New Jersey State Library

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I recently had the honor of accepting an Innovation Award from the Council of State Governments for the New Jersey Knowledge Initiative. This national award is intended to bring greater recognition for exemplary programs that show creativity in effectively dealing with problems and issues that are regional in scope. The CSG Innovation Award Program considered hundreds of state programs and projects, and we are so proud to have received this award that recognizes the foresight of State Library and its partners in establishing and operating NJKI as well as the foresight of the State Legislature and the Governor in funding this innovative project. NJKI encourages economic growth and strengthens high-tech projects. It is a model that other states are interested in emulating. Given the success of NJKI, we are pressing forward to secure full funding to continue the initiative.

• We are proud to report that NJLBH scores high in customer satisfaction based on a comprehensive survey. The survey distributed to all NJLBH customers in all NJ counties showed 98 percent rated their overall experience with NJLBH as either excellent or good; 100 percent said they would recommend the library to a friend; and 99 percent reported the library improved the quality of their life. Seventy-five percent of NJLBH’s customers are over the age of 65. A total of 1,115 customers responded and returned their surveys.

• Four Diversity Grants have been awarded by LDB and accepted by East Orange Public Library, Ocean County Library System, West Deptford Free Public Library and Bergen County Cooperative Library System in partnership with the Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium. The grants will help to strengthen or expand programs that serve residents who may encounter difficulty using traditional library services.

• Our Marketing Department continues to promote the services offered by the State Library and public libraries through the NJ Library Network. New projects include developing a promotional campaign with NJLA for the National Reading Group Month; compiling a mailing to libraries this month that will include materials on the YouTube/Comic Drawing contest about why users love their libraries; and designing, producing and printing a variety of collateral material for the different bureaus of the State Library. There are also plans to conduct a workshop to help libraries create effective outreach events.

• Attendance at instructional sessions offered by SLIC continues to grow with 31 state workers at the Division of Motor Vehicles attending two, one-hour lunchtime talks presented by the Genealogy Collection Librarian on how the State Library’s collections support genealogy research. Another 16 people attended two more mid-day sessions presented at the State Library that focused on using U.S. Census records for family history. Similarly, two sessions on navigating legal databases attracted 17 interested individuals. We are glad to serve state government workers and the public with these special programs that we offer on a regular basis.

SPOTLIGHT ON BARBARA DOYLE

Barbara Doyle is a long-standing employee of the New Jersey State Library. She has been a faithful staff member since 1996, and she spoke glowingly about the wonderful people she works with. Barbara’s favorite job is to put books back on the shelves. Her least favorite time at work is when the email is down. I think we can all agree with that! At home in Lawrenceville, Barbara likes to play computer games. Her favorite computer games involve America’s sweetheart detective, Nancy Drew. When not on the computer, Barbara likes to watch cop shows on TV. She also likes to watch scary movies. When I mentioned a few plot details, Barbara was quickly able to tell me that my favorite scary movie was entitled, “When a Stranger Calls.” Barbara’s duties at home include dishwashing and setting the table. As Barbara’s two brothers and three sisters could probably tell you, Barbara loves her chocolate. She counteracts its effects by swimming or using the exercise bike. Barbara’s favorite trip was to Disney World. Another thing we agree on is that we both would really like to go there again–soon!

• At the end of July, LBH hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired Regional Technical Assistance Center located at the Library for the Blind and Handicapped. This state-of-the-art technical center is equipped with the latest in assistive technologies. This joint project of NJLBH and CBVI received additional funding in a technology grant from Comcast Foundation. As a result of the Comcast grant for $20,000, the lab is equipped with an interactive smart board, a handheld CCTV and a new generation Brailler.

• LBH completed a second year in its partnership with the TCNJ Workskills Program. We offered a variety of work opportunities to teens with multiple disabilities. Students reported to work at LBH and under the guidance of job coaches, rewound tapes, checked in books, opened boxes of Braille books and sorted returned books into bins for re-shelving.

Library Laws of New Jersey

Staff members have been working with the New Jersey Library Association and the Department of Community Affairs on recent issues such as excluding municipal libraries from the recently enacted 4% cap on new municipal tax revenue, the need for municipal libraries to receive the full one-third mill from the municipality and various trustee term issues.
The draft amendments to NJAC 15:21.12, the regulation developed to clarify the one-third-mill rules for municipal and joint public libraries, will not move forward until NJSL receives the Deputy Attorney General opinion regarding whether or not trustees may give any funding raised by the 1/3 mill law to the municipality to be used for non-library purposes.

NJKI Marketing/Advocacy

NJKI staff attended the ACT subcommittee working group meeting where the Deputy Chief of the Governor’s Office of Economic Growth Angie Maguire talked about how important NJKI and libraries are to the state’s economic growth strategy. This committee is charged with developing a new program to meet the needs of the state’s entrepreneurs and small businesses in a more comprehensive and productive structure.

The NJKI task force continued to meet and outline the strategy required to fill the gap in NJKI funding for the remainder of FY 08. As part of this strategy, additional legislative visits are being planned for September.

Training and online activities:

Four Reference USA and four JerseyCat Customization Training Sessions were held around the state last month.

As a result of LDB staff efforts, over 160 public libraries are now using Get A Library Card Online.

JerseyCat ISO compliance Preparation and Testing was completed last month and the first request using this system was sent on July 25. This is a huge accomplishment, as it will enable local libraries to update statuses, will reduce the amount of clerical work necessary by JerseyCAT staff and will result in speedier response time for out of state requests.

Four statewide preservation and conservation workshops were planned, scheduled and announced last month.

Planning Activities:

The new LSTA five year plan was completed and submitted to IMLS last month and we are awaiting their notice of approval.

• New projects the department is working on include: developing a promotional campaign with NJLA for National Reading Group Month; compiling a mailing to libraries in September that will include materials on YouTube /Comic Drawing contest; designing and printing an LBH brochure, Deaf and Hard of Hearing brochure, SLIC brochure, SLIC rack card and the Strategic Plan overview; and conducting a workshop to help libraries create more effective outreach events.

• Media releases continue to be submitted on a regular basis and new templates for libraries have been posted to the web that libraries are encouraged to use to promote the services they offer through JerseyCat, JerseyClicks and Get A Library Card Online. The Downloadable Files page has been redesigned.

• Inventory of the Reference Collection moved forward with the help of two summer interns. The Library’s new wireless capability helped making changes to the catalog easier because they can be done directly on a laptop carried into the stacks. The Reference Collection contains more than 16,000 items.

• Usage of State Library collections increased by 6% over last year, totaling 37,690. The Library registered 2,046 new borrowers for a total of 21,809, a 10.4% increase over last year.