Dear Colleagues, Many students rely on school meals to get the nutrition they need to grow, be healthy and succeed in school. In the summer, these children lack access to those meals and families struggle to put food on the table. *The federal summer meals program provides a solution to summertime hunger for kids. * The NJ Food for Thought Campaign and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture have asked for our help in spreading the word to parents about these programs. Meals are typically provided through school ...Continue Reading

*FYI, * * * *Host a Community Screening of NOVA’s Decoding the Weather Machine* Are you interested in starting a conversation about climate change in your community? On April 18th, NOVA aired its newest climate change documentary/, Decoding the Weather Machine. /This two hour special takes a deep dive into our climate machine to explain why scientists agree that our climate is changing, how climate change will impact our daily lives, and how we can be resilient—and even thrive—in the face of this enormous c ...Continue Reading

FYI, * * *Funding for coding program AspireIT:* *Join May 23, 2018 /Ready to Code/ webinar at 3pm (EST)* An important focus for the Libraries Ready to Code community is to empower youth who may have fewer opportunities or exposure to coding activities, including girls – and connecting with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) through their AspireIT program. This program is one way libraries are reaching more young girls. Next week we are hosting a webinar for information about ...Continue Reading

*_Volunteer to be on a CSLP Committee_* The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), of which all NJ public libraries are members through a grant that the NJ State Library gives to NJLA, has a number of working committees. These include the vendor and artwork committees, the manual (early literacy, children’s, teen, and adult) budget and finance, membership, social media, inclusion, Spanish early literacy, statistics, school outreach and the child & community well-being committee. These committees do their ...Continue Reading

FYI, Join /STAR Net /for three upcoming webinars – come share your own ideas and ask questions of the presenters! (These will also be recorded in case you can’t join the live events.) */The Parker Solar Probe Launch: How Will Your Library Be Involved?/* Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT), 2:00 p.m. (CDT), 1:00 p.m. (MDT), 12:00 p.m. (PDT), 11:00 a.m. (AKDT), 9:00 a.m. (HST) Register Here In the summer of 2018, NASA will launch the Parker Solar Probe. This small, car-sized spacecraft will travel into the S ...Continue Reading

Hello, Children’s Librarians and Library Staff Who Work with Children, The New Jersey State Library, NJ Makers Day, and the Newark Museum are collaboratively hosting educator (i.e. librarians, afterschool organizations) trainings on Leap into Science Workshops focusing on the concept of balance, for informal educators from around the state. Sign up if interested in the training. Leap into Science is a nationwide program developed by The Franklin Institute Science Museum that integrates open-ended science activi ...Continue Reading

FYI, I’m just forwarding this information and not endorsing this performer. ~Sharon * * *Summer 2018* *The Life of Mozart* /A special kind of storytelling…history brought to life!/ A frolicsome, gleeful and historically accurate play about one of the greatest geniuses who ever lived. From start to finish this show is accompanies by Mozart’s breathtaking music. This play is especially designed to introduce young children to the vibrancy of history, the joy of music, and the true story of this very special ...Continue Reading

FYI, I’m just forwarding this information and not endorsing this performer. Here is a link to our Librarians page: http://www.travelinglantern.com/libraries.php This show has been the educational outreach program for the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego, CA and Tijuana, Mexico for over 15 years. The show itself lasts about a half hour, and we will be adding an interactive element (perhaps teaching the children a minuet…the Artistic Director has not decided yet!) and guided Q&A to the program to make it ap ...Continue Reading

FYI, *_ALA’s Great Stories Club_* ALA is now accepting applications for the Great Stories Club, a grant program in which library workers lead reading and discussion programs with underserved teens in their communities. http://www.programminglibrarian.org/articles/apply-now-great-stories-club-book-club-underserved-youth *_ALA’s Future Ready Project _* If you work for and with youth in a small, rural, or tribal library, the application period for Cohort 3 for ALA’s Future Ready project closes on May 15. This is a ...Continue Reading

Please excuse cross-postings** FYI,  2018 Summer Reading Lists ALSC's Quicklists Consulting Committee has updated our Summer Reading Lists with new and exciting titles! The lists are full of book titles to keep children engaged in reading throughout the summer. Four Summer Reading book lists are available for Birth-Preschool and grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. Each list is available here to download for free. The interactive lists can be customized to include call numbers, library address, summer ...Continue Reading