C J R L C  UPDATE

Program Coordinator's Notes

    We all note the arrival of September, even when our school days are long over. Something in the air signals a change, a fresh start and a chance to learn something new.

    Learn how to track and use Pop Culture icons and trends to let your customers know the library is on their wavelength. On Oct. 19th, Sophie Brookover will lead the workshop Pop Goes the Library at Monmouth County Library HQ in Manalapan from 10-1. The cost is $20.00. RSVP to the office. Flyer and more details are on our website. Sophie’s a real maven; check out her website at www.popgoesthe
library.com.

    Last year, the elementary school librarians who attended Peg Jaeger’s workshop, Ready to Lead in Literacy, were so enthusiastic that we invited her back. Learn how to use Public Television’s multi-media resources to teach literacy skills to young children. This free workshop is at CJRLC, October 10th, from 4-6 PM. RSVP to the office; the flyer with more details is on our website.

    Monmouth Librarians Association is offering a program on Teen Genres, with speakers on the genres that interest teens, plus a presentation on the Garden State Book Awards for teens. Come to the Marlboro Branch of Monmouth County Library on Tuesday, October 17th from 3:30-5:30. All Monmouth Librarians programs are free and open to all. Flyer and information will be on our website.

    Don’t forget about the NJASL conference at Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch, October 29-31. The theme is “School Libraries: Where Learning Starts.” Keynote speaker is David Warlick. Registration forms available on the NJASL website: www.njasl.org/Conferences.htm.

Phyllis’ Favorites for October

American Cultural History by Decade
http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decades.html

Research Assignment Guides
http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/research.htm

The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics
http://www.econlib.org/library/CEE.html

Cornell’s CTC Gateways: Arts & Social Sciences, Education, Math & Science
http://www.tc.cornell.edu/
Services/Education/Gateways

Cyberbee: Annotated Web Links
http://www.cyberbee.com/links.html

The Deserts in the American Southwest
http://www.desertusa.com/life.html

EdHeads
http://www.edheads.org/

Einstein Light
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/einsteinlight

The Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation - 11/19/1863
http://www.norvig.com/Gettysburg/

Making the Modern World
http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/

17th Century Colonial New England, The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692
http://www.17thc.us/

Statistical Abstracts of the United States
http://www.census.gov/prod/
www/abs/statab.html

Study Sites Search… the best of the web for students
http://www.teachersandfamilies.
com/open/studymatrix.html

Teachers’ Domain
http://www.teachersdomain.org
(free registration required)

Editor’s Note: To subscribe to an email list of selected daily websites 5 days/week, email Phyllis above.

IMLS Grants Update
2003-2006

Congratulations to our first graduates from the 2003-2006 IMLS grant! Tonya Badillo, Long Branch PL, graduated from TESC in September, and Sharon Shrieves Ward, Trenton Public Library, will graduate in December.

Four MLIS students graduated in May from Rutgers SCILS. They are Michele Stricker, NJSL, John Porcaro, Belleville PL, Julia Rey, East Orange PL, and Victor Enriquez, Jersey City PL. The other five MLIS students plan to finish in December.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2006-2009 Grant

Four open houses around the state described the opportunities for urban public library staff to pursue their educational goals in our new grant. About 100 staff came to get information about the AA and BA degree programs, the MLIS program and the PhD scholarship. Applications are due October 15 for the undergrads, and classes begin in January.

GRE training begins the second week in October for the graduate students. They have a January 31 deadline so they can complete the GRE testing and begin in September.

CJRLC is an active partner in our IMLS grants.

	Getting to Know Michele Stricker
	Michele Stricker, our new Board liaison from the NJ State Library, brings an artist’s perspective to our Region. She is the child of two artists: her father was a sculptor and her mother was the first porcelain painter hired in the U.S. by Edward Marshall Boehm.

    Following in her parents’ footsteps was always Michele’s intent, and she earned a BFA in painting and printmaking at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Two subsequent Master’s degrees, in Museum Studies and Art History, led her to an assistant curator position at the historic Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where she specialized in 19th and 20th century American art.

    Marriage — to an artist — and children led to some life changes. Michele and her husband bought an historic house in Burlington City across the street from The Library Company of Burlington, the second oldest library in NJ. Michele began visiting the Library Company and advising them on their art collection. When the retiring director suggested Michele apply for the position, it seemed like a wonderful opportunity to become part of the community she loved in a new way and take her career in a new direction.

    Michele spent 12 years at The Library Company, adding a computer lab, and obtaining grants to improve library services. In 2004, she became one of 9 winners of an IMLS scholarship to obtain her MLIS at Rutgers SCILS. In the spring of 2006, she graduated from Rutgers SCILS and left The Library Company for a job as a consultant at the NJ State Library. Congratulations, Michele, and welcome to our Region!

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