New Jersey State Library Newsletter

Thomas Edison State College has received a $5.1 million federal grant to support the New Jersey State Library’s Broadband Technology Opportunity Program, a project designed to add computer workstations, upgrade Internet connectivity and provide job search assistance and workforce development programs at hundreds of libraries throughout New Jersey.

The grant, provided by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Broadband Technology Opportunity Program, was announced on July 2 and was the only award made to a New Jersey institution in round two of funding. The award, along with a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation made to the New Jersey State Library, an affiliate of Thomas Edison State College, will be used to add computers at 124 libraries, upgrade connectivity at 79 libraries, and provide job search assistance, employment skills, workforce development programs and other online resources at 365 libraries across New Jersey. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave an additional $150,000 to the New Jersey State Library to support E-rate technical assistance, which will help sustain the project’s services.

“This grant will help to pave a road to economic recovery for our state,” said New Jersey State Librarian Norma Blake. “New Jersey job seekers are facing a job market in which access to computers and broadband Internet is a basic requirement for job searches, employment applications and workforce skills training. With this award, New Jersey libraries will provide the access to the Internet and free training to help get New Jersey residents back to work and stimulate the economic growth our state needs. We are pleased to partner with the New Jersey Library Association, NJN, the NJ League of Municipalities and the NJ Council of County Colleges.”

Dr. George A. Pruitt, president of Thomas Edison State College, said “New Jersey libraries are uniquely positioned to play a key role in our state’s economic recovery by greatly enhancing the accessibility of broadband Internet to New Jersey residents. The New Jersey State Library has an extraordinary record of developing and leveraging online resources for the citizens of New Jersey, including thousands of adult learners who are enrolled students at our institution.”

“This funding will provide critical resources needed to expand technology infrastructure at libraries across New Jersey,” said Michael Drewniak, Press Secretary to Governor Chris Christie. “The federal award, along with the generous grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will help New Jerseyans with the technology support they need to find work and develop new skills, while increasing access for underserved communities. As New Jersey begins its economic recovery, these resources will be an invaluable community asset and help people get back to work.”

A consortium of New Jersey’s community colleges will deliver training using its existing curriculum for library staff and job seekers. In addition, residents will receive online content and training developed by New Jersey Network, the public broadcasting network in New Jersey. This project is designed to enhance broadband capability and workstations in New Jersey libraries so they can become strategic job-creating facilities providing increased availability of job search assistance and workforce development programs. More than 5 million New Jersey residents will be served through this initiative.

BTOP Public Job Center Criteria and Project Goals:
• Establish libraries as “instruments of recovery” by providing job search assistance, employment skills and workforce development programs enabled by the increase in broadband connectivity in high-need communities
• Serve vulnerable populations (unemployed, underemployed or other vulnerable populations: non-English speakers, seniors, disabled, etc.)
• Provide technical support and other resources to support job search and career advancement by establishing libraries as community anchor institutions
• Job search assistance, employment skills and workforce development programs will be offered in partnership with community colleges and New Jersey Network
• Advance the use of E-services for training, employment, digital literacy, and education
• Stimulate employment and provide job opportunities.

Scope of the Project
The NJ Libraries Anchor Institutions as Instruments of Recovery project proposes to:
• Offer affordable pricing for high-speed Internet access services to libraries from the state’s major service providers
• Serve up to an additional 22,500 computer users weekly, offer in-person training for as many as 12,800 residents over the life of the project, and provide online content and databases to the approximately 440,000 unemployed and 230,000 underemployed residents of New Jersey
• Provide up to 938 new workstations to libraries across the state.

“Federal investments in connecting libraries to high-quality Internet services are critical to realizing the universal broadband access our country needs,” said Jill Nishi, deputy director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Libraries program. “When libraries provide broadband to communities, they can deliver valuable online opportunities that help people find jobs, further their education, and access important government information. We hope that this BTOP award will help other public and private funders understand the importance of investing in public technology access at New Jersey’s libraries.”

About the Opportunity Online Broadband Grant Program
States participating in the foundation’s Opportunity Online broadband grant program received technical and consulting assistance to develop competitive funding proposals for BTOP, and will receive federally-required matching funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to support their respective BTOP-funded projects. Participating states will also receive assistance to help secure additional federal E-rate funding to sustain broadband connection costs in the future. The foundation solicited letters of interest for the Opportunity Online broadband program from state libraries seeking to acquire significant additional broadband access for public libraries. The foundation chose to support states that articulated the most compelling and feasible projects aligned with the objectives of the BTOP program. The foundation also considered a state’s need for assistance in developing a competitive BTOP proposal.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn more at www.gatesfoundation.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter.

Rick Malwitz (center), reporter for the Home News Tribune and Courier News, received a Journalism Award at the New Jersey Library Association Annual Conference for his articles in support of libraries. Malwitz was nominated for the award by Norma Blake (left), NJ State Librarian, and Gary Cooper, public relations and news media contact.

Malwitz’s exceptional journalistic coverage and support of New Jersey libraries in his front page articles of Sunday, February 1, 2009, entitled “Current Demands outweigh resources, In Tough Economic Times, Business Booms at Libraries,” and of Monday, February 2, 2009, entitled “High volume at area libraries, as economy remains slow, usage of resources increases,” brought home to his Central New Jersey readers the important role libraries were playing in the down economy and how vital they were to the businesses, children and adults of every community. These articles gave residents a much clearer picture of the crunch libraries faced and gave their customers a much stronger voice in their communities.

On Wednesday, April 14 at the New Jersey State Library, Trenton, Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian, was joined by librarians and school children from around New Jersey, to present a check for $14,000 to Laura Andersen public relations manager for the Central Asia Institute, and Fozia Naseer, from the Azad Kashmir area of Pakistan.

After the check presentation, the school and public libraries that raised the most money were recognized. The New Providence School District, which raised $3,270.30, was represented by Amy Nagel, media specialist, and Christian Fraehmke, a student, and his family, to accept the award in the school library category. Accepting the public library award for the Rockaway Township Public Library and the Copeland Middle School, which collected $1,169.84, was Barbara Hauck-Mah, reference librarian. Also receiving recognition were Bridgeton’s West Avenue School ($1012.25), Glen Rock’s Academy of Our Lady ($509.12), Medford’s Cranberry Pines Elementary School ($485.58), Woodbridge Public Library ($462), Hamilton Township’s Morgan Early Elementary School Act Club ($411), and Lambertville’s South Hunterdon Regional High School ($401.55), which had a dozen students in attendance.

“We are really pleased to see that so many children and teens are spearheading this campaign in their schools and libraries,” said Blake. “By learning about what their pennies can do for children on the other side of their world and by taking an action to do something, they have become global citizens and library champions.”

After the ceremony, Naseer visited Monroe Township’s Woodland Elementary School, to talk about her life in Pakistan.

Throughout February and March 2010, the New Jersey State Library, the New Jersey Library Association and libraries throughout New Jersey honored the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, as part of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commemoration, by collecting pennies in support of Greg Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute. One hundred public and school libraries joined the State Library and the Talking Book & Braille Center in the campaign.

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.

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Throughout February and March 2010, the New Jersey State Library, the New Jersey Library Association and libraries throughout New Jersey honored the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, as part of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commemoration, by collecting pennies in support of Greg Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute. One hundred public and school libraries joined the State Library and the Talking Book & Braille Center in the campaign.

On Wednesday, April 14, at 9:30 a.m., in the New Jersey State Library Second Floor Reading Room, 185 West State St., Trenton, Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian, will be joined by librarians and school children from around New Jersey, to present a check to Laura Andersen, public relations manager for the Central Asia Institute, and Fozia Naseer, from the Azad Kashmir area of Pakistan.

After the check presentation, the school and public libraries that raised the most money will be recognized. Following the ceremony, Anderson and Naseer will visit the children at the Woodland Elementary School, Monroe Township, who raised over $330.

Photo above is the display at the Franklin Public Library; below left, the NJ State Library; right, Tinton Falls Library.

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.

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

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.

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
Butler Public Library
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
Leeds Ave School Pleasantville
Ringwood Public Library
Woodside School Library River Vale
Robbinsville High School
Rockaway Township Library
Copeland Middle School Rockaway
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 Memorial Library
Camden County Library System Westmont
Academy of Allied Health/Biomedical Sciences Woodbridge

Anne H. Redlus (second from left), president of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs of GFWC, presented a check for $763 to the Cliffside Park Public Library to purchase books. On November 30, 2009, a two-alarm fire damaged books and two offices inside the library.

According to Fire Chief Anthony Lupica, the fire began around 7:15 a.m. after a transformer outside the building exploded and likely sent a surge of electrical current into the building’s electrical panel.

Because of extensive smoke and water damage, the library is currently closed during clean up operations.

Accepting the donation from Redlus were (from left): Pat Tumulty, president of the New Jersey Library Association, Norma Blake, New Jersey State Librarian, and Kathleen Peiffer, director of the Library Development Bureau.

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.

NJ State Librarian Norma Blake (second from left) with the IMLS scholars who attended the NJLA Annual Conference. If not for the grant, they would not have been able to afford to attend. With Blake are, from left: Janice Peoples from Plainfield Public Library, and Aurelia Rodriguez, Shileen Shaw and Lolata Greggs, all from the Newark Public Llibrary.

On Friday, April 17, at 10 a.m., at the New Jersey State Library, Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian, was joined by librarians and school children from around New Jersey, to present a check for $13,400 to Christiane Leitinger, director, Pennies for Peace, Central Asia Institute.

Throughout February and March 2009, the New Jersey State Library, the New Jersey Library Association and libraries throughout New Jersey honored the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, as part of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commemoration, by collecting pennies in support of Greg Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute. Over 75 public and school libraries joined the State Library and the Library for the Blind and Handicapped in the campaign.

After the check presentation, the school and public libraries that raised the most money were recognized. Students from the New Providence School District, who raised $3,036.43, were on hand to accept the award in the school library category. Accepting the public library award for the Glen Ridge Library, which collected $1,169.84, was its director John Sitnick. Also participating in the program were Joyce Powell, president of the New Jersey Education Association, and Pat Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association.

“The one thing I heard from libraries all over the state was just how much fun this was,” said Blake. “We are committed to doing this again next year and to getting even more of our libraries involved. I will also be attending a meeting of all state library directors and I hope to get other states adopting this project to raise money for this worthwhile cause.”

According to Leitinger, The New Jersey State Library and NJLA conducted the first and to this date only state-wide campaign for Pennies for Peace. “Libraries have a special place in Greg’s heart,” she said. “When he first started this project, it was a librarian who showed him how to do the research so he could find contacts to ask for donations. Pennies for Peace has now constructed 78 schools, is helping 100 other schools pay for teachers and has impacted the lives of 28,000 students including over 14,000 girls. On behalf of those children, thank you.”

Leitinger also announced that Mortenson had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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State Librarian Norman Blake will present the keynote address for the 2009 Utah Library Association Conference, Utah Libraries: Turning Up The Volume!. Blake is nationally recognized as an innovator, advocate and pioneer in the library field. Blake was nominated for Librarian of the Year 2008, because of her leadership in developing new programs that build collaborations among various communities to extend and expand library services in New Jersey and beyond.

April 7, 2009

Dr. John A. Crowe, Superintendent of Schools
The WoodbridgeTownship School District
P.O. Box 428, School Street
Woodbridge, NJ 07095

Dear Dr. Crowe:

In fiscally tough times, some school districts choose to target their school library media program in an effort to trim budgets, yet it is these programs run by school library media specialists that provide professionally selected, ample school library collections that can be rotated among classrooms and shared by all students in the school. This is the most economic means to provide children with a print-rich environment necessary for their literacy development. The State Library recognizes that school libraries are places for learning and need to be staffed by highly-qualified, professional school library media specialists. Not only are students nurtured, but they learn to love reading, use technology and think critically in school libraries. Certified school librarians should be viewed as essential to students’ basic education; they are “literacy leaders” for students and staff alike. They pave the way for students, and teachers to find their way through the complexities of the Internet, keep them safe, and help them interpret what they find.

The State Library applauds New Jersey’s Commissioner of Education, Lucille Davy, who has brought NJ into the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). On their website (www.21stcenturyskills.org) P21 recognizes the American Association of School Librarians, a charter member of P21, as a “long-time advocate of information literacy and traditional literacy in school libraries.” They further state that the “Partnership shares their convictions regarding the importance of access, use and evaluation of information. It enables students to give meaning and value to facts, figures, messages and texts that fill our lives,” These skills are best taught by those trained to teach them, school library media specialists.

The State Library urges our school administrators, boards of education and lawmakers to specifically include libraries staffed by certified librarians as part of basic education funding. Please ensure that students in New Jersey’s school districts will have equal access to books, print and electronic resources for learning, and the services of a certified school library media specialist. If we do not have this commitment, we are setting our children up for failure in a high tech, knowledge-based, global society in which they are growing up.

Sincerely,
Norma. E. Blake
State Librarian

c: Governor Jon Corzine
Lucille E. Davy, Commissioner, New Jersey, Department of Education
Brian Molnar, President, Woodbridge Township Board of Education