Photo from left: Michele Stricker, Deputy Director of Library Development for the NJ State Library, Maria Esche, director Moorestown Public Library, Kathy Schalk-Green, director Mount Laurel Public Library, Christine King, director Willingboro Public Library, Gail Sweet, director Burlington County Library, Westampton, and Kim Ruth, Burlington County Library.

The New Jersey State Library announced that the Burlington County Library, 5 Pioneer Blvd., Westhampton, has been awarded $10,000 in emergency supplies to be used in case of a large-scale emergency. The Library Regional Response Network Initiative provides the supplies needed by libraries to build a regional partnership for emergency response in the event of a large-scale disaster. It also ensures that the emergency supplies are readily accessible to every library in the network and that volunteers will be available to help. Network libraries include the Burlington County Library System, and the public libraries of Willingboro, Mount Laurel and Moorestown.

The supplies, which include Shop Vacs, dehumidifiers, plastic crates, brooms, mops and hard hats, are to be used to rapidly clean and preserve a library’s contents in the event of flood, fire or other disaster. The equipment is being stored at the Westhampton site in a tractor trailer, which makes mobile response to other libraries in the network possible.

The program, which is supported by the NJ State Library through funding by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, will serve as a pilot project on how NJ libraries address disaster response and recovery, and provide a model that can be replicated by librarians seeking to create their own regional response network.

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Library Journal announced that Peggy Cadigan, Associate State Librarian for Innovation & Outreach Strategies for the New Jersey State Library, has been selected one of their 2010 Movers & Shaker as a “change agent.” Now in its ninth year, LJ’s Movers & Shakers spotlights librarians from all corners of the library world and several nations. With this year’s group of 50, the Movers cohort now numbers some 450.

Cadigan’s responsibilities at the NJ State Library include giving presentations on the future of libraries both in-state and out of state, and addressing varied audiences of library professionals and other interested parties to present information about State Library programs and projects. Cadigan explores ways to enhance the State Library’s services to the libraries and residents of the state by engaging in partnerships and seeking development opportunities.

Her most recent successful venture was the creation and implementation of “Snapshot Day,” held in 2009 in partnership with the New Jersey Library Association. The purpose of Snapshot Day was to capture the impact that New Jersey libraries have on their communities on a typical day. A survey captured the daily activities of libraries across the state, and revealed that, in just one day, more than 160,000 people walk through the doors of New Jersey’s libraries. The American Library Association is promoting Snapshot Day as a national event.

Cadigan graduated magna cum laude from Hobart & William Smith College, Geneva, N.Y., and received her Master’s degree in Library Science from Rutgers University.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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)

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.

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.