Dear Colleagues, Please view the attached document sent on behalf of the New Jersey Department of Labor. Best regards, Bob Keith Director of Library Law, State Aid, and Statistics New Jersey State Library Street Address: 185 W. State St. Trenton, NJ 08608 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 520 Trenton, NJ 08625 P: 609-278-2640x192 F: 609-278-2650 rkeith@PROTECTED The above information does not constitute legal advice or opinion.  Please consult with an attorney prior to taking any action on the above informati ...Continue Reading

News from IMLS We are just the messenger but wanted to pass along a new federal opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Treasury that appears to offer construction/improvement funds for libraries and broadband infrastructure under the banner of pandemic response.  Treasury’s guidance for the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) program, established by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, is available here: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-govern ...Continue Reading

Dear Colleagues, The recording for last night's Trustee Check-in is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrzdYnj9_Yk  It includes a presentation and discussion on the Return of Funds law and application.  Please pass this along to your trustees. Best regards, Bob Keith Director of Library Law, State Aid, and Statistics New Jersey State Library Street Address: 185 W. State St. Trenton, NJ 08608 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 520 Trenton, NJ 08625 P: 609-278-2640x192 F: 609-278-2650 rkeith@PR ...Continue Reading

Posted on behalf of the University of Maryland's iSchool The University of Maryland iSchool's IMProving Assessment of Computational Thinking in Libraries (IMPACT Libraries) research team is looking for public library staff to help us evaluate a series of assessment tools developed to measure the success of Computational Thinking (CT) programs for youth ages 11-18.  Participating libraries will use assessment tools that we have developed to assess their youth CT programs. By CT programs, we mean activities t ...Continue Reading

Posted on behalf of the Long Branch Free Public Library Library & Social Services Coalition Meeting Register for this Event On September 22nd at 11am, the Long Branch Free Public Library will host a virtual networking event for social services and libraries unlike any other. As the first NJ library to hire a full-time social worker, we have since found housing for the homeless, assisted the incarcerated with successful reentry into communities, connected people with healthcare, substance abuse recovery, empl ...Continue Reading

Dear Colleagues, Access to Rosetta Stone has been restored.  Please let me know if you are still unable to connect. Best regards, Bob Keith Director of Library Law, State Aid, and Statistics New Jersey State Library Street Address: 185 W. State St. Trenton, NJ 08608 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 520 Trenton, NJ 08625 P: 609-278-2640x192 F: 609-278-2650 rkeith@PROTECTED The above information does not constitute legal advice or opinion.  Please consult with an attorney prior to taking any action on the ...Continue Reading

Dear Colleagues, Rosetta Stone is currently inaccessible.  I have emailed EBSCO technical support so that they can fix the issue.  As soon as they let me know that it is fixed I will send out another message on NJPUBLIBS.  Please pass this information along to your front line staff so that they may let patrons know. Best regards, Bob Keith Director of Library Law, State Aid, and Statistics New Jersey State Library Street Address: 185 W. State St. Trenton, NJ 08608 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 520 T ...Continue Reading

Dear Colleagues, Please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_4XefrZWcU for the recording of the Return of Funds presentation and discussion at the September Directors' Check-in.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the statute or application process. Best regards, Bob Keith Director of Library Law, State Aid, and Statistics New Jersey State Library Street Address: 185 W. State St. Trenton, NJ 08608 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 520 Trenton, NJ 08625 P: 609-278-2640x192 F: 609-278-2650 ...Continue Reading

The New Jersey State Library provided a one year subscription to B&T Axis 360 ebooks with funding from the federal CARES Act. Maria Baratta of the State Library Information Center and Sharon Rawlins of the Lifelong Learning Bureau were the adult and youth selectors respectively, and they did a tremendous job with a short time period and limited funds. However, this is not the end of the use of this collection. This collection will be hosted free of charge by B&T for three years (so through October 14, 2023). Additionall ...Continue Reading

NJSL is saddened to hear of the devastation wrought on New Jersey’s libraries by Tropical Storms Ida and Henri We have established a targeted Emergency Grant Fund to help libraries that were damaged by these storms or flood waters. An impacted library may request funds to mitigate the damage, replace materials or equipment, or support repairs. The grant amount will be determined once the number of impacted libraries is determined but expected to be in the $10,000 - $20,000 range. If your library was damaged and you ar ...Continue Reading