Please excuse cross-postings   The New Jersey State Library has selected Baker & Taylor to partner in creating a new digital resource collection available to library users statewide, made possible for one year by CARES Act funding to the State.   The collection will support: • Recreational and popular reading • STEAM • Diversity and inclusion • All age levels – children, teen, and adult   The collection will launch in October 2020 and will serve all public libraries in New Jersey as an important expa ...Continue Reading

*_Apply for the Virtual Learning and Enhancement Grant_* Applications are open for the American Library Association's Virtual Learning and Enhancement Mini-grant opportunity. ALA is partnering with Google to offer up to 90 $1000 mini-grants to provide digital skills programs for library patrons and students using Google's Applied Digital Skills curriculum. School, academic, tribal, and public libraries that have not received a Digital Learning Day or Hour of Code mini-grant in the past year are eligible. As part of the ...Continue Reading

Please excuse cross postings   FYI,   Project THRIVE's monthly webinar for September is "Working With Latinx LGBTQ Youth," presented by Lisbeth Melendez Rivera:  Latinx LGBTQ youth face a myriad of barriers based on their lived experiences, which can differ greatly. There are several factors that play into the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ youth, such as immigration status, current and historical cultural dynamics based on their familial country of origin, family dynamics, as well as religiou ...Continue Reading

Please excuse cross postings * * FYI, *Register for the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy Leadership Institute and Annual Conference* * * Each year CLEL–Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy–hosts a unique conference focused on serving children birth-6 and their families in libraries. And this year will mark two firsts for this conference: it will be virtual, and it will include a Leadership Institute! All are welcome to these virtual experiences--we welcome out of state folks, students, v ...Continue Reading

*The ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office is sharing the following opportunity made available through their partnership with National 4-H Council. ***   As part of their annual STEM Challenge, 4-H would like to offer libraries free STEM kits with four activities that explore Mars and space.  Mars Base Camp is the official challenge for the 2020 4-H STEM Challenge. The Annual initiative aims to increase youth access to high-quality STEM activities that help kids build confidence and spark interest. ALA’s part ...Continue Reading

Please excuse cross postings   Hi, Everyone,   I know you’re all busy adjusting to a new school year and opening your public libraries more fully than you might have during the summer. I totally understand that you   don’t want to even think about public library summer reading programming! But, the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) never stops planning for future programs.   In addition to asking if you will vote (by Sept. 15th) on the narrowed down slogan suggestions for the 2022’s progra ...Continue Reading

Dear Colleagues,   We wanted to make you aware of a change to one of our statewide database offerings. Business reference and research tool, Reference USA, and its parent organization, Info Group, have undergone a name change. Infogroup has announced that they’ve officially become *Data Axle*, and ReferenceUSA has become *Reference Solutions*.   Please discontinue use of any marketing materials that use the old Infogroup and ReferenceUSA names. ...Continue Reading

Please excuse cross postings * * *FYI, * * * *Webinar- “Providing Library Cards for Youth During COVID-19”* Youth Services Library staff are welcome to join this webinar on Sept. 17, 2020 from 10 am – 11 am. To coincide with September’s National Library Card Sign-Up month, a panel public and school librarians will share their tips for how their libraries have been making sure the diverse youth they serve are able to sign-up online to get their own library cards to help them with their remote learning needs d ...Continue Reading

Hello, Everyone,   READsquared will be hosting a webinar on Monday, September 21, 2020 at 11 am ET to review post program recommendations, fall/winter programs that are available, and share some general information on reports. If there is a specific topic that you want them to cover, please let me know and I will share that with them.     The NJ State Library has a contract with READsquared for two years so your library is welcome to use it for programming throughout the year as well as for next summer’s ...Continue Reading

Please excuse cross postings   Hi, Everyone,   For those of you who used READsquared for online summer registration/tracking for your public library summer reading programs, I wanted to share some additional information that READsquared sent to me now that your summer reading programs are over. The State Library’s license with READsquared is for two years, so you can use it for next summer’s programs as well – and for any additional programming during the rest of the year.   READsquared also notified me ...Continue Reading