Mayor Nicholas Sacco, the North Bergen Board of Commissioners, and the North Bergen Free Public Library Board of Trustees hosted a special dedication and plaque reveal ceremony on Thursday, Jul. 9, officially naming the library the Sai Rao Public Library in recognition of Executive Director Sai Rao’s decades of leadership and commitment to North Bergen.

The ceremony, held on Rao’s birthday, celebrated her extraordinary career, lasting legacy, and leadership that has transformed the Township’s library system into one of the region’s premier community resources. Guests gathered inside the beautifully renovated facility to witness the unveiling of the building’s new name and celebrate Rao’s decades of service to the residents of North Bergen.

The Bergenline Avenue location is the flagship branch of the North Bergen Free Public Library system and is nearing completion of an extensive renovation project that has modernized the facility while expanding opportunities for lifelong learning, technology, workforce development, children’s programming, and community engagement. While the plaque dedication marked an important milestone in the project, the Township is continuing to put the finishing touches on the renovated building and will announce details in the coming weeks for a major grand opening celebration, featuring the closure of Bergenline Avenue outside the library for a community street festival, entertainment, family activities, and tours of the transformed library.

A North Bergen resident for more than three decades, Rao became the first woman to serve as executive director of the Township’s library system. During her tenure, she secured millions of dollars in grant funding while expanding library services to include career assistance, citizenship preparation, adult education, technology access, youth programming, health initiatives, and countless educational opportunities for residents of all ages. She was named Hudson County’s Woman of the Year in 2020 and has received the prestigious New York Times Librarian of the Year Award.

In addition to her leadership of the library, Rao serves on the North Bergen Board of Education and has held numerous regional leadership positions, including president of the Hudson County Library Directors Association. She has also served on several committees for the Bergen County Cooperative Library System and the Community Relations Committee at Hackensack Meridian Palisades Medical Center.

Among those participating in the ceremony were Mayor Nicholas Sacco; Commissioners Anthony Vainieri, Hugo Cabrera, Claudia Rodriguez, and Allen Pascual; Hudson County Commissioner Robert Baselice; Township Administrator Janet Castro; former Assemblyman and Executive Director of the North Bergen Housing Authority Julio Marenco; members of the North Bergen Board of Education; library board members and staff; elected officials; and family and friends of Sai Rao, many of whom shared personal stories on the impact Rao has made on generations of residents through her vision for the library. The program was emceed by Sree Sreenivasan and featured remarks from Former Ambassador T. P. Sreenivasan, who reflected on Rao’s lifelong commitment to education, public service, and community leadership.

The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of the dedication plaque officially naming the Sai Rao Public Library at 8411 Bergenline Avenue, followed by a luncheon celebrating Rao’s remarkable career and legacy.

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