A gift from Boris Bittker, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law, and his children has established the Anne S. Bittker Children's Room at the main branch of the New Haven Free Public Library. The gift from the Bittker family -- the second largest donation to the library in its 110-year history -- was made in memory of the professor's late wife, a longtime member of The Friends of the Library, who died in February.
The Anne S. Bittker Children's Room was dedicated on Dec. 19. The Bittker family's gift has also created a fund for purchasing children's book and children's reference materials for the New Haven Free Public Library system. Anne Bittker produced the newsletter for The Friends of the Library for 25 years and, when her children were younger, helped create a library at the Worthington Hooker School in New Haven. A public relations specialist, she had formerly worked for the news bureau of the School of Medicine and had been an associate editor of Yale Medicine.
New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and Michael Morand, assistant secretary for education and human development in Yale's Office of New Haven Affairs who is also president of the library's board of directors, spoke at the dedication ceremony.
"The New Haven Free Public Library is in the midst of terrific renewal with the strong commitment of Mayor DeStefano," Morand said at the event. "The Bittker family's magnificent gift will greatly add to this renewal.
Boris Bittker served on the Yale faculty from 1946 until his retirement in 1983. He is a specialist in the fields of federal taxation, corporate and constitutional law.