New Jersey State Library Newsletter

The New Jersey State Library, in partnership with PSEG Foundation and Praxair Foundation, reminds students, parents and teachers that free homework help is available to them at 109 public libraries through the popular 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.

Homework Help NJ is available through NJ libraries in Belvidere, Bridgeton, Camden, Deptford, Elizabeth, Elmer, Franklin Township, Gloucester City, the Gloucester County library, Harrison, Jersey City, Monroe Township, Newark, New Brunswick, Paterson, Paulsboro, Penns Grove, Pennsville, Pitman, Princeton, Salem, Washington Township, Wenonah, West Deptford, Westville, Willingboro, Woodbridge, Woodbury, Woodstown, and all the public libraries in Burlington, Essex, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties. The assistance was made possible by a $250,000 grant from PSEG Foundation, with additional grant funding from Praxair Foundation..

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 is also available, which provides 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 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 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 110 designated municipalities can connect to a 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 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 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.

Photo: Julie Weintraub, director of client services for Tutor.com, shows Carrie Stafford and her sister Grace how to use the Homework Help NJ program available through many New Jersey libraries.

An article by Sharon Rawlins, Youth Services Consultant for the NJ State Library, about the State-wide Summer Reading Program appeared in July’s NJ Afterschool Action, a monthly e-newsletter put out by the NJ School-Aged Care Coalition for afterschool programs. Sharon is a member of the coalition’s advisory committee.

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The New Jersey State Library and local libraries from across the state have partnered with the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority to encourage readers to “Read Like a Library Champion” during their local library’s Summer Reading Program by giving them the opportunity to win tickets to IZOD Center events by logging in the books they read at at www.njlibrarychampions.org. Discount tickets for select IZOD Center family shows are also available at www.IZODcenter.com, by using the code LIBRARY.

Congratulations to the 25 summer readers who won a family four-pack of tickets to see The Wiggles on Aug. 17 by participating in their local library’s program:
Demetrick Family – Clark Library
Bertinato Family – Clifton Library
Schwartz Family – Clifton Library Allwood
Bartram Family – East Brunswick Library
Fiumaro Family – North Edison Library
Mauer Family – Fanwood Library
Kusznier Family – High Bridge
Quinn Family – Howell Library
Krempasky Family – Hunterdon County Library
Sammet Family – Kenilworth Library
Klesitz Family – Kinnelon Library
Johnson Family – Roxbury Library
Goriscak Family – Sussex County Library
Pennino Family – Jefferson Library
Lincoln Family – Old Bridge Library
Catania Family – Oradell Library
Dharia Family – Princeton Library
Silva Family – West Windsor
Steinfeld Family – South Plainfield Library
Fritton Family – Warren County Library Franklin Branch
Hart Family – Waldwick Library
North Family - Warren County Library Franklin Branch
Siuffe Family – Wayne Library
Hecht Family – Wayne Township Library
Abdelfattah Family - Alfred Baumann Library West Paterson

The contest for free tickets to see Sesame Street Live from Sep. 30 to Oct. 3 started August 1. To enter go to www.njlibrarychampions.org. Contests to win tickets to see Disney Live! On Nov 12-13; and Disney on Ice Nov. 23-28 will start soon.

For the past eight years, The State Library has supported the NJ Library Association’s Summer Reading Program with a $50,000 grant. This worthwhile initiative attracts thousands of children and teens each year. In 2009, over 145,000 children and teens across New Jersey participated, reading over two million books. Since its inception, the Summer Reading Program has inspired and motivated children to read purely for fun, without the pressure of taking tests or writing book reports, keeping their minds sharp, improving their reading skills and expanding their imaginations.

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 important role New Jersey libraries have in transforming the lives of their customers. Celebrity Library Champions include Yankee’s pitcher A.J. Burnett, Devil’s forward Zach Parise, Giant’s defensive end Justin Tuck, Net’s guard Devin Harris and best-selling author and New Jersey native, Judy Blume.

For more information on winning tickets to great shows at the Izod Center, check with your local library and sign up for their Summer Reading Program.

The New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired partnered with the School of Education at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) to create an innovative new summer program for high school students with visual impairments. Participants in the Work Skills Prep Program @ TCNJ are blind or visually impaired and have added challenges to gaining employment upon graduation, such as limited work experience or other disabilities. The program’s goal was to give the students the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to be competitive in the job market.

The students, aged 16 to 21, lived in a dormitory and attended classes on campus. The classes were geared to teach practical skills such as interviewing for a job, team work and effective communication. The students also learned how to perform activities of daily living by using assistive technology devices; learning skills to compensate for low or no vision; travel skills in order to safely navigate in their environment; and ways to advocate for themselves in order to gain independence.

The students, like Melissa Rivera of West Long Branch, worked at a variety of jobs every weekday at various locations including the NJ State Library Talking Book & Braille Center. At the library, they performed tasks such as rewinding cassettes to assure quality control when the cassettes circulate to the next blind customer. The students liked working at the library, because they themselves were customers and they love listening to books on tape.

To encourage kids and teens to “Read Like a Library Champion” this summer, the New Jersey State Library is giving them a chance to win a NJ Devils/Modell’s hockey jersey autographed by NJ Devils’ forward and Olympic Silver Medalist Zach Parise. To enter, all young readers have to do is read a book, go to the website www.njlibrarychampions.org, and click on the contest page. The contest runs until September 1, 2010, when a winner will be randomly selected.

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 important role New Jersey libraries have in transforming the lives of their customers. Celebrity Library Champions include Parise, Yankee’s pitcher A.J. Burnett, Giant’s defensive end Justin Tuck, Eagles defensive end Trent Cole, and best-selling author and New Jersey native, Judy Blume.

During the summer, libraries all across New Jersey participate in the Summer Reading Program. As incentives to keep kids reading during the summer, libraries in partnership with the IZOD Center are giving them the opportunity to win tickets to IZOD Center events by logging in the books they read at www.njlibrarychampions.org. Readers may win tickets to see The Wiggles on Aug. 17; Sesame Street Live on Sep. 30 to Oct. 3; Disney Live! On Nov 12-13; and Disney on Ice Nov. 23-28. Discount tickets for select IZOD Center family shows are also available at www.IZODcenter.com, by using the code LIBRARY.

For the past eight years, The State Library has supported the NJ Library Association’s Summer Reading Program with a $50,000 grant. This worthwhile initiative attracts thousands of children and teens each year. In 2009, 110,000 children and teens across New Jersey participated, reading nearly two million books. Since its inception, the Summer Reading Program has inspired and motivated children to read purely for fun, without the pressure of taking tests or writing book reports, keeping their minds sharp, improving their reading skills and expanding their imaginations.

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On June 23, 2010, soccer fans gathered at the Piscataway John F. Kennedy Public Library with members of the Women’s Soccer Team Sky Blue FC to watch the United States/Algeria FIFA World Cup match. Rosana (in photo above) was one of the many Sky Blue team members who signed autographs at halftime.

The New Jersey State Library has partnered with Somerset based Sky Blue, the 2009 Women’s Professional Soccer Champions, to encourage readers to “Read Like a Library Champion” this summer by giving them the opportunity to win tickets to home games at Rutgers University’s Yurcak Field by logging in the books they read at www.njlibrarychampions.org.

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 important role New Jersey libraries have in transforming the lives of their customers. Celebrity Library Champions include Yankee’s pitcher A.J. Burnett, Devil’s forward Zach Parise, Giant’s defensive end Justin Tuck, Net’s guard Devin Harris and best-selling author and New Jersey native, Judy Blume.

Established in the fall of 2006, Sky Blue Soccer made its debut on the field with the launch of Jersey Sky Blue in the W-League of the United Soccer Leagues in 2007. Sky Blue Soccer is an internationally respected organization with the goal to be established as a leader for high-level soccer in the United States and around the globe. Sky Blue Soccer’s company concept is based on an integrated program that allows players to progress in soccer from the youth levels to the amateur ranks to professional status. In addition to operating Sky Blue FC on the professional level, Sky Blue Soccer also runs the Sky Blue Soccer School - a youth training program in which players can “Train like the Pros … with the Pros.” The Sky Blue Soccer School provides positive female role models and female trainers who have competed at the highest level both in college and professionally in the United States and abroad.

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Two New Jersey State Library partnerships were recognized for public relations excellence at the Public Relations Society of America - New Jersey Chapter’s 2010 Pyramid Awards.

In the Special Events category, the NJ State Library’s 2009 Pennies for Peace Campaign to raise funds to create libraries for schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, received an Honorable Mention award.

In the Community Relations category, the NJ Sports & Exhibition Authority received an Honorable Mention for its program with the State Library and the NJ Library Association to boost reading statewide by offering tickets to events at the IZOD Center to readers registering their books through the Library Champions website.

Ken Hunter, PRSA-NJ president, (right in photos) presented the Pennies for Peace award to Gary Cooper, PRSA-NJ member and NJSL public relations & news media contact, and the NJSEA Reading Program award to Melissa Klein, marketing coordinator for the IZOD Center.

Devils’ Chairman/Managing Partner Jeff Vanderbeek (left) and Devils’ forward Zach Parise presented First Lady Mary Pat Christie with a NJ Devils’ jersey during the trios visit to the New Jersey State library to promote reading and the importance and value of libraries. Parise and the Devils organization have been supportive Library Champions.

During his visit to the NJ State Library on Tuesday, May 25, Parise, NJ Devil forward and Olympic Silver Medalist, read a story to the children from the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf. Parise, a New Jersey Library Champion, also received a letter from New Jersey’s First Lady Mary Pat Christie, showed the children his Silver Medal and posed for pictures with fans under the large Zach Parise banner which hangs from the State Library building. Also on hand for the kids were Devils’ mascot N.J. Devil and Trenton Devils’ mascot Scorch.

above photo courtesy of New Jersey Devils/Getty Images

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On Friday, May 14, the kids who use the NJ State Library Talking Book and Braille Center and their parents got an up-close circus experience on a visit to the Barnum & Bailey Please Touch Funundrum at the Sun Center, Trenton. The children met the performers, got to pet the animals, juggled with the clowns, and play with some larger-than-life props.

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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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The New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center will be hosting a Children’s American Sign Language Story Hour on Tuesday, April 20, at 10 a.m. at its headquarters, 2300 Stuyvesant Ave., Trenton. Deaf-Blind Storyteller Edward Borrone will sign “The Snake Book” by Mary Ling, Mary Atkinson and Frank Greenaway. Students in grades first through four from the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf and the public are expected to attend.

“The Snake Book” is an introduction to twelve different snakes ranging from the boa constrictor to the everglades rat snake, and includes information about snake anatomy, how they hunt, habitats and senses of the snake. Following the story, Borrone will have a hands-on demonstration about snakes.

Edward Borrone was born deaf and became blind at age of eight. He is employed by the U.S. Postal Service. He graduated from St. Paul Technical College for cabinetmaking in 1992, and worked as a cabinetmaker for five years. The Manasquan resident visits schools and Deaf Festivals as a presenter about snakes, bringing his 19 year old, 7-foot red-tailed Boa Constrictor, MaMa.

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. 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.

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.

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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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.