New Jersey State Library Newsletter

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

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.

/> See all pictures here.

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.”

Gary Cooper, public relations & media contact for the NJ State Library, presented Denise Milby of Little Egg Harbor with a Basket of Books she won for her school in a drawing held at the 109th Annual NJ PTA Convention in Atlantic City, Dec 2 & 3.

Throughout February and March 2010, the New Jersey State Library plans to honor the legacy of Abraham Lincoln as part of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commemoration. Lincoln firmly believed in education, equality, opportunity and peace. To help continue his legacy, the State Library is encouraging all 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.” His newest book, “Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan” is due out Dec. 1, 2009 and continues the story begun in “Three Cups of Tea.” The money collected for the Pennies For Peace Campaign will be used to build school libraries in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The New Jersey State Library encourages New Jersey school and public libraries to join this campaign:
• Register at the Pennies for Peace website. You can receive free postcards and stickers and other materials.
• Let us know too. To receive a free poster for your library and to have your library included in statewide media releases please register with the NJ State Library here.
• Design a creative donation container and send in pictures for posting on the State Library Website. Either post the photos to your Flickr account and send Gary Cooper the link or send us the digital photos and he’ll post them for you. (gcooper@njstatelib.org)
• Get children and the community involved in contributing pennies. Pennies for Peace has lots of suggestions to get you started.
• The libraries collecting the most pennies for New Jersey libraries will receive recognition during National Library Week in April 2010.

To be eligible for this contest, libraries should collect the pennies, make a check made out to “New Jersey State Library” and send the check to the State Library by April 1, 2010. We’ll send all the checks to Pennies for Peace.

Send your check to:
Sheri Shafer, Chief Financial Officer
NJ State Library
PO Box 520
Trenton, NJ 08625-0520
Checks must be received at the State Library by April 1, 2010.

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. To date, the Central Asia Institute has established 130 schools, educating over 51,000 students, with an emphasis on girls’ education.

Media Inquiries: Gary Cooper email: gcooper@njstatelib.org
Contact for Libraries: Sharon Rawlins email: srawlins@njstatelib.org.

Alka Bhatnagar, analysis and trends specialist for the New Jersey State Library, had an article published in Information Today’s Nov/Dec 2009 issue of ONLINE Exploring Technology & Resources for Information Professionals. The article, “Web Analytics for Business Intelligence: Beyond Hits and Sessions,” discusses the importance to libraries of using web-based analytic tools to provide the best or most relevant products to business users. The article will be available online in the near future at www.onlinemag.net.

“

At the 35th Annual JSPRAA Awards presentation on Friday, October 9, 2009, the NJ State Library received two awards for excellence in communications.

The statewide "Tell Us Your Story Marketing Campaign" received the Gold Award in Public Relations for an Integrated Communications Campaign.

Receiving the Silver Award in Television/Video for TV Campaign with 2 or more commercials was the "Libraries Value in a Down Economy" commercials aired on NJN.

Accepting the awards were Nancy Dowd, Director of Marketing, and Gary Cooper, Public Relations & News Media Contact. Cooper also received a Gold Award in speechwriting.

The awards were presented by the Jersey Shore Public Relations & Advertising Association at the Robert Meyner Reception Center, PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel.

Seven libraries from around New Jersey were recognized for excellence in digital storytelling by the New Jersey State Library at an Academy Award-like ceremony at the NJ State Museum Auditorium, Trenton, on September 15.

Receiving awards for their outstanding participation in the State Library’s Tell Us Your Story Video Competition were:
1st Place - Cape May County Library for their video “Get Your Game On at your Library”

2nd Place - West Deptford Public Library for their video “Hector Zapian”

3rd Place –Cranbury Public Library for their video “Finding Love at the Library”

3rd Place - Ocean County Library for their video “Ocean County Library’s Sparks BFF”

3rd Place - South Orange Public Library for their video “South Orange Photo Story”

Honorable Mention – Mount Laurel Library for their video “Bret’s Story”

Honorable Mention - West Orange Library for their video “Bright Ideas.”

As the 1st place winner, the Cape May County Library will receive a door-to-door session from StoryCorps. StoryCorps’ team of professional sound technicians will record interviews of community members selected by the library. One of those stories will be chosen and professionally edited into an audio soundtrack such as those heard on National Public Radio. Other winners received digital video cameras.

The statewide storytelling campaign was launched by the State Library and the NJ Library Association in October 2008 to interest and inspire libraries to collect stories from their customers about their library experiences, and create compelling digital stories that portrayed libraries as transformative. The contest ended in June. Over 250 school and public libraries from across New Jersey participated in the “Tell Us Your Story” campaign. These award winning videos demonstrated excellence in digital storytelling. They superbly captured how these libraries are transforming the lives of the residents of their communities. The videos were screened at the event for everyone to enjoy.

MORE PHOTOS (Photos by Paulette Biancamano)

WATCH THE VIDEOS

Phase one of the New Jersey State Library’s “Tell Us Your Story” marketing program came to a close with the winners of the statewide video contest selected. Placing first with their video “Get Your Game On at your Library” was the Cape May County Library. A reception announcing the winning entry took place Monday, August 17 at 2:30 p.m. at the Cape May County Library, 4 Moore Rd., Cape May Court House. New Jersey’s State Librarian, Norma Blake, Library Journal’s 2008 National Librarian of the Year, presented the library with a certificate of achievement in making the announcement. A gala event recognizing all winners will be held September 15 in the NJ State Museum auditorium, Trenton.

Participating in the ceremony were (from left): Deborah Poillon, director of the Cape May County Library, Ralph Bakley, freeholder, Lisa Alderfer, systems librarian, Mike Trout, technician assistant, Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian, and Daniel Boyd, freeholder director. Alderfer and Trout created the award winning video.

As the winner, the Cape May County Library will receive a door-to-door session from StoryCorps. StoryCorps’ team of professional sound technicians will record interviews of community members selected by the library. One of those stories will be chosen and professionally edited into an audio soundtrack such as those heard on National Public Radio.

The statewide storytelling campaign was launched by the State Library and the NJ Library Association in October 2008 to interest and inspire libraries to collect stories from their customers about their library experiences, and create compelling digital stories that portrayed libraries as transformative. The contest ended in June. Over 250 school and public libraries from across New Jersey participated in the “Tell Us Your Story” campaign. Placing second was West Deptford Public Library; third place winners were Cranbury Public Library, Ocean County Library and South Orange Public Library.

Check out the story on NBC 40.
MORE PHOTOS

BY MARK J. BONAMO
Hackensack Chronicle

In a time when kids face enough multimedia distractions that would challenge anyone’s attention span, Keri Adams, the young adult librarian at Hackensack’s Johnson Public Library, enjoys a unique problem.

“Honestly, it’s not a challenge getting teenagers around here to use the library,” said Adams, 27. “During the summer, my bookshelves are pretty close to empty. But not every kid is using the library, and I would love to change that.”

A new program sponsored by the New Jersey State Library is designed to make Adams’ wish come true. The Johnson Public Library is one of eight libraries from across the state that has been selected to join a six-month pilot program that will test the effectiveness of using mobile communications to promote library use and services. With text messaging such a major communications and cultural force, especially among the young, Garden State librarians hope that the text program will show teens, young adults and the entire community that the library is the place to go. Full story

UPDATE: Library Journal just ran a great article in their online edition. Here’s the link. We've also had interviews on 101.5 and a Brooklyn radio station!