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.

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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.

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 New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center (TBBC) and the New Jersey State Library’s Diversity Committee will host an open forum on “People of Color Living with Disabilities” on Tuesday, February 23, from 10 a.m. to noon in the TBBC conference room, 2300 Stuyvesant Ave., Trenton. The event is free and open to the public.

The event will be moderated by Lorraine Jenkins, principal library assistant and chair of the NJSL Diversity Committee. Presenters include Gail Stokes, TBBC’s reader services advisor, who will discuss “Living with Macular Degeneration;” and Andrea Wright, local voice-over artist, discussing “Living with Multiple Sclerosis.”

Although free, space is limited. For more information or reservations call Gail or Karen at TBBC at (800) 792-8322 or (609) 530-3258.

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.”

On January 25, 2010, the NJ State Library Diversity Committee, Recreation Committee and Thomas Edison State College hosted “A Taste of Home: A Multicultural Food Event.” Members of the staffs were invited to participate in a potluck lunch to celebrate their cultural diversity through food. Twenty-five different dishes were presented for tastings, from jambalaya and German potato salad to black-eyed peas and pasta fagioli. Photo, from left: Mary Kearns-Kaplan receives a sampling of different foods from Mary Malloy, Alka Bhatnagar and Lorraine Jenkins.

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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.

Thomas O’Malley, head of the New Jersey State Library law library, is one of the two-member New Jersey team chosen to attend the upcoming conference, A Training on Public Libraries and Access to Justice. The team is one of only 13 from across the country selected to participate of the 42 teams that applied. The two-day conference in Austin, Texas, will address how public libraries can improve access to online legal information. Joining O’Malley, is Nancy Gramaglia, Esq., Litigant Services Manager, NJ Administrative Office of the Courts.

The conference, held Jan. 11-12, is funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the National Center for State Courts and the Center-hosted Self-Represented Litigation Network, in cooperation with the Legal Services Corporation. It will give public librarians an opportunity to meet with legal and court experts to discuss strategies for assimilating access to legal information into their programs. This information will include how to best locate content and tools, how to talk about the matter with library patrons, how to work with content partners to make sure that needed subject matter is developed, how to share what they have learned statewide, and how to use successful programs to advocate for the importance of public libraries as gateways to government institutions.

“Our law librarians provide exceptional service on a daily basis to state officials and their staffs, state employees, students, and our other customers,” said Norma Blake, New Jersey State Librarian. “This is a wonderful opportunity for Tom to share his expertise with a select group of librarians from across the country and to learn the latest best practices from experts in the field.”

Colleen Dazé, director of the State Library Information Center said, “Tom has been helping the residents of New Jersey locate answers to their legal questions for more than a decade. We are proud that his team was chosen to attend.”

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.

Alka Bhatnagar (center), analysis & trends specialist for the NJ State Library, accepted the Francis Keppel Award given for timely submission of public library data. The award, which was presented at the State Data Coordinators Conference, is given annually by the U.S Dept. of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Commission on Libraries and Information Science.