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August 31, 2009

Library patrons turn volunteers through ‘United We Serve’ initiative

Philly.com
Posted on Fri, Aug. 28, 2009

Library patrons turn volunteers through ‘United We Serve’ initiative
By Amanda Rittenhouse

Staff Writer

The Camden County Library system emphatically endorsed the presidential service initiative this summer to attract volunteers to the library.

United We Serve began as a nationwide effort by President Obama and led by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service to get people involved in their communities as volunteers during the rough economic period. The program lasts until Sept. 11, and volunteers sign up at www.serve.gov

United We Serve volunteers were put to work throughout the six branches of the Camden County library system with jobs such as shelving books, checking in materials, covering books, working with staff to prepare special programming, and working with kids through the children’s summer reading program.

Camden County Library System administrative clerk Karen Popelak served as a volunteer coordinator for United We Serve.

According to Popelak, the was notified at the beginning of the summer that the American Library Association had partnered with the Corporation for National and Community Service. As a member of the national association, the Camden library system joined the efforts to promote United We Serve program.

According to associate library director Debbie Dennis, summer United We Serve volunteers ranged in age from 16-year-old students to senior citizens.

“In these difficult economic times, we really appreciate the work our volunteers do for us and for our customers. Our volunteers have been especially helpful this summer in helping with the children’s program throughout our system,” Dennis said.

At the library’s largest branch, M. Allan Vogelson library, there were over 600 children who signed up for the summer reading program this year.

Dennis said the volunteers were helpful in supplementing the existing library staff and handling the larger-than-expected summer crowds.

Last year about 400 children attended the summer reading program at the Vogelson branch.

This year’s children’s summer program included crafts, story times, events, fashion shows, music, drama, and art workshops.

“We would not be able to make our programs as enjoyable if we didn’t have all of the volunteers who helped us out this summer. We very much appreciate all the help they give us and hope that they continue to volunteer,” she said.

Dennis feels the volunteers involved in the United We Serve Program and the year round library volunteers made a difference in the success of the program and enhanced the amount of fun kids had in the library.

“I think it was a great idea, and I think that we probably have recruited some volunteers that we might not have had otherwise. We hope that they return,” she said.

According to Dennis, the Vogelson branch had about 256 volunteers who contributed 2,224 volunteer hours this year from January to July. She estimates there were several hundred more at the other five branches. Specific numbers on summer United We Serve volunteers were not available.

Summer adult library volunteer Robin Yourison began volunteering at the M. Allan Volgelson branch of the library in Voorhees in July. She was inspired to volunteer because her brother Samuel Yourison has volunteered at the library since the summer of 2008.

Yourison of Mount Ephraim checks books back into the library, alphabetizes them and straightens the shelves of the books and videos in the library.

“I decided that I wanted to keep busy and do something to help out in some way, and my brother Samuel encouraged me to try volunteering. I wanted to do something that would help people,” she said.

Yourison works in the Haddonfield Middle School food services department and plans to volunteer in the afternoons during the school year.

“I enjoy it because I am helping out and doing something productive. I am also meeting new people and keeping busy,” she said.

The library also offers volunteer opportunities throughout the year. For more informationon, call 856-772-1636 or visit www.camdencountylibrary.org.

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Libraries offer a wealth of free resources

Sunday, August 30, 2009
Anita Shaffer
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Even in a retail atmosphere dominated by the concept of "everyday values," sales events are trumpeted through tie-ins with holidays.

In that spirit, here's a Labor Day-themed "special" that should prove useful to business owners and job seekers in these times of dicey economic conditions and high unemployment:

PRE-LABOR DAY INFORMATION SALE! GAIN ACCESS TO DATABASES WORTH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND SIGN UP FOR COMPUTER COURSES "" ALL FOR FREE!!!!!!

If that headline flashed across your computer screen while you were searching for information, you probably would be quite skeptical.

In fact, though, the screaming sentence understates the wealth of information that truly is available at no charge through "" perhaps you've guessed by now "" your public library.

Although you might be sighing when you pay your taxes in these pinched times, public libraries offer so much value it's hard to groan about the cost of supporting them. Here's a sampler:

o The Mercer County Library System--Business databases that can be accessed from home include ReferenceUSA, which contains information on companies so detailed that sales reps reportedly use it for leads. LearningExpressLibrary.com provides practice tests and tutorials for standardized job exams such as those for teaching, real estate and the military. For in-person services, you can't beat the free computer courses the library offers. www.mcl.org

o The Burlington County Library System--You don't have to struggle to find the information you need on this website. There's a "Business Gateway" portal that leads the user to a wide range of information, from company registries to demographic-research tools. There also are how-to videos on subjects such as creating a marketing list and learning about pricing. www.bcls.lib.nj.us

o Jersey Clicks--This service allows users to search the databases offered through the New Jersey State Library, which translates into access to business databases, magazines, journals and encyclopedias. There's also a 24-hour online helpdesk available. www.jerseyclicks.org

To tap into this bounty of information, you can visit any library. Or, you can obtain a library card--at no charge for your hometown library or the state library in Trenton--and browse many databases from home or office.

Joan C. Divor, business-services librarian for the Burlington County Library System, is part of a concerted effort to sharpen offerings for business users and increase awareness of what is available. She is taking a leading role in helping the state train other librarians.

The catch phrase is "save time, save money, get answers," Divor said.

"We subscribe to really good business electronic resources, things that cost thousands of dollars," said Divor, who holds a master's degree in library and information science from Drexel University and worked in the corporate world before joining the library staff in 2002.

There's so much available that even longtime librarians are amazed.

Ann Kerr, a principal librarian who works in the reference department at the Mercer County Library System, remembers that county librarians often had a difficult time answering patrons' questions with the resources on hand when she started her career more than 30 years ago.

"Sometimes there just weren't any answers," she said. "Now you can pretty much answer any question. It's unbelievable."

OFFICE SUPPLY DISCOUNTS

The state is offering small, minority or women-owned businesses an opportunity to join in the same bulk-buying discounts that state and local governments will receive under a new program.

Staples Advantage won a competitive bid to serve as the central, statewide contractor for office supplies, replacing 17 contracts, the Treasury Department has announced.

Officials estimate that state offices will save about 23 percent of their office supply costs, which average $9.8 million a year. Local governments, which ordered an estimated $15 million to $20 million worth of supplies through the contracts now expiring, also are expected to save money.

In addition to lower prices, the contract also offers next-day delivery, which officials say will help save money on storage costs.

Qualifying businesses will be able to get the same price breaks when the new service starts Sept. 1, officials say. In addition, businesses will be able to pitch their products to Staples in hopes that the retailer will add more Garden State goods to its shelves.

"This is a win-win," said Tom Vincz, a spokesman for the Treasury Department.

Staples Advantage will be holding forums to explain how the process works. Info also will be available through the Treasury Department (http://www.state.nj.us/treasury) and the Division of Minority and Women Business Development. (http://www.state.nj.us/njbusiness/contracting/sdd.shtml)

Contact Anita Shaffer at ashaffer@njtimes.com

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August 27, 2009

Holmes Library tenants still an issue in Boonton

The Citizen of Morris County, Aug. 20, 2009

BOONTON - While town officials may say it is all right for the three tenants living in apartments in the Boonton Holmes Public Library at 621 Main St., to stay when the property is turned over to town ownership, the president of the library Board of Trustees told officials Monday night why library officials would like them to leave.

"I suggest you educate yourself about the will of James Holmes," Sonya Chapman, the library trustee board president, told the aldermen. "The library is cramped. There are activities going on in public areas that need to be in a more private space."

Chapman said one of the reasons the library board had been working to get control of the building over the past few years is to be able to address such issues. The building, she said, was left to the town to be used as a public library.

The library board president explained the board also had applied for a grant to make improvements in the library and that her understanding was that the library had to have complete control of the building to accept the funds.

She said if the tenants stay, that may mean the library could not accept the grant money if it is awarded it.

Town officials learned in May two sets of trustees - the library board and a board of representatives of churches that have been collecting rent on the property to be used for maintaining it - were close to an agreement that would turn ownership of the building over to the library board.

The two boards, the church and library trustee boards, have been at odds over the maintenance of the building and have been trying to resolve who is responsible for maintaining and repairing the old structure and about two years ago, both sides hired attorneys to try and settle the matter.

Alderman Michael Eoga, the liaison to the library board, said on Monday night there still seemed to be confusion about the tenants and he said he thought a letter dated Friday, Aug. 14, on the issue seemed to indicate the library trustees want the tenant in the smallest apartment to vacate before finishing the deal.

Town Attorney John Dorsey said the town had received the letter that day and that was what he thought it indicated as well.

"I think there has to be a meeting with the board of the library to understand some of the nuances of the letter," Dorsey said.

Alderman Clifford Keezer said to Dorsey he thought the board had directed the attorney at its July meeting to send a letter to the trustees of the two boards indicating the town was fine with the tenants remaining.

Dorsey said if that had been the case, he apologized, but he had not sent a letter.

"Right now, those three apartments or whatever it is pay taxes, I think it’s $5,000," noted Mayor Cyril Wekilsky.

Keezer suggested the town get the title of the library building transferred to it by having the deal done and then, he said, the Buildings & Grounds committee of the Board of Aldermen could sit down with the library trustees and figure out what to do.

"My feeling had been when we discussed this was that we would let all the tenants stay and then decide (after the transfer)," the mayor agreed.

"It would be a great failure of municipal government if we can’t work out an agreement with our own trustees," said Dorsey, noting the library board trustees are all appointed by the mayor."

Keezer then made a motion to formally have the aldermen state they wanted the tenants to stay.

Eoga voted no, because, he said, "We are going to be landlords," if that happens, and he did not think that was what the town should be doing.

Dorsey said in June if the library board ends up with clear ownership of the library, it should be deeded to the town.

He based his legal opinion on the fact that Holmes, who died in the 1890’s, made a bequest in his will that the home be used to establish a public library. He said when that occurs, the town insurance would cover the library and the tehants could stay put.

"Historically, the library board appointed by the town ran the library day-to-day," explained Wekilsky. "However, there was or still is a board of trustees made up of representatives of churches in town that had been responsible for upkeep of the building. We stayed out of it because we said this is really a landlord-tenant situation."

Wekilsky said the library board pays rent to the church board, which, he understood, is to go for upkeep of the old home. He said there also are three tenants in apartments in the building paying rent to the church board.

The building, which dates to the 1850’s, is an original Greek Revival style building and one of the concerns of library board trustees in recent years has been the need to repair the aging building and also that it may be difficult to adapt it for modern library uses.

Several years ago, a proposal to build a new library on Vreeland Avenue on property owned by the New Jersey Fireman’s Home was pursued by the town and later abandoned. A second proposal by a private developer to incorporate a public library in a project on Main Street also never proceeded.

Town officials have been told by many residents that the fact it is in the downtown district and in walking distance of schools and many homes is important to users. Members of the public also have expressed support for maintaining the historic Holmes building as part of the heritage of the town.

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Washington Township library plans set in motion

Gloucester County Times On-Line
Thursday, August 27, 2009
By Jessica Beym
jbeym@sjnewsco.com
WASHINGTON TWP. A skating rink, a county health building, a former grocery store and a closed-down car dealership were all considered as potential new homes for a new municipal library before township officials agreed Wednesday night that a teacher resource center on Delsea Drive would be the best fit.

The township council voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance that, if approved on second reading in September, will allow the municipal library board to enter into a lease-purchase agreement with the owners of the Education Information Resource Center, just around the corner from the current Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library.

The price tag is set at $2.1 million for a five-year agreement, roughly $700,000 less than what the township was first willing to pay back in December when it began proceedings to borrow money to buy the building outright.

Steve Altamuro, solicitor for the library board, said Wednesday that if the township had followed through with the bond ordinance last year, they'd be stuck with a debt that the library board couldn't legally repay, which is what the intentions were.

Council members and Mayor Matt Lyons praised the diligence of library Board Chairman Mike Allen during the meeting, saying he approached the task of finding a new library like it was a full time job. "Mike Allen has pursued this vigorously," Lyons said after the ordinance was introduced. "They (the library board) really worked hard over the last seven months to the benefit of the library and the township to achieve a more favorable agreement with EIRC."

Inside the 20,000-square-foot building, which is double the space the current library has, the setup is already very suiting to a library space, with many shelves, lots of windows and some smaller rooms and office areas. Allen said after they finalize the agreement with EIRC in the coming weeks, the library hopes to have access to the new space in December so some minor retrofitting can be done. The lease payments will be made using money in the library's surplus and in its annual allotment from the municipal taxes.

Altamuro said after five years, the board should still have enough money left over to continue saving for a 10,000-square-foot addition that will be added on about seven years from now. That addition is part of the reason the state library board approved the agreement, because a township with a population of about 50,000 should have a library of about 28,000 square feet, Altamuro said.

"We will not have to bond," Allen said. "We will have the financial wherewithal to pay of this lease purchase in five years and at the same time have sufficient funds available in the seventh year to make an addition on the building."

Allen declined to share a dollar figure of what that expansion would cost, but said the township's auditor, Nick Petroni, has reviewed the figures and is "comfortable with the resources."

Allen noted that with the planned commercial growth with the township, including the proposed town center and Virtua's new Health and Wellness Center, the required tax allotment to the library will only continue to grow.

With only 10,000 square feet in the Heggan Library, the need for more space has been an ongoing issue.

"We run children's programs and parents have to come a month before to get their children's name on the list," Allen said. "We're limited to what we can do."

The library would also like to offer more services like resume building and computer classes, which it will be able to do with more space. He hopes they can be in the building by the fourth quarter of 2010. Council President Michelle Martin said they haven't really discussed what will be done with the existing building, but the first preference would be to sell it. She said they may look more into it this time next year, when the library is closer to the move-out date.

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August 24, 2009

The book on text messages

By: DANIELLE CAMILLI
Burlington County Times
WESTAMPTON - Teens know how to text. And so do the librarians of the Burlington County Library System.

Subscribers can check their telephones for new messages from the library as part of a state pilot program that is using text technology to communicate with young readers.

The county system is one of just eight libraries throughout the state selected to join the New Jersey State Library, the Library for the Blind and Handicapped, and Gold Mobile in a six-month program to determine the effectiveness of using mobile communications.

The library is trying to get information to users more quickly and is targeting teenagers and parents of young children in the program, officials said. Those groups were chosen for their familiarity with and their use of text technology.

"We will be able to contact teens and parents in a way that works for them. We can remind them about programs and services, find out what is on their minds, tell them what their library is doing, and just generally communicate in a way that fits their lifestyles," said Gail Sweet, director of the county library system.

The library's goal is to send out two text messages a week to each of the user groups. In keeping with popular online social-networking site Twitter, the message will be kept short, at 140 characters or fewer, with a link for more information on the topic, said Joan Divor, business services librarian.

"We are very excited about this program and have been planning extensively for it," said Andy Woodworth, the librarian who is managing the project. "Our staff has been planning weekly contests for teens, with drawings for gift certificate prizes as well as offering links and information to support their independent lifestyle. For parents, we are offering all types of helpful tips and tools for balancing work, family, and other activities in their overscheduled lives."

Advertisement The texting program began earlier this month and the library is now accepting subscribers. Teens and parents can sign up for the texts on the library's Web site, www.bcls.lib.nj.us.

"Mobile phone usage is at the leading edge of a cultural change in communications," said Nancy Dowd, director of marketing for the state library. "The (state) realizes communication networks are continually evolving, and it's important for libraries to keep up on those technologies that will help them reach existing customers as well as inform new people of how libraries can help them."

For more information, visit www.tinyurl.com/bclsteen or www.tinyurl.com/bclsparent.

Contact: dcamilli@phillyBurbs.com 609-267-7586

August 23, 2009 02:50 AM

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Library Living on Borrowed Time in Audubon

by Julie Dengler 21.AUG.09
Representatives of the Audubon Public Library board say they’re living on surplus while the borough government sorts out its finances.
Member and acting solicitor for the library board of trustees, Joe Slachetka, says that concerns stem from public assumptions that the library is part of the bottom line of the municipal budget. “We are concerned about the tone of the public conversation [regarding the library’s budget and surplus],” he said.

While library funds come through the borough via municipal taxes, the borough is not responsible for capital improvements to the building or services.
“We have been saving for the last 20 to 25 years for capital improvements so we don’t have to go to the borough and ask for money. We are responsible for care of the building, upgrading to be handicapped accessible,” he said. The trustees recently had to replace a section of bookcases that leaned up against the wall and gave way.
Interestingly, Slachetka remarked that the $350,000 library surplus that was recently quoted in The Retrospect, is essentially the library’s savings account. “We’ve been living on that surplus this year. We don’t have $350,000; it’s more like $100,000,” he said.
When asked if the library has received any of the three quarterly installments of taxes collected this year, Slachetka responded, “No.” He also says, “We haven’t complained. We don’t want to embarrass the borough.” But, as it stands, the main reason the library is still open is because the trustees dipped into their nest egg to make it so.
Slachetka added that the library has a total of six part-time employees who receive no benefits and no vacation pay. “We’re the poor church mouse of the borough -- and [some] people are pointing the finger at us,” he said.
In a written statement, Ward says, “It is important to know that the library mandated funding will not be the cause of any possible tax increases this year. The fact that funds were not allocated in the introduced budget has nothing to do with the library and its operations.” Ward explained that “concerned residents feel we are giving the impression that our current financial problems are because of the library and that is not the case. We are working with the library board and plan to support them as the borough struggles during these tough economic times.” - Copyright 2009

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August 17, 2009

Pennsylvania state library hours change because of budget cuts

by JAN MURPHY, The Patriot-News
Monday August 17, 2009, 11:01 AM

JOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-News/2008
Books in the old section of the Pennsylvania State Library.The State Library of Pennsylvania has new hours of operation, starting this week. The library, in The Forum Building in Harrisburg, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The new hours are a result of the budget cuts that Gov. Ed Rendell had said would be coming in his February budget message. Those cuts resulted in furloughs last week for 21 of the 51 library employees, said state Department of Education spokesman Michael Race.

As a result of the reduced staff, hours had to be cut. But Race said staff will still be available Monday through Friday to answer telephone calls and respond to e-mails.

Rendell said last week that the state library is more of a repository for government documents and not a place that children flock to in large numbers. That's why he considered it acceptable to cut the State Library funding in half, to $2.4 million, in his budget proposal while proposing a more modest 10 percent cut, to $68 million, for county library systems.

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Chivukula to host mobile office hours at libraries

August 17, 2009

CENTRAL JERSEY — In an effort to make it easier to seek assistance from elected representatives, Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula (D-17) will host a series of “mobile office hours” at libraries across the 17th Legislative District.

The Assemblyman and staff will be on hand to provide assistance for those with problems with state agencies and to provide information on state programs such as the Statewide Heating Assistance and Referral for Energy Services program and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program.

Upcoming office hours are scheduled for the following libraries:

Tuesday, Sept. 1: Milltown, 6 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 12: Highland Park, 10 a.m. to noon
Saturday, Sept. 12: North Brunswick, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 26: New Brunswick, time to be determined
Saturday, Oct. 3: Piscataway, noon. to 2 p.m.

For more information, contact Chivukula’s district office at 732-247-3999 or e-mail AsmChivukula@njleg.org.

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August 13, 2009

Rendell: GOP's cuts would harm libraries

The Associated Press
Aug. 11, 2009
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Gov. Ed Rendell is calling on library users to pressure Senate Republicans to stop advocating spending cuts that he says would decimate library services.

The Democratic governor appeared before dozens of library employees and supporters at the East Shore Area Library in Harrisburg on Tuesday.

The state's libraries received a record $75 million in state subsidies last year, and Rendell is advocating a 10 percent reduction that he said would not seriously impair library services.

But he said the Senate GOP's plan to cut subsidies by more than half would force libraries to reduce their hours, cut back on book purchases and lay off staff members.

The governor said libraries provide a vital part of many youngsters' education, and defended his plan to increase taxes to preserve important services.

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August 10, 2009

Carteret library building teen room

By LEO D. ROMMEL • STAFF WRITER • August 10, 2009

Borough teens looking for a place to surf the Web, lay on comfortable chairs, flip through magazines and listen to their iPods will soon be able to do so at their local library, officials said.

The library, located on Cooke Avenue, is expected to undergo minor interior construction in the next few weeks to build a teen room, library director Sharla Emery said.

The library is also in the process of joining its services with the Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium, when completed, will allow borough patrons to take out materials from more than two dozen libraries, Emery said.

"Right now we use the services of the Woodbridge Public Library," Emery said. "But we are currently migrating with the libraries of Middlesex (County), where, instead of having one or two libraries where our patrons can borrow books from, they will have the choice of 26 libraries."
The upcoming teen room has been in the works since last year, Mayor Daniel Reiman said. The estimated 400-square-foot, sectioned-off room will be located at the back right of the library, in an area that is currently underutilized, he said.

"When the building was constructed, it was built for future growth and expansion, so there's plenty of room in the library," Reiman said. "So now we're going to move some stacks and chairs and create a sit-alone room which will be geared toward young teens. It will give them the opportunity to work together and to chat. It will not be your normal library setting."
The 30- to 45-day construction period will begin in early fall, in either September or October, and will be completed by the end of the year, Reiman said.

Reiman said the room will have cushion beanbag chairs, state-of-the-art computers, iPod docking stations and "stuff geared toward that generation with the newest technology."
"Basically, we want them to go in there and perhaps listen to a little light music without having to bother or disturb other patrons of the library," Reiman said. "There will be work stations for teens to work together and as groups on school projects ? but again you cannot typically have those types of things going on in a regular library setting where you have patrons of all ages trying to do work, study or read."

Reiman said the cost of construction will be approximately $50,000, half of which will come from the borough's capital fund for 2008 and the other half from the library.
"I plan on making the room very attractive," Emery said. "There would be computers where teens will be able to access the Internet and, of course, the library catalog. They will be able to sit in very comfy chairs and they will be able to do their homework on tables."
The addition of the teen room and the combining services comes at a time of change for the library.

Emery, 34, who was hired as director in April, took over for Cheryl Smith, who left about a year and a half ago. Library board member Sam Latini served as interim director before Emery was hired.

Emery, a resident of Queens, N.Y., previously worked as the head of adult services at the East Orange Public Library.

Leo D. Rommel: 732-565-7296; lrommel@MyCentralJersey.com

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August 9, 2009

Texts: Library's new tool to reach teens

Friday, August 7, 2009
Last updated: Friday August 7, 2009, 1:13 PM
BY MARK J. BONAMO
Hackensack Chronicle
MANAGING EDITOR
In a time when kids face enough multimedia distractions that would challenge anyone's attention span, Keri Adams, the young adult librarian at Hackensack's Johnson Public Library, enjoys a unique problem.

"Honestly, it's not a challenge getting teenagers around here to use the library," said Adams, 27. "During the summer, my bookshelves are pretty close to empty. But not every kid is using the library, and I would love to change that."

A new program sponsored by the New Jersey State Library is designed to make Adams' wish come true. The Johnson Public Library is one of eight libraries from across the state that has been selected to join a six-month pilot program that will test the effectiveness of using mobile communications to promote library use and services. With text messaging such a major communications and cultural force, especially among the young, Garden State librarians hope that the text program will show teens, young adults and the entire community that the library is the place to go.

How to use library text technology

As part of the program, the selected libraries will use text messaging, averaging two text messages a week, as a way to reach out to teens and young adults, including the parents of younger children. Standard text messaging rates apply.
Hackensack teens can sign up to receive updates about events taking place at the library by texting HACKTEEN to 51684. Adults who are interested in personal development programs and other information can text HACKSKILLS to 51684.
Parental permission is required for kids under the age of 13 and recommended for all participants under the age of 18.

According to Nancy Dowd, director of marketing for the New Jersey State Library, the program will focus on reaching out to teens.
"Mobile phone usage is at the leading edge of a cultural change in communications," said Dowd. "The New Jersey State Library realizes communication networks are continually evolving and it's important for libraries to keep up on those technologies that will help them reach existing customers, as well as inform new people of how libraries can help them. The idea of reaching teens and parents directly on their mobile devices just makes sense. This is the first program of its kind for libraries in the nation."

"The Johnson Public Library is a pioneer in our field," added Dowd. "Their work will help libraries across the country learn more about this medium and provide the groundwork for future campaigns. Each library is creating their own strategy to create a community of opt-in patrons and build databases of supporters."

Local librarians look forward to text tool

Adams has her own strategy on how to reach out to Hackensack's teens.
"A lot of kids really love reading, and I think that more of them would if they knew what we had available to them," she said.
Adams noted that the library has about four events per month for students in grades seven through 12, with closer to four events a week during the summer.
"My biggest problem is that the teens think that the events sound cool, but they never remember when they are," she said. "In this way, we send them a text message, and remind them that it's going to be a lot of fun. This way, we're hoping to reach out to kids that aren't in the library all the time."

Programs for teens at Johnson Public Library include the video programs Dance Dance Revolution and Rock Band, as well as a teen advisory board that talks about what teens really want to see and do in the library.

Johnson Public Library Director Sharon Castanteen was quick to point out that the new mobile communications pilot program is also geared towards adults.
"Our biggest job now that we have made so many improvements and have added so many services is to get the word out," she said, noting that the library has many programs in place for adults, such as employment information and financial information workshops, with career coaching programs, job search seminars and identity theft advice coming in the fall. "And all of these things are free, including the free museum passes for families at the American Museum of Natural History in New York available at our library."

"Our community is very diverse, and a lot of times people aren't accustomed to knowing what a public library can offer more than books. But everyone has a cell phone," Castanteen added.
Although the program has only been in place for three weeks in Hackensack, Adams is very hopeful that it will reach its goal of reaching out to teens, young adults and the rest of the community.

"We're the guinea pigs for the whole country, basically," she said. "I think that it's going to work and that people are going to find it to be a valuable service. My teenagers don't really check their e-mail, but they are willing to sign up for text messages because they always have their phone in their hand. I'm really excited, and I hope that it's really successful."
E-mail: bonamo@northjersey.com

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August 6, 2009

West Long Branch voters to decide fate of town library

Borough may join county system
By Graelyn Brashear • STAFF WRITER • August 5, 2009

WEST LONG BRANCH — The Borough Council voted Wednesday night to pass an ordinance adding a referendum to November's ballot that will let voters decide the fate of the town's library.

The referendum will ask voters whether the borough should dissolve the public library and make it a branch of the Monmouth County Library System.

West Long Branch's library is maintained by the borough at a cost of $477,056, but it is also a member of the county system, a partnership that costs taxpayers $194,134 per year. As a result, the borough is the only one in the state that taxes property owners twice for its library, said Councilman J. Thomas DeBruin.

Allowing the library to become a Monmouth County branch would make the county responsible for most library expenses. That could save at least $377,000, officials said.
Carol Hershkowitz, vice president of the local library board, said she and others were concerned that becoming a branch would mean the library would lose its individuality.
"We have a high level of personal service, because many of our staff live in town and know our patrons," she said.

Hershkowitz reiterated the board's alternative plan to cut costs, which would end the library's county system membership and forge a link with the Middlesex County library consortium, at a savings of nearly $200,000 per year.

Kenneth Sheinbaum, Monmouth County Library System director, said little would change if the West Long Branch Library chose to become a county branch. The main difference, he said, is that the county would shoulder all personnel costs.
It's a change county freeholders have said they support.

"Branch libraries in the county system have incredible resources and services available to them," said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the library system, in a press release late last month. "Becoming a branch library will centralize administrative services, ordering and processing materials, and provide West Long Branch residents with unlimited access to the largest circulating public library collection in the sate."

DeBruin called opposition to the plan to dissolve the library illogical.
"Why wouldn't they want to save $300,000?" he said.

But Madlyn Aaron, a West Long Branch resident and library member, said the savings weren't worth what she saw as the possibility of shorter library hours and a loss of staffing.
"It's not going into our pockets," she said. "I'd rather have my library. Why fix what isn't broken?"

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Morristown library first to get kinder, gentler scanner for historic books

by Sarah Schillaci/ For The Star-Ledger
Thursday August 06, 2009, 8:00 AM

Libraries across the country have been clamoring for a book scanner designed to copy historic books ever since the newly-designed technology made the rounds at library conferences this summer.

But for now, they'll have to queue up behind the Morristown and Morris Township Library.

On Tuesday, the library became the first in the country to own a BookScan Station, a scanner and computer that allows patrons to scan, copy and export to a flash drive pages of rare and historic books.

The BookScan allows researchers to scan pages of historical books on its beveled edge, preventing the spine from being excessively bent.

"Woohoo! We're entering the 21st century!" said Christine Jochem, manager of the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center in the library, where the scanner is located.

The Morristown-Morris Township Library is offering free copies this month to anyone using the new scanner.iVina, Inc., the manufacturer of the scanner, had been displaying the technology at library conferences over the past several months. Library Director Susan Gulick placed an order for the scanner after seeing it at the New Jersey conference in April.

The scanner is hooked up to a touch-screen computer, which instantly converts the scanned page into a Word or .pdf file. Once a printer is hooked up to the station, patrons can print out their pages or save the documents onto a flash drive.

The Morristown library had previously owned a beveled-edge copier, Jochem said, but had to return the machine when the library changed copier contracts.

In the interim, patrons have been unable to scan or copy rare and old books that would be damaged by being opened flat.

The library placed the order for the BookScan Station earlier this summer. After waiting a month for the machine, the library finally received iVina's demo scanner to use temporarily for the month of August.

"Because it's the demo model, we're offering free copies to everyone this month," Jochem said.

That's good news to the researchers and genealogists who archivist Mary McMann said travel from across the coutnry to research families in the history center. The Morristown Area Genealogical Society also makes use of the center.

McMann said the center hadn't quite finalized the setup for the station or what patrons will be charged but emphasized that its purpose was purely for historical research -- not people looking to create e-books or scan and export hundreds of pages.

"We don't want to be a Staples," McMann said.

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August 5, 2009

Mendham library merger fizzles out

by Dan Goldberg/For The Star-Ledger
Monday August 03, 2009, 9:00 PM
MENDHAM -- A plan to join the libraries of Mendham Borough and Mendham Township, a deal nearly a decade in the making, appears to be dead.

Mendham Borough's council voted unanimously tonight to dissolve the interlocal agreement, terminating the joint library program.

"Mendham Township wanted to proceed," said Richard Moore, a trustee at the Mendham Borough library. "The borough council wasn't prepared to commit."

Though an exact cost could not be determined because building plans were never finalized, the project was to be funded through a mix of public and private money. More than $1 million of donations had already been pledged and each municipality had promised $1.5 million toward the joint library.

The recession, however, forced the borough to reconsider all capital expenditures, according to Mendham Mayor Neil Henry Jr.

"The economy is the biggest factor," Henry said. "As far as this governing body is concerned, the deal is dead."

It was the fall of last year, Henry said, with the markets in free-fall and the state reducing aid to municipalities, when the mayor realized that it was no longer viable to pursue a desired, but unnecessary, project.

Henry said that the borough's priorities have evolved since discussions first began, and a 2006 master plan showed there are other municipal buildings that need work sooner than the library.

Mendham Township Mayor Frank Cioppettini said he had hoped the project could be completed but understood the borough's actions.

"I accept and respect their decision, although it is disappointing," said Cioppettini.

Neither library is municipally owned -- they are two of the six independent libraries in Morris County -- so if enough private funding could be raised the deal could, in theory, move forward, according to Moore, though he acknowledged it would be hard to make up for the municipalities' missing $3 million contribution.

While it may be a tough time to spend, Moore said the short-term costs could provide long-term dividends. "You might be able to get more bang for your buck," Moore said. "When you don't buy two of the same (children's) titles, you can buy more titles."

The joint library would have also provided increased reading areas for adults and more room for children's programs.

That was particularly attractive to Cioppettini, who said the township's facility is so small it holds children's programs amid the stacks.

"Fifty percent of the township has a library card," Cioppettini said, "but it's an 80-year old facility, somewhat obsolete, antiquated and not up to 2009 standards."

Cioppettini said he would still like to see a new library built even though the township will have go it alone. He held out hope that the board of trustees could parlay some of the $1 million in private pledges toward a library specifically for the township.

"How many of those people would be willing to fund just a Mendham Township library is questionable," Cioppettini said.

Without a significant private contribution, though, it seems unlikely a new library could be built any time soon.

Cioppettini, like Henry, said the township has a number of desired projects but a responsibility to be mindful of taxpayers' money.

"Yes we need a new library, yes we need a new municipal building and yes we need a new police building," Cioppettini said. "This just may not be the time."

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August 4, 2009

Denville library renovation nearing completion

Sunday August 02, 2009, 6:54 AM
DENVILLE -- Denville's public library, which is being gutted and renovated, is on pace to reopen around the end of September, library Director Elizabeth Kanouse said last week.

Meanwhile, the library remains open, despite the renovation blocking the building's front entrance.
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A meeting room in the back is temporarily serving as the circulation area for the library, with a few racks set up that feature a limited selection of books, magazines and CDs. Also, material can be transferred from other library branches.

Attendace at the library, on Diamond Spring Road, is estimated to have dropped by about a quarter during the renovation.

Construction began in January to give the 25-year-old library more efficiency in its use of space and to provide features desired by the public, such as an enclosed children's space and improved reading and reference areas, she said.

"There had been no renovations since I've been here," said Kanouse, who has been with the library for 11 years.

The cost of the project is expected to be about $1.6 million, she said, and the construction cost should be $950,000. The Denville council approved a $1.6 million bond ordinance last year to finance the project.

But even library officials are calling the renovation a stopgap measure. The nearly 10,000-square-feet building should last another 10 years before a larger facility is needed to match an anticipated increase in the town's population, they say.

Library officials hesitated to move forward with a new building right now because of its expected prohibitive cost, Kanouse said. If one is ever proposed in the future, she said, planning would have to start about five years ahead of construction.

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