New Jersey State Library Newsletter

What is a fun way to keep in touch with fellow readers and the Talking Book & Braille Center’s literary offerings? Become a part of TBBC’s quarterly Book Club. Karen Carson moderates the lively discussions of popular books and you may listen to these spirited discussions on the Virtual Book Club at http://www.audiovision-nj.org/asx/bookclub.asx.

This is a permanent link which will be regularly updated with the most recent quarterly book talk show.

The next Book Club, it will be held at the Talking Book and Braille Center, 2300 Stuyvesant Ave., Trenton, on Monday, June 7 at 1:00 p.m.

The following books will be discussed:
Love by Toni Morrison - Members of a town’s African-American former elite reminisce about the man they loved and hated.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - The Queen of England borrows a book from a mobile library parked near the palace and develops an obsession with reading that changes her world views.

If you want to attend the next Book Club in person, call Karen Carson at 1-800-792-8322 to order your tapes in advance and register to attend. Join us or listen to the recorded book talk show!

The New Jersey State Library, in partnership with PSEG Foundation and Praxair Foundation, announced that free homework help would now be available to the students, residents and users of 109 public libraries through the popular Live Homework Help NJ program. Students in grades kindergarten to 12, and in introductory college courses, will be able to get free help with their math, science, social studies and English assignments via the Internet. This online tutoring program, delivered by Tutor.com, allows students with library cards to chat online with tutors who can help them tackle their homework problems. Spanish-speaking tutors are available for help with math and science assignments.

Live Homework Help NJ had been available through 24 NJ libraries in Camden, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, New Brunswick, Paterson, Willingboro, Elmer, Penns Grove, Pennsville, Salem, Woodstown, the Gloucester County library, Deptford, Franklin Township, Monroe Township, Paulsboro, Pitman, Washington Township, Wenonah, West Deptford, Westville, Woodbury, Gloucester City. The 2010 expansion to include all the public libraries in Burlington, Essex, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties was made possible by a $250,000 grant from PSEG Foundation. Additional grant funding from Praxair Foundation brings the program to the communities of Belvidere, Bridgeton, Princeton and Woodbridge.

Live Homework Help NJ is designed to provide the highest quality of one-on-one instruction. Tutors are available online and on demand, 7 days a week from 2 to 10 p.m. Whether students need just a few minutes of help or a significant amount of time to better understand a complex concept, certified Tutor.com tutors work with students to help them build their confidence and do well in school.

A new service called Adult Career Center will also be available, which will provide adult customers with tutors to help them study for standardized tests, such as the GED; review and proof-read resumes and cover letters; and have access to a resource center containing test preparation materials, job search tips and ways to help their children with homework. The Resource Center materials are available 24/7.

The State Library established Live Homework Help NJ in select libraries under a Cornerstone Grant of $265,000 from PSEG Foundation in 2007. It was also made available to all students enrolled in NJ After 3 after school programs. Over 90 percent of those who used the service said that it had helped them complete homework assignments, improved their grades and made them more confident about their school work.

“The New Jersey State Library, through the NJ Library Network, has long been committed to the education of young people and adults through a variety of programs we have funded and encouraged local public libraries to offer,” said Norma Blake, New Jersey State Librarian. “The extra assistance available to students from live Homework Help tutors has the potential to instill a sense of success and accomplishment that will carry forward into the school day.”

Students who live in one of the 109 designated municipalities can connect to a Live Homework Help NJ tutor through their local libraries, or from their home PC or Mac with their library card number. The program Web site is www.homeworkhelpnj.org. In addition, students enrolled in NJ After 3 can access Live Homework Help NJ at local program sites. NJ After 3 nonprofit partner sites include Boys & Girls Clubs, faith-based groups, museums, universities, community development corporations, YW/YMCAs, and others.

Tutor.com has been delivering its Live Homework Help® service to students in the U.S. through libraries since 2001. More than 5 million homework help sessions have been delivered to date–with an average of 5,000 sessions each evening.

In photo, Karin Emmitt of Pedricktown and her daughters Shannon (center) and Kailyn check out the Homework Help NJ program now available in 109 communities across New Jersey.

As a result of their reading accomplishments in New Jersey’s statewide reading program, over one hundred children at the Hasbrouck Heights Library received a special visit from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus clowns, Billy, Anthony & Oscar, and NJ Library Champion, Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson. The clowns entertained the children with their unique brand of circus silliness, and Johnathan talked with them about the importance of reading and how he became Ringmaster for The Greatest Show On Earth!

Rose Heck, Mayor of Hasbrouck Heights, presented Jonathan with the key to the city, and Lisa Traina, president of the library Board of Trustees, presented him with two books.

Photo Above, from left: Lisa Traina, president of the Hasbrouck Heights Library Board of Trustees, Jonathan Lee Iverson, ringmaster, Mayor Rose Heck, and Mimi Hui, library director.

From left, standing: Lisa Traina, president of the Hasbrouck Heights Library Board of Trustees, Jonathan Lee Iverson, ringmaster, Mimi Hui, library director, Oscar, Billy, and Anthony (kneeling).

The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority has partnered with the New Jersey State Library to promote reading and reward participation in the State Library’s NJ Library Champion program. The program spans across every library in the State of New Jersey and offers accomplished participants an opportunity to win tickets to upcoming Meadowlands Sports Complex events and special visits from show characters.

MORE PHOTOS

Four public libraries in New Jersey will benefit from the expertise of a group of librarians who addressed space challenges at their own libraries and led the transformation to improve the interior areas to better serve their customers. The “SWAT Team of Library Transformers,” Jayne Beline, director of Parsippany - Troy Hills Library; Cheryl McBride, director of North Brunswick Library; Kathy Schalk-Greene, director of the Mount Laurel Library, and Gloria Urban, director of the Vineland Library, will work with the selected libraries as expert consultants regarding their projects.

The SWAT Team was created and is funded by the NJ State Library on the recommendation of the State Librarian’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Libraries. The team is tasked with assisting libraries with their transformation projects. Libraries were selected for the program by submitting an application detailing their needs and transformational goals, and had to commit $5,000 to the transformation. All projects will be completed by Dec. 31, 2010.

The selected libraries are Caldwell, Matawan-Aberdeen, Midland Park and Gloucester County Library’s Glassboro Branch.

The Caldwell Public Library opened in 1917 as a small one-story brick structure funded with the help of a grant from Andrew Carnegie. Expansion had compromised the original charm of this “Carnegie Library,” so the proposed transformation will restore the grandeur of the original library, organize the space to reflect the warm “heart of our town” feeling, improve signage, optimize available space, and establish a new technology center.

The Gloucester County Library Glassboro Branch was once an Acme food store, circa 1950. The proposed transformation will improve lighting, brighten the interior, arrange library materials in a more inviting and easily accessible way, and better utilize the interior space.

The Matawan-Aberdeen Library showed a 257 percent increase in DVD circulation over last year, with demand for new and old movies increasing. Their transformational challenge is finding space for this popular service in their 9,880 square foot library, to include how the DVD’s are arranged and displayed for their customers.

The Midland Park Memorial Library was built in the 1950’s and expanded over the years. The transformation will address the main circulation area so that new materials will stand out, and update and improved the overall ambiance.

“With the guidance of our experts, by the end of the year these libraries will be able to show the dramatic, visible transformations in their floor plans resulting in the same improved customer service that was achieved in the SWAT Team members’ libraries,” said Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian. “This program will serve as a demonstration project for other libraries, both in NJ and nationwide, that library interiors can be transformed without a lot of money.”

Photo above, from left (standing): Michele Stricker, deputy head of Library Development, NJ State Library; Gloria Urban, Vineland Library; Kathy Schalk-Greene, director Mount Laurel Library; Cheryl McBride, director of North Brunswick Library; Jayne Beline, director of Parsippany - Troy Hills Library, with the paint roller.

From left: Anne Wodnick, director of Gloucester County Library; Carol Wolf, branch manager, Glassboro ; Michele Stricker, deputy head of Library Development , NJ State Library; Melissa Hughes, director of Midland Park Library; Karen Kleppe Lembo, director of Caldwell Public Library; Susan Pike, director of Matawan-Aberdeen Library.

The New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center (TBBC) and the New Jersey State Library’s Diversity Committee hosted an open forum on “People of Color Living with Disabilities” on Tuesday, February 23 at TBBC headquarters in Trenton. Over fifty people attended and discussed challenges related to both disability and ethnicity. Pictured, from left, are Andrea Wright, local voice-over artist, who spoke on “Living with Multiple Sclerosis,” Lorraine Jenkins, principal library assistant and chair of the NJSL Diversity Committee, and Gail Stokes, TBBC’s reader services advisor, whose topic was “Living with Macular Degeneration.” Karen Carson, Volunteer Coordinator for TBBC, developed and facilitated the program. (Photo by Mary Crain)

Read the article by NJ State Librarian Norma Blake from the New Jersey League of Municipalities Magazine on the efficacy of sharing services.

The New Jersey State Library will present a special lunch-time program with Dr. Maxine N. Lurie, called “Mapping New Jersey,” on Friday, March 12, beginning at noon in the State Library’s level 2 reading room. The free event is open to the public and participants are invited to bring a lunch. Desserts and beverages will be provided.

The presentation will be based on the book Mapping New Jersey, which Lurie co-edited with Peter Wacker. Mapping New Jersey, the first interpretive atlas of the state in more than one hundred years, traces changes in environment, land use patterns, demography, transportation, economy and politics over the course of many centuries, and illuminates the state’s transformation from a simple agricultural society to a post-industrial and culturally diverse place. Integrating new maps, graphs, and diagrams unavailable through ordinary research or Internet searches, Mapping New Jersey is divided into six topical chapters, each accompanied by an introduction and overview telling the story of the state’s past and detailing its diversity. Mapping New Jersey, dramatically bold and in full color, travels where New Jersey has gone and the rest of the nation is likely to follow. The oversize book has 225 colorful maps, graphs, and diagrams.

Lurie is a professor and former chair of the history department at Seton Hall University. She has also co-edited the Encyclopedia of New Jersey and edited A New Jersey Anthology.

If you plan to attend, contact Cindy Warrick at cwarrick@njstatelib.org or 609-278-2640, ext 172.

The New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center, 2300 Stuyvesant Ave., Trenton, is hosting a Children’s American Sign Language Story Hour on Tuesday, March 16, at 10 a.m. Deaf Storyteller Joseph “Joey” Garth of Flanders will sign Moses Goes to the Circus by Isaac Millman. Students in grades first through four from the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf, home-schooled hearing children, and other members of the public will attend.

In Moses Goes to the Circus, Moses and his hearing family are going to the circus — not just any circus, but the Big Apple’s Circus of the Senses! He uses American Sign Language to communicate with his parents and little sister, Renee. He loves teaching her the signs for their day at the circus.

Joseph “Joey” Garth was born Deaf. He grew up in New York City, and graduated from the Lexington School for the Deaf. He attended the National Technology Institute of the Deaf and Pace University. He is a Treasury Manager, Cash Management, for Avaya, Inc., and owns his own business, Garth Wireless, which sells Cell phones, Pagers and accessories. He has been on the Board of the Northwest Jersey Association of the Deaf for more than 15 years, and is a member of the Planning Committee for the New Jersey Deaf Awareness Week “Deaf Fest.”

Following the story, Netcong resident Terri the Deaf Clown will demonstrate circus make-up and costumes. Terri Battles, who was born hearing, became Deaf when she was two years old. Since 1991, she has been a Deaf Clown. She attended the International Deaf Canadian/American Magicians. She has performed at a variety of events, including Union County College’s ASL Festival and ASL Story Hours.

The NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides American Sign Language interpreters as part of this program, which promotes English literacy. For Deaf children who have grown up with American Sign Language as their first language, the story hour provides a valuable opportunity to increase their English literacy skills. Assistive Listening Devices are available at the program. The public is welcome, but space is limited, and reserving a place at the Story Hour is necessary. Contact Christine Lam, (866) 326-6035 Direct VP or (888) 671-6983 Voice VP.

Zach Parise has been called the “best player in the National Hockey League you don’t know.” Sports Illustrated decided to change that by running a feature article in its February 22 issue on the NJ Devil Left Wing and member of the U.S.A. Olympic Team, but in an exciting development for NJ libraries, the article started off with his commitment as a NJ Library Champion and a picture of the billboard (shown above) at mile marker 112.6 of the NJ Turnpike. See the online article.

The League of Women Voters of Burlington County celebrated the 90th anniversary of the founding of the League by honoring 10 Burlington County women who have made a difference. One of those honored at the reception on February 21 at the Moorestown Community House was NJ State Librarian Norma Blake in appreciation of her “exceptional and dedicated leadership and service as a woman of accomplishment.” She was joined by Diane Allen, NJ state senator; Dr. Kris Dixon, vice president of student services and dean of community enrichment at Burlington County College; Toni Garrison, who serves on the board of the Philadelphia Orchestra; Martha Esposito, managing editor of the Burlington County Times; Colonel Gina Grosso, commander of the 87th Air Base Wing at the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Joint Base; Kasey Hall Massa, founder of Camp No Worries; Barbara Irvine, founding president of the Alice Paul Centennial Foundation; Barbara Rich, president of the Rancocas Conservancy; and Mary Wells, founder and former president/CEO of Family Service of Burlington County. The awards were presented by Kathy McIlroy and Jo Anne Kirk, co-presidents of the organization.

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The New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority has partnered with the New Jersey State Library to encourage and inspire readers to “Read Like a Library Champion” and reward them by giving them the opportunity to win tickets to upcoming Meadowlands Sports Complex events by logging in their books at www.njlibrarychampions.org.

In the above photo, Harlem Globetrotter Moo Moo Evans visited the Jersey City Public Library on February 9 delighting fans of all ages. Moo Moo ( a nickname his mother gave him because he loved milk) read a story then showed some of the tricks that have made the Harlem Globetrotters famous. Twenty-five families won tickets to the Globetrotters’ shows on Feb. 13 & 14.

Ruth Lufkin of Basking Ridge won tickets to the Monster Jam. She said “we had a blast at the Monster Jam and the snow held off until we were back home. We met several other happy recipients of State Library tickets. Our seats were fantastic - right in the front row with Gravedigger and Spidey almost in our laps! What a terrific view, and a strong sense of being right in the thick of things as the trucks thumped and roared and strutted their stuff. The motocross/BMX/quad and superbike riders put on a thrilling show in their own right. It was our pleasure to be lucky beneficiaries of the Library Champions campaign.”

Library Champions is a community based public awareness campaign featuring role models from the sports, entertainment and literary fields designed to encourage reading and educate the public about the role New Jersey libraries have in transforming the lives of their customers.

Photos of the NJ Champions with a quote encouraging people to use the library are featured on full color posters distributed free to libraries.

AUTHORS
• Judy Blume
• Janet Evanovich
• Michael Connelly
• Chris Andersen

ATHLETES
• A.J. Burnett, NY Yankees
• Justin Tuck New York Giants Football
• Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils
• Devin Harris, NJ Nets
• Cheri Blawet- Parolympic Gold Medalist
• Lauryn Williams- USA Track and Field – Olympian
• Trent Cole- Philadelphia Eagles
• Kofi Kingston, WWE
• Jonathan Lee Iverson, Ringmaster, Barnum’s FUNundrum®
• Jim Dowd, NJ Devils
• Joe Theisman, Super Bowl Champion & NFL Most Valuable Player

Prizes include admission to New Jersey Nets regular season home games, Nuclear Cowboyz, Smucker’s Stars on Ice, Harlem Globetrotters and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. For more information, check with your local library. All participants will be entered in the raffle only once for each show.

The American Library Association announced that the New Jersey State Library is the recipient of the 2010 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award, which recognizes and honors outstanding achievement in library public relations. It is considered to be the most prestigious of all library awards in the field of public relations.

The State Library received the award for its “Tell Us Your Story” library campaign that motivated and mobilized staff from 240 New Jersey libraries to identify messages and cultivate customer stories. Those stories were used locally and in a statewide multi-media campaign that reached millions of people, including elected officials. The campaign provided a marketing toolkit to participating libraries and established a library communication network linking more than 500 users.

“Our ‘Tell Us Your Story’ campaign came at a critical time,” said Norma Blake, New Jersey State Librarian. “According to a NJ Library Association survey, many librarians felt that marketing was not very important. When the recession hit, that changed. Faced with a combination of funding cuts and huge increases in demand from families in financial crisis, our libraries had to adopt tactics to get support from their customers. This campaign trained librarians in marketing techniques and got their customers involved through story telling.”

The campaign was conceived as a result of the Online Computer Library Center’s study From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America, which showed that most people have no idea how libraries are funded. Because of that, they were not aware of the growing financial pressures facing libraries that would result in service/program reductions. New Jersey libraries were facing cuts in state aid and legislation that would reduce funding at the local level, as well. Libraries needed to work with their supporters to stave off funding, service and program cuts at a time when users were demanding more services.

“This campaign received widespread support from library customers of all ages,” said Nancy Dowd, the State Library’s Director of Marketing. “Librarians learned what the business world has known all along, that marketing is important for continued success and growth. They also learned that their customers have compelling stories about the value of libraries that they are very willing to share and have a powerful voice with elected officials.”

The John Cotton Dana (JCD) honor has been awarded continuously since 1946 and is sponsored by the H.W. Wilson Company, the H.W. Wilson Foundation and the Library Leadership and Management Association, a division of the American Library Association. “In these challenging economic times effective marketing techniques are essential to communicate the many valuable services and programs provided by libraries to meet the increasing needs of their customers,” said Linda Holtslander, JCD committee chair. “The committee was impressed by the high quality of [this] public relations campaign.”

In April 2009 at the NJ State Library,Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian (left), presented Christiane Leitinger, director, Pennies for Peace, Central Asia Institute, with a check for $13,400. The money was raised by over 75 New Jersey public and school libraries.

Throughout February and March 2010, the New Jersey State Library, the New Jersey Library Association and libraries throughout New Jersey plan to again honor the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, as part of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commemoration, by collecting pennies.

Lincoln firmly believed in education, equality, opportunity and peace. To help continue his legacy, the State Library and NJLA are encouraging New Jersey libraries to participate in the Lincoln Pennies for Peace Campaign. All funds collected will be donated to Pennies for Peace which collects funds for the Central Asia Institute co-founded by Greg Mortenson, the subject of the bestselling biography, “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School At A Time.” The money will be used to build school libraries in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“Last year, school and public libraries from all over New Jersey raised over $13,400 in pennies. The campaign really caught on with young people and children, because they all could be part of the fundraiser just by putting in a few pennies. We found the ‘children helping other children’ aspect resonated with them,” said Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian. So far, almost 90 public and school libraries have joined the 2010 campaign.

The original Pennies for Peace was conceived by students in a Wisconsin elementary school in 1996. Since then, over 16 million pennies have been raised by over 700 schools in all 50 states, including over 10 million pennies in the past year. The program is designed to educate children about the world beyond their experience and show them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale, one penny at a time.

After failing to reach the summit of K-2, Mortenson, emaciated and exhausted from his experience, staggered into a poor remote village whose residents nursed him back to health. He noted the children had no school or school supplies, using the ground and sticks to practice their multiplication tables. He promised to build them a school, and since then has made it his life’s work to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan to educate students where no schools existed. His mission has been to promote education and literacy, especially for girls, in remote regions of these two countries. To date, the Central Asia Institute has established 130 schools, educating over 51,000 students.

Now those schools need libraries. “We believe that Lincoln would have been proud to have New Jersey libraries adopt this campaign in his honor,” said Blake. “Lincoln would have been very supportive of helping children in other areas of the world receive an education to help them become insightful leaders and active participants in global peace.”

The following libraries/library systems are participating:
Ridge High School Basking Ridge
Belvidere High School Library
Bernards Township Library
Bloomfield Public Library
Bloomfield High School
Bloomingdale Public Library
Brick Branch of the Ocean County Library
West Avenue School Bridgeton
Bridgewater Library
Pemberton Branch of BCLS Browns Mills
Sandshore School Library Budd Lake
Old Turnpike School Califon
Cape May County Cape May Court House
Carteret Public Library
Cedar Grove Public Library
Richard Stockton Elementary Cherry Hill
Clifton Public Library
Clinton Twp. Middle School
Henry Inman Branch Library Colonia
Cranbury Public Library
Cranford Public Library
Orange Avenue School Cranford
Demarest Public Library
North Dover Elementary Dover
Twin Rivers Library East Windsor
Robert Morris School 18 Elizabeth
McCloud Elementary School Englewood
Dismus Middle School Englewood
Fords Branch Library - Woodbridge Public
Franklin Lakes Public Library
Freehold Public Library
Academy of Our Lady Glen Rock
Morgan Early Elementary School Act Club Hamilton
Sunnymead School Library Hillsborough
Pascack Valley High School Hillsdale
Miller Branch Library Jersey City
Kearny Public Library
South Hunterdon Regional High School Library Lambertville
Leonia Public Library
Chapel Hill Academy Lincoln Park
Passaic Valley High School Little Falls
Little Ferry Free Public Library
Livingston Public Library
Mahwah High School
Taylor Mills School Media Center Manalapan
Manasquan Public Library
Cranberry Pines Elementary School Medford
Campbell Elementary School Library Metuchen
Metuchen High School
Middletown Township Public Library
Milford Public Library
Woodland Elementary School Monroe Township
Monroe Township High School
Monroe Township Public Library
Pascack Hills High School Montvale
Lazar Middle School Montville
Moorestown Public Library
Mount Laurel Library
Fleetwood Elementary School Mount Laurel
Gloucester County Library System Mullica Hill
Neptune Public Library
New Providence School District Libraries
West Essex Middle School Library North Caldwell
West Essex High School North Caldwell
Otto Bruyns Library Northfield
North Plainfield High School & Middle School
Nutley Public Library
Ocean City High School
Park Ridge Public Library
Parsippany-Troy Hills Library System
Peapack Gladstone Branch Somerset County
Piscataway Public Library
Leeds Ave School Pleasantville
Ringwood Public Library
Woodside School Library River Vale
Robbinsville High School
Rockaway Township Library
Rutherford Public Library
Sayreville Public Library
Somerville Public Library
Sparta Public Library
Oak Knoll Lower School Summit
Tinton Falls Public Library
New Jersey State Library Trenton
Talking Book & Braille Center Trenton
E.T. Hamilton School Library Voorhees
Wanaque Elementary School Library
Valley View School Library Watchung
Watchung Public Library
BCIT Westampton
West Long Branch Schools
Westfield Library
Camden County Library System Westmont
Academy of Allied Health/Biomedical Sciences Woodbridge

They are some of the best at what they do in the world of entertainment and all have joined the NJ State Library team of Library Champions to emphasize how important reading and libraries were in establishing the basis for their successful careers. “These men and women are known all over the world and have many young fans,” said Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian. “They joined us as NJ Library Champions because of their firm commitment to stressing the importance of literacy for everyone and letting their young fans know that reading leads to success.”

The celebrity Library Champions are hard to miss. World Champion Yankee A.J. Burnett, Super Bowl Champion Giant Justin Tuck and All Star Devil Zach Parise are on billboards along the NJ Turnpike; Pro Bowl Defensive End Eagle Trent Cole targets motorists travelling to Atlantic City on Route 40/322. Zach Parise is larger than life adorning the NJ State Library in Trenton. In February, Tuck, Burnett and Parise will be featured in a video montage at the Path Train locations in Hoboken, Journal Square, World Trade Center, Harrison, and 14th and 33rd street stations.

Posters of All Star Net Devin Harris; best-selling authors Michael Connelly, Judy Blume and Janet Evanovich; World Wrestling Entertainment champion Kofi Kingston; gold medalist in the Paralympics & NYC Marathon winner, Cheri Blawet; Olympian Lauryn Williams; former NFL Most Valuable Player Joe Theismann; and the Ringling Bros. Circus Ringmaster Jonathan Lee Iverson are up in 500 public & school libraries across the state, bringing home the message that reading can help everyone reach their goals, and that books, magazines and newspapers are available for free at your local library. All celebrities are involved someway in promoting reading and literacy.

“I believe books and information should be accessible to everyone,” said Justin Tuck, founder of Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy, which encourages children to read, understand, succeed and hope. “Libraries provide a sanctuary where everyone can find knowledge – through a book, a magazine, a newspaper, the internet. With out the books, without the knowledge, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“By going to the library I was able to read to discover some of the many things the world had to offer,” said Lauryn Williams. “Many of the countries I have since visited, I knew about long before because I saw them in a book first.” Williams and Tuck were named to the Dream Team for Public Service at All Stars Helping Kids’ 3rd Annual Sports, Business & Philanthropy Luncheon December 8, 2009.

The NJ State Library’s community based public awareness campaign demonstrates how libraries have the power to transform people’s lives, especially young people, by offering free and excellent reading and learning opportunities for everyone. “Libraries are much more than just books, they house dreams,” said South River, NJ native and Super Bowl champion Joe Theisman. “The library is where I read about football and a world championship and the MVP award. My 15 year career started because of something I dreamed about in the library.”

Another New Jerseyan, author Judy Blume fell in love with books at the Elizabeth Public Library when she was four. “It was there that I found Madeline, my first favorite book,” she recalled. “I still feel a thrill when I enter a library. I never know what I’m going to find and isn’t that the part that makes libraries so special – the endless possibilities?

The awareness campaign is in support of the New Jersey Library Association’s (NJLA) efforts to register 10,000 Library Champions from all walks of life. Library Champions are people who love their libraries and want to be in the know about issues that may affect them. Those wishing to become Library Champions may get more information by going to the Web site http://njlibrarychampions.org. Viewers are invited to sign up to become a Library Champion with NJLA so that when important library issues arise, they will get notified. They can also enter to win great free prizes, such as tickets to events at the Izod Center, by entering the latest book they read.

“Reading is everything,” said popular, high-flying WWE wrestler Kofi Kingston, who stressed the importance of stimulating the imagination of his young fans. “Without reading, my imagination would not have carried me to the heights I have reached and continue to reach.”

The New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at its Children’s American Sign Language Story Hour on January 12.

Deaf Storyteller Debra Fuller (pictured above) signed Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport. Students in grades first through four from the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf (MKSD), home-schooled hearing children, and students with multiple disabilities from the Hunterdon County ESC School in Lambertville attended.

In Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as a young boy Martin Luther King, Jr. promises that one day he would “get big words, too.” As a man, he kept that promise and used his “big words” to preach love and peace to all people. His mission was to help black Americans gain their civil rights using words rather than violence…until tragedy struck.

Debra Fuller is the vice-president of the New Jersey Association of the Deaf. She graduated from the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf. Fuller is the founder of New Jersey Black Deaf Advocates. She is also the author of The Current Need for Black Deaf Leadership. The Plainfield resident is retired from a 34-year career with AT&T.