STATE LIBRARIAN’S UPDATE For NJLA Executive Board Meeting July 16, 2019

 Public Library Construction: The Library Construction Bond Act regulations were published in the New Jersey Register on July 1, 2019. Responses may be emailed or snail mailed to the State Librarian through August 30, 2019. The State Librarian then has thirty days for her responses. Meetings are also taking place among state agencies regarding financial support for the administrative aspects of the Bond Act.

 LLNJ: The LLNJ annual membership meeting was held on June 5 at the Monroe Township Library. Election of new board members took place, and the three petition candidates won seats on the board-Allen Kleiman (Montville Library), Corey Fleming (Paterson Library) and Ricardo Pino (West Milford Library). Also, a by-laws change was approved that “beginning January 1, 2020 no fee or cost share required of LLNJ members may increase by more than 2% in any fiscal year”. The proposed FY20 budget and FY20 service initiatives passed without modifications. At the June 12, 2019 Board meeting the Longport Public Library’s applications for membership in LLNJ was approved. The LLNJ Board re-organization meeting will take place on July 18 at the LLNJ office.

 Electronic Resources Task Force: Selections for FY20 : all of the Ebsco e-resources that are currently licensed, including Rosetta Stone and Job and Career Accelerator; RefUSA and Heritage Quest (new genealogy resource).

 Reentry Grant: NJSL has been notified that it was awarded a $628,744 federal IMLS grant for its application entitled Reconnecting Citizens with their Communities at Public Libraries. The State Library and partners, New Jersey State Parole Board, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Long Branch Public Library, and Free Library of Philadelphia will collaborate with other government and nonprofit organizations on a two-year project for public libraries in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to provide services to citizens returning to their communities after being paroled or after completing their prison terms. This project was led by Peggy Cadigan, who worked with our grants manager Eileen Morales to submit this successful application. Peggy is point person for this project. Participating libraries include: Long Branch Free Public Library, Paterson Public Library, Trenton Public Library, Newark Public Library, Cumberland County Public Library, Atlantic City Free Public Library.

 DPLA: A conference call with all NJ/DE partners was held on July 9. An in-person meeting with all partners will be held in the fall of this year.

 State Librarian, Mary Chute, was selected to receive the ASGCLA Leadership & Professional Achievement Award from the Association of Specialized Government and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASGCLA). A division of the American Library Association, ASGCLA is the premier destination for library professionals to find information and build capacity to serve populations that are served by state library agencies, federal libraries, armed forces libraries, specialized libraries, library cooperatives, library networks and library consultants among others.

STATE LIBRARY INFORMATION CENTER:

Collections: Caitlyn Cook continued digitizing the Laws of New Jersey and 1920 -2017 are now available via the New Jersey State Publications Digital Library, along with the accompanying executive orders, reorganization plans and constitutional amendments. As a companion project, Heather Husted redesigned the NJ Session Laws webpage. https://www.njstatelib.org/research_library/legal_resources/historical_laws/session_laws It has a cleaner look and includes all of the newly digitized volumes. Caitlyn will update these links as she continues the digitization project. Deborah Mercer started a project with the Office of Legislative Services to digitize their public hearings. She has been doing the prep work and the metadata and Patt Ferrari is now doing most of the scanning. Deborah is providing OLS a spreadsheet with the title, URL and their document number, for use in their catalog. They are heavy users of NJSL’s Digital Library so this benefits them, as well as the public. Outreach: Caitlyn, Deborah Mercer and Heather began work on an NJ LGBTQ History research guide, which will be unveiled later in the year to work in concert with the legislative mandate that public schools include this history in their curriculum. Caitlyn reached out to Garden State Equality, the organization that is piloting curriculum in some schools this fall. They were excited to hear of the State Library’s work and have invited her to join a curriculum meeting in July to discuss where and how we can assist in providing research content. Leigh Clark and Andrew Dauphinee were guests on the Age-Out-Angels Radio Hour hosted by Greg Rapport on June 3. Leigh discussed grant seeking and proposal writing resources and Andrew talked about training and the variety of classes available at NJSL for the public. Edith Beckett served as a member of a panel discussing the importance of a Ph.D. to careers in Library and Information Science at the ACRL Leadership Discussion Group Meeting at the 2019 ALA annual conference in , DC. Cynthia Lambert spoke about legal research at a Rider University orientation session for New Jersey School Administrators on July 9. Leigh completed three tutorial videos for a professor at Rutgers who is teaching an online grantwriting course for library students this summer. The videos are about 10-13 minutes long and discuss general grant funding resources and the types of grantmaking foundations; how to search in Foundation Directory Online (with a library focus); and how to evaluate a grantmaker profile. Leigh plans to participate in the class’ online discussion about finding grant opportunities. Regina Fitzpatrick will present the class, Introduction to New Jersey Genealogy, at the Collingswood Public Library on September 18. NJSL Presents: Every month, SLIC holds author talks and classes as part of the NJSL Presents series. See the NJSL Events calendar for more information https://www.njstatelib.org/events/

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In celebration of Juneteenth, the State Library hosted an online transcription event on Friday, June 28 from 12-2pm. Freedom on the Move, a project spearheaded by Cornell University, has digitized thousands of advertisements from newspapers seeking enslaved individuals who fled to freedom. During the event, participants logged in to the Freedom on the Move website and created typed transcriptions of these ads. Participants were interested in doing additional transcription work for the site at home and possibly attending a similar group event in the future. On July 17, Dominick Mazzagetti, author of The Jersey Shore: the Past, Present & Future of a National Treasure, will relate some of the history, culture and landscapes of the Jersey Shore from the 1600s to the present. On August 20 from noon to 1 p.m., Marilyn Dunning and Alan Jacobson of the New Jersey Lighthouse Society www.njlhs.org will present a program on Lighthouses of New Jersey. They will discuss lighthouse history, characteristics, governance, purpose, lighthouse keepers and how weather affects lighthouses. July classes include:  Cancer in Families: a Look at Genetic Risks, July 16. Dorothy Lewis, Genetic Counselor from the Capital Health Cancer Center will discuss the important relationship between cancer and genetics. She will cover what current research is telling us and take you through what genetic counseling and testing is like from the perspective of a participant.  Introduction to Finding Grants, July 23. This class will cover the ten most important things you need to know about finding grants. You will have the opportunity to do some hands-on funding research using the Foundation Directory Professional database.  Legal Resources Available at the -a webinar, July 24. Join Law Librarian Cynthia Lambert as she provides an overview of our extensive collection of print and digital materials and how the Law Library can assist you with your legal research needs.  Genealogical Research Stories: the Basse Class, July 31. Genealogy librarian, Regina Fitzpatrick will share information and stories she’s learned from research about Jeremiah Basse, once a governor of New Jersey. August classes will include:  Shining a Light on Fraud, Waste and Abuse in all Levels of New Jersey Government, August 6. In 2007, the Office of the State Comptroller was created to battle fraud, waste, and abuse through accountability, audits, and investigations. It also provides an avenue for citizens and groups to report suspected abuse, fraud, or waste to help the agency carry out its duties. Join us as Nicole Acchione of the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller, Investigations Division, discusses the work of her office, and what you can do if you suspect government fraud, waste or abuse.  Introduction to Proposal Writing, August 13. This introductory class will provide you with an overview of the basics of writing a grant proposal for foundation funding. It will include:

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the basic elements of a grant proposal, the “do’s” and “don’ts” of writing and submitting a proposal and how to follow up whether the answer is yes or no.  Time Management, August 14. HESAA, the Higher Education Student Assistant Authority, will share helpful tips about time management everyone can use, regardless of their age. While this course is designed to help students examine the habits of successful people and discuss how to effectively manage their time, there are many takeaways for busy adults, including advice for prioritizing, planning and goal setting. Branches: The State Library’s operation of a branch library at the Department of Banking & Insurance ended on June 30th. Personnel: On July 8, Natasha Zaleski moved from the Life Long Learning section to Technical Services, where she will work in cataloging. Edith Beckett was honored with a 2019 Recognition Award from the New Jersey Association of Library Assistants (NJALA) at their meeting in June. The award is presented each year to a dedicated librarian who encourages and supports participation in career development or activities for library assistants in New Jersey.

TALKING BOOK AND BRAILLE CENTER: New State Library Award: Beginning in 2020 at the State Librarian’s Breakfast, TBBC will recognize a New Jersey library for its efforts for patrons with print disabilities. The Talking Books & Braille Center Outreach Award recognizes a library program that promote service to its print impaired patrons. The award highlights outreach efforts and programs to assist those in the community who cannot see the words in a printed book or hold a book to read. This award provides a $1,000.00 honorarium to the winning library. The award is funded by the Friends of the New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped. New Circulation System: On July 22nd, TBBC will migrate to a new circulation system, Web Reads. This system is designed by the Library of Congress to serve TBBC patrons by providing up to 24 audiobooks on a single digital cartridge. With this new system, TBBC will be able to immediately provide every patron of the library with the books they request. Patrons will no longer need to wait until a copy become available since TBBC can provide as many copies of an audiobook as needed. TBBC 2019 Summer Reading: We now have 49 children signed up; 22 are Braille readers. For Braille readers, that is the highest number and highest percentage (45%!) we’ve ever had! Because of the change in circulation systems, the program run four weeks instead of six.

LIFELONG LEARNING:

ALA Conference: Andrea Levandowski presented during the following program: Saying the Magic Words: Communicating and Proving the Value of Workforce Development Partnerships in Libraries. While politicians tout low unemployment numbers, library staff witness firsthand an

4 economic environment where people continue to struggle and employers cannot find qualified workers. The conversation must shift from simply finding employment for jobseekers to providing individuals with the tools to level up their skills and achieve meaningful, living-wage careers. This session empowered attendees to develop workforce development initiatives and partnerships. Representatives from state library agencies and researchers from Rutgers University discussed how to communicate effectively with stakeholders, re-envision library services through the lens of workforce development, and improve data collection to prove the value of libraries as partners. Presenters included: Andrea Levandowski - Consultant, Small Business Development and Technology, New Jersey State Library; Lisa Shaw - Rural & Small Library Specialist, ; Tammy Westergard - Deputy State Librarian / Assistant Administrator, Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records; Stephanie Holcomb - Research Project Coordinator, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Elizabeth Iaukea - Workforce Development Librarian, ; John DeBacher - Director, Public Library Development, Division for Libraries and Technology, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Career Connections: The New Jersey Libraries Career Connections Grant for Uniform Career Guidance and Job Search Assistance Services ended on June 30, 2019. YALSA/COSLA IMLS Transforming Teen Services Train the Trainer Initiative: Christine Jansen, Young Adult Librarian, Somerset County Library System of NJ, Hillsborough Library Branch, was selected by Sharon Rawlins, Youth Service’s Specialist, and State Librarian Mary Chute to participate in the YALSA/COSLA IMLS Transforming Teen Services Train the Trainer (T3) Initiative. Along with Sharon Rawlins, Jensen will attend a two and a half-day training in Memphis, TN conducted by YALSA in late October. This training, for selected teen public library staff from all US states and territories, will help them facilitate computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) training for teens over the next two years. Public Library Card Campaign in Schools: The DOE, NJ State Library, NJASL, and NJLA are developing a joint pilot project to provide 6th grade students with public library cards in selected parts of the state as part of September’s National Library Card Sign-Up Month. A survey, with closing deadline of July 12, 2019, solicited public and school libraries interested in participating in this project. SAVE THE DATE: 2019 Youth Services Forum: Monday, October 7, 2019 at the Monroe Township Public Library (Middlesex County) from 8:45 am - 3:00 pm. The planning committee is in the process of organizing this year’s Forum. Registration will open in early September. Statewide Digitization Needs Survey: Carson Block finished 3 in-person digitization forums and submitted the first draft of his report on the statewide digitization survey. He is preparing to do a final live forum for those still interested in sharing their digitization needs. He is working with Michele on Phase 2—to implement some of the ideas that were put forth in the survey. Cross Cultural Communicators in Libraries Project: Mimi Lee reports that the program is going well. Year 1 training on Cultural Competence is now officially complete. Post-training survey/evaluation is currently taking place and will be finished by the end of July.

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Year 2 training on interpretation/translation skills will take place during September and October. 16 workshops will be taught in-person by certified interpreter trainers. During July and August, Mimi will continue working with Marketing to prepare promotional items, supplies and publications that will be needed for f2f trainings. For more information, please go to the project website: www.njstatelib.org/cccil or contact Mimi Lee, Project Director [email protected], or Paula Guzman-Bell, Project Coordinator at [email protected] About the CCCiL Project: The State Library received an FY2018 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for $222,697. Funds will support Cross Cultural Communicators in Libraries, a two-year project (2018-2020), which will train English/Spanish bilingual librarians and library staff in cultural competence and interpretation/translation skills in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and California. The project will develop and deliver a series of self-paced webinars and in-person training for Spanish speaking bilingual librarians and library staff and will help build a network of Spanish-speaking library professionals in each partner region. The webinar series, clearinghouse of learning materials and samples and the online network will be available to and maintained for all library professionals after the grant period. INNOVATION & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS:

Apple Company Training: Plans are underway for the implementation of four new Apple training sessions. Two sessions will be held on September 25th at Montville Township Library and two sessions will be held on October 2nd at The Free Public Library of Hasbrouck Heights. During the first session entitled, Get the most out of your iPad: Productivity and Accessibility Features, attendees will be instructed in basic and advanced techniques in navigating Apple devices. The second session, Management and Deployment of Apple Products in Your Library, will offer attendees support in setting up networks for the devices at the libraries. The training is limited to 25 people per session. More information and registration details to follow.

Legislative Outreach: Peggy Cadigan and Pat Tumulty, Executive Director of NJLA, made the following legislative connections in order to discuss support for increased Per Capita State Aid and Network Aid to libraries. Speaker of the House, Assemblyman Craig Coughlin, District 19; Senator Robert Singer, District 30; Assemblyman Jay Webber, District 26; Assemblyman Anthony Bucco, District 25.

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