New Jersey State Library Newsletter

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.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation committed nearly $3.4 million in grants to bolster Internet connections for libraries in five states, and announced partnerships with 14 additional states, including New Jersey, to help public libraries compete for federal broadband stimulus funds. Nationally, libraries report that patron demand for high-speed Internet access is growing faster than their ability to provide increased bandwidth. A recent American Library Association study reports that 60 percent of all libraries say their current Internet speed is insufficient.

New Jersey will participate in the foundation’s new Opportunity Online broadband grant program, which will help libraries develop proposals for federal broadband stimulus funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) established through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The grant received by the New Jersey State Library will be used to assist in writing a grant proposal for submission to the BTOP for “last mile” connectivity, making public libraries community anchor institutions for broadband. The “last mile” is the final leg of delivering connectivity from a communications provider to a customer. It is typically seen as an expensive challenge because “fanning out” wires and cables is a considerable physical undertaking.

Currently, many NJ libraries are unable to offer adequate broadband connectivity for customers due to last mile limitations. This includes many underserved urban areas, as well as more rural and remote parts of the state.

The Gates Foundation grant provides a consultant who will work out of the State Library for 14 weeks compiling the grant proposal. If BTOP funding is awarded to the NJ State Library, the Gates Foundation will pay the 20 percent matching funding required by the BTOP.

“Improving connectivity to our libraries will allow for better access for the many New Jersey families who do not have computers or access to the Internet at home,” said Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian. “Our libraries have seen a dramatic increase in computer demand due to the recession’s impact on their communities. Their customers need this access for job searching, research, filing government documents and for homework assistance. Bolstering these last mile connections will allow our libraries to keep up with the increased demand for wireless internet connectivity; network applications and services; and offer expanded training programs and services.”

As a national leader in the direct delivery of technology services to public libraries, the NJ State Library is uniquely positioned to deliver enhanced, efficient and successful last mile connectivity to the state’s libraries. Through the JerseyConnect program, New Jersey libraries already benefit from an effective, stable and scalable statewide middle mile network infrastructure. With this network and support structure in place, the NJ State Library will be able to focus solely on the crucial last mile connection from the library to the statewide network.

“Federal, state and local government investments in connecting libraries to broadband are important steps toward realizing the vision of universal broadband access,” said Jill Nishi, deputy director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Libraries program. “When libraries have access to broadband, they can effectively deliver critical educational, employment, and government services for residents who lack Internet access elsewhere. As community anchor institutions, libraries can also help drive local broadband adoption.”

Nearly 40 percent of Americans, often those with lower incomes and lower levels of education, still do not have high-speed Internet access at home. In most communities (70 percent), the public library is the only provider of free Internet access available to residents.

The BTOP is expected to award federal stimulus grants to private and public sector applicants starting in early 2010 to expand broadband infrastructure to more communities across the country and to help new Internet users benefit from broadband access.

States participating in the foundation’s Opportunity Online broadband grant program will receive technical and consulting assistance to develop competitive funding proposals for BTOP, and will receive federally-required matching funds from the Gates Foundation, contingent on a successful BTOP award. 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 libraries in their respective states. 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.

The foundation has invested $350 million in grants and support to install and sustain computers in libraries and train thousands of library staff in all 50 states and U.S. territories. The foundation continues to support libraries through investments in programs, research, advocacy training, and public awareness efforts that will help libraries sustain high-quality online access for patrons in partnership with their communities. For more information, visit: www.gatesfoundation.org/libraries.

The New Jersey State Library has awarded a grant to the New Jersey Library Association to continue One Book NJ (OBNJ) to New Jersey readers in 2010. OBNJ is an exciting program that libraries and their partners promote across the state to bring people together through their love of books by encouraging them to read the same novel and participate in discussions and other events centered on it.

OBNJ celebrates reading, literacy and all that New Jersey’s libraries do that has made them the community gathering place for people of all ages. The NJSL serves as a leader in the provision, promotion and support of excellent quality library and information services for all people in New Jersey. Their support for One Book New Jersey will help to ensure another successful year of this valuable program.

“The New Jersey State Library is proud to once again partner with the New Jersey Library Association and the Secretary of State to support One Book NJ. This excellent program helps bridge our communities together through reading, discussions and programs at local libraries,” commented Norma Blake, NJ State Librarian.

One Book Projects were initiated by the Washington Center for the Book in 1998 and have spread to communities throughout the United States. The NJSL has partnered with the NJLA to present OBNJ since its initiation in 2003.

This year’s reading selections are:
Adult - The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Young Adult - The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Middle Grade - The Tale Of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Read to Me - Click Clack Moo : Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

One Book NJ is presented by the New Jersey Library Association’s Public Relations Committee and Children’s Services and Young Adult Sections, in collaboration with the New Jersey State Library and the Secretary of State. Local and statewide events will occur between January and April, with major events planned for National Library Week during the month of April.

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.

The New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center (TBBC) is taking its story hour on the road to libraries throughout the state.

The first two off-site TBBC story hours will take place in January at two Monmouth County Libraries: on January 20, 4:15 p.m,. at the Howell Library, 318 Old Tavern Road, Howell, and on January 21, 3:15 p.m., at the Neptune City Library, 106 W. Sylvania Avenue, Neptune City. The NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing will provide American Sign Language interpreters as part of these programs.

Elizabeth Burns, Children’s Librarian for TBBC, will read Itchy Bear by Neil Griffiths, using puppets to tell this fun tale. Area residents are invited to come out and view Braille toys, writing tools, Braille books, and find out more about the programs and materials that TBBC provides to people who cannot read a traditional print book.

For more information on this program, or about hosting a TBBC story hour at your library, contact Elizabeth Burns at 609-530-3251 or eburns@njstatelib.org. For information about the Howell Library, call 732-938-2300. For information about the Neptune City Library, call 732-988-8866.

The New Jersey State Library is pleased to announce the appointments of Victoria Rosch (photo left) to the position of Associate State Librarian for Special Projects, Peggy Cadigan (center) to the position of Associate State Librarian for Innovation & Outreach Strategies, and Michele Stricker (right) to the position of Deputy Head of Library Development.

In her new position, Rosch will be responsible for working on pilot and other special projects, advocating for legislative priorities, overseeing construction issues and assuring compliance with various administrative requirements and priorities. She will continue to write regulations and serve as a resource for library law. She began her career with the New Jersey State Library in the Library Development Bureau in 2003, and has served for the last two years as deputy director of the bureau. Her responsibilities included managing the Per Capita State Aid grant program and regulation updating, and serving as the state data coordinator and as a resource for New Jersey library law. For the 12 years prior to joining the staff of the State Library, Rosch held various positions of increasing importance at the Gloucester County Library, including eight years as the library director. She is a graduate of Rutgers University – Camden and received her Masters of Public Librarianship from Rowan University. She is a member of the New Jersey Library Association and the American Library Association.

Cadigan’s duties will include giving presentations on the future of libraries both in and out of state, and addressing varied audiences of library professionals and other interested parties to present information about State Library programs and projects. She will explore ways to enhance the State Library’s services to the libraries and residents of the state by engaging in partnerships and seeking development opportunities. She is also planning a follow-up to the Mid-Atlantic Library Futures Conference which she convened with other partners in 2005. 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 will be 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.

As Deputy Head of Library Development, Stricker will be responsible for working on library law, trustee education, the Trustee Institute, preservation and disaster preparedness programs & grants, and other grants programs. She had been serving as consultant for Library Trustees, Preservation and Literacy at the State Library, and received certification as a Preservation Management Consultant from the Rutgers School of Communication & Information. She was one of only 70 representatives from libraries and museums nationwide selected by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to attend a national forum last June in Buffalo, New York, entitled “Stewardship of America’s Legacy: Answering the Call to Action.” Stricker holds a bachelor’s degree from Tyler School of Art of Temple University, a master of fine arts in Museum Studies from Syracuse University, a master of arts in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s in Library & Information Science from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. She is a member of the American Library Association Preservation & Reformatting Section, a board member of NJ Library Association History & Preservation Section, and Lyrasis Preservation Group.

In a highly entertaining presentation at the New Jersey State Library, Dr. Marc Mappen read three chapters from his newest book, There’s more to New Jersey than the Sopranos. Over 75 people attended this edition of the library’s popular free lunchtime Author’s Program held from noon to 1 p.m., November 19.

Dr. Mappen has been described by the New York Times as “the eminent New Jersey historian.” He has five books to his credit and has more than 100 articles and essays in publications that include the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Rutgers Magazine and New Jersey Heritage. He has been interviewed on the History Channel and National Public Radio.

MORE PICTURES

At the Joint Staff Development Day for the Mount Laurel and Willingboro public libraries, Anne McArthur (left), The New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center’s head of Audiovision and Outreach, brought assistive technology equipment used by TBBC’s customers to show library staff. She explained what assistive technology equipment for people with print disabilities or hearing impairments is, and demonstrated how it can enrich their lives. Pictured with McArthur at the Nov. 11th event is Kathy Schalk-Greene, acting director of the Mount Laurel Public Library. To learn more about the Talking Book and Braille Center (TBBC), call 1-800-792-8322 or CLICK HERE.

Nancy Polhamus, business librarian at Gloucester County Library, gave a presentation on library services for businesses at the November Greater Glassboro Chamber of Commerce meeting. Gloucester County Library is one of five libraries participating in a pilot program of the New Jersey State Library: NJ Libraries Biz Services. Business librarians from Atlantic City, Burlington County, Cherry Hill, Gloucester and Ocean County libraries received training to enhance their skills and knowledge in serving South Jersey businesses. Marketing to businesses was also a focus. Librarians attended several business networking events to market services and developed presentations to offer at business group meetings.

As a result of this presentation, Nancy Polhamus was asked to speak to another business group in Gloucester County and to do a database presentation for one company’s employees. Librarians from all of the libraries are currently presenting to numerous business groups all over South Jersey.

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.

The New Jersey State Library will present a free lunch time author talk with Dr. Marc Mappen on his newest book, There’s More to New Jersey than the Sopranos. The program will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, November 19 on Level 2 of the State Library, 185 West State Street in Trenton, NJ. All are welcome.

Dr. Mappen has been described by the New York Times as “the eminent New Jersey historian.” He has five books to his credit and has more than 100 articles and essays in publications that include the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Rutgers Magazine and New Jersey Heritage. He has been interviewed on the History Channel and National Public Radio.

Dr. Richard Veit, Department of History and Anthropology, Monmouth University, has this to say about the book, “So you think you know New Jersey history? Well, think again. In There’s More to New Jersey than the Sopranos, Marc Mappen provides readers with dozens of fascinating Jersey stories. From long-buried mastodons to menacing Martians, it is all here. This book is a must read.”

The New Jersey State Library, with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), is offering a new grant program for Preservation and Disaster Response. The grant will support the formation of a Library Regional Response Network in order to build regional partnerships for emergency response, and to stock emergency supplies in the event of a major disaster. Eligibility is open to library computer consortia and county libraries hosting a shared automation system. Only one grant will be awarded.

The Library Regional Response Network Initiative grant will fund the contents of one library emergency response “locker” or “container” that includes approximately $10,000 of emergency supplies meant to be used in the case of a large-scale disaster. The supplies include a large stock of reliable disaster response materials that will be needed for immediate emergency response and collection salvage operations.

For a copy of the grant application go to: www.njstatelib.org/LDB/Grants. Direct any questions to Michele Stricker at mstricker@njstatelib.org, or 609.278.2640, Ext. 164.