers from the Harry Potter series, to Bill Clinton's memoir ("Mi Vida") to What to Expect When You're Expecting.

This is a plus for local students preparing for advanced Spanish classes in the fall. Julia Mahoney, a rising senior, borrowed a Spanish-language version of Twilight. "I liked it a few years ago," she said, laughing. "Re-reading it in Spanish gives me a chance to revisit my lost youth. And I have to read something in Spanish over the summer. Why not this?"  Her classmate agreed, choosing a Danielle Steele romance novel. "Beach reading," she said, laughing. "And I might learn vocab they don't teach in school."

The OPL is worth a visit for other reasons, too. The Stanford White-designed building underwent repair of its rotunda. The "beehive" ceilings of the reading rooms are a rare sight, and the upper level of the fiction area has glass floors.

The Spanish language collection is located on the main floor, to the left beyond the circulation desk. The OPL hours are:

Library Hours

  348 Main Street
  Orange, N.J. 07050
  (973) 673-0153