The Friends Advocate for Cheng Library The Friends of the Cheng Library is a diverse group of individuals who advocate for the David and Lorraine Cheng Library as a center of intellectual life on the campus of William Paterson and also as a link to the different communities the University engages. The Friends began in 1998 with a mission to reach out to the academic and civic communities through a series of events and lectures, such as: An Evening with Stickley Story Quilts and Children’s Books with Faith Ringgold Writers Conference with Chang-rae Lee William Paterson: Lawyer, Jurist, Statesman with Richard Bernstein Lectures at the Wyckoff Wildlife Center Making Local History Live with Evelyn Gonzalez, Vince Parrillo, and Ed Smyk Fifty Years in Photography with George Tice Margaret Mead Festival Wolf Journal with Brian Connolly A City Resurgent: Paterson 1890-1910 with Glenn Corbett, John Koontz, Vincent Parrillo, and Richard Polton Desperately Seeking Real Italians with Susanna Tardi An Illustrated Lecture on the Lenape with Janet Pollak The Friends organization also supports the Library through the donation of materials and funds. In the Cheng Library, the Friends’ Room provides students with a comfortable setting to study, and its auditorium is used as a reception area by various groups. Championing Intellectual Life at the University For the faculty at William Paterson, membership in the Friends is a way to champion the intellectual life on the campus by supporting the stimulating events that bring together the academic community with the communities that surround the University. Faculty membership helps the Friends to maintain and update the Friends’ Room and supports the goal of the Friends to help the Library through financial donations.
