Tara's Reading Garden
Come visit Tara’s Reading Garden and sit for a while!
The garden is dedicated to the memory of a very special woman, Tara Carr Erney, who died on October 16, 2021, after bravely fighting brain cancer for 18 months. She was 36 years old. She described herself as “a mother of boys, wife to Keith, a grower of food, a knitter of yarn, reader of everything, and beginner in farming.” Her personal goal to read 52 books per year sets a high bar that most dedicated readers cannot reach! Infused with love, a passion for reading, and a genuine zest for life, Tara’s extraordinary legacy inspires us to find joy in life’s simplest treasures.
In early Spring 2023, the Library transformed the small, plain side yard on the side of the building into a truly special memorial garden and outdoor event space. Landscapers removed hazards like raised tree roots and exposed PVC drain pipes and added a smooth concrete pad to give adults and children with mobility challenges access to the space and to make it usable after wet weather.
Before and After
Together, Tara’s family and the Library decided to invest what became a considerable memorial fund to create an outdoor “room” at the library. Tara’s deep commitment to green living and sustainability guided the planning of a “reading garden” with native plants.
Visitors to the library are welcome to sit for a while to read, knit, eat, or just people-watch. We hold programs outside on pleasant, warm days. Tara’s Garden enhances our Downtown area, too.
Tara’s deep commitment to green living and sustainability guided the design of the garden. It features plants native to the Northeastern United States, a gracefully curved patio, elegant furniture made from recycled plastic, and a tall fence to keep children safely inside the space. Flower pots and a spinner that catches the wind add pops of color. A small pollinator garden will support the downtown biological ecosystem. Keith Erney built three raised planter boxes that hold even more garden flowers. The concrete pad, a feature of the garden’s “hardscaping,” provides easy access for persons with mobility issues and parents with strollers.
This special garden project was supported entirely by donations. Tara’s husband set up a GoFundMe and expected to raise $1,000. That amount was quickly surpassed! Family, friends, and strangers donated an astounding $28,000. Tara’s Reading Garden is ADA compliant and built to commercial building code standards. That means architects, surveyors, permits, and more. The Friends of the Bloomsburg Public Library generously contributed $10,000 to help pay for the installation.
Our heartfelt gratitude to Keith Erney, the extended Carr-Erney family, Tara’s many friends, the Friends of the Library, our vendors and contractors, and many donors for making this transformation possible. Thank you to Dave and Deb Stabley for the creation and installation of an attractive reading mosaic, to Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc. for the addition of two patio umbrellas, and to Melissa Matthews, Juniper Black, and Gaia Harvey for being our garden care team.
