Professional Development Opportunities for Educators and Librarians

October 2, 2008
An Evening with Todd Strasser on October 2 to Feature Reading and Workshop by Award-Winning Author

The M. Jerry Weiss Center at New Jersey City University will hold “An Evening with Todd Strasser,” a professional development workshop and reading by the guest author, on Thursday, October 2, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m., in room 202 of Hepburn Hall, 2039 Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City.

Mr. Strasser, whose young adult books include Boot Camp, How I Changed My Life, Mob Princess, Nighttime, The Tardy Boys, Kidnap Kids, Drift-X, Can’t Get There from Here, Give a Boy a Gun, Impact Zone, The Diving Bell and The Accident, CON-fidence, The Wave, and 16 books in the “Help! I'm Trapped…” series, has published more than 100 books. He has also written such movie novelizations as Home Alone, Free Willy, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Jumanji.

Admission, which includes two (2) New Jersey Professional Development hours, is $25.00 or $20.00 for full-time undergraduate students with identification. Parking will be available in NJCU’s West Side Lot for a $6.00 fee.

To register for the program or for further information call Maureen McGuire, NJCU director of development, at (201)200-2196 or e-mail her at mmcguire1@njcu.edu

Fall 2008
There is a new Professional Development Institute for Educators at NJCU. The Institute is a collaborative initiative between the College of Education and the Office of Continuing Education. This year, they will be offering 42 workshops for four (4) professional development hours each. These courses will enable K-12 educators to fulfill NJDOE requirements for professional development hours. Tuition for each workshop is $150.00 ( with a 10% discount if three or more teachers from the same school district register together for the workshop)

Of the 42 workshops, 24 will be offered face-to-face on campus every Friday from 9:00am to 2:00pm. The face-to-face workshops will start on October 3rd and the online workshops will begin on October 13th.

The other 18 workshops will be offered online, each lasting one week with participants required to complete four hours worth of work.
Click here for a catalog and more information
http://web.njcu.edu/dept/continuinged/Content/pdie.asp

Celebrate Banned Books Week 9/27/08-10/4/08

psst… want a banned book???
The Guarini Library has them!
September 27 - October 4, 2008

most frequently challenged books in 2007:

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 420 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. According to Judith F. Krug, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five remain unreported.

The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2007” reflect a range of themes, and consist of the following titles:

1) “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell (Juv. .R523a)
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2) The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier (Juv. C811c)
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3) “Olive’s Ocean,” by Kevin Henkes (Juv. H513oL)
Reasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language

4) “The Golden Compass,” by Philip Pullman (Juv. P982N)
Reasons: Religious Viewpoint

5) “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain (Juv.C625ahbn)
Reasons: Racism

6) “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker(PS3573.A425 C6 1982)
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,

7) "TTYL,” by Lauren Myracle ( We will be getting it!)
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8) "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou (PS3551.N464 Z466 1971B)
Reasons: Sexually Explicit
9) “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris ( Juv. 612.6.H316IT 1996)Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10) "The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky (Juv.C513p)
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Off the list this year, are two books by author Toni Morrison. "The Bluest Eye" and "Beloved," both challenged for sexual content and offensive language.

most frequently challenged authors of 2007
1) Robert Cormier
2) Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
3) Mark Twain
4) Toni Morrison
5) Philip Pullman
6) Kevin Henkes
7) Lois Lowry
8) Chris Crutcher
9) Lauren Myracle
10) Joann Sfar

Check OSCAR on the Guraini Library Home Page to find books by these authors
http://sirsiprod.njcu.edu/uhtbin/cgisirsi/x/0/49

Check http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

Check http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/challengesupport/challengesupport.cfm
if there are challenges to books in your library or school!

JCPL Book Fair in Jersey City 9/13/08

Here's another activity for September!

Bibliophiles, bookworms, book peddlers, and those who love writing and hearing the written word will have an opportunity to indulge themselves with a day of literary delights when Jersey City holds its first annual book festival on Saturday, Sept. 13."

A Tale of Our City" will be held in Van Vorst Park on Montgomery Street, right across the street from the Main Branch of the Jersey City Free Public Library. The library is organizing the event and hopes to make it annual.The festival will be part of a daylong nationwide celebration known as "the Big Read," an initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) that puts a spotlight on encouraging reading and literacy.

The festival is funded by a grant from the NEA.As part of the initiative, free copies of Ray Bradbury's classic sci-fi novel Fahrenheit 451 will be handed out to festival attendees who have a valid library card, or who apply for a card during the festival. Members of the Jersey City Theater Company will conduct a public reading of the book.

Sonia Araujo, the assistant library director for the Jersey City Public Library, said last week that so far 12 authors have committed to an appearance at the festival. They will sign and sell their books, as well as read excerpts.Among them are city native and noted historian Thomas Fleming, and Helene Stapinski, an author of several books including the memoir of life in Jersey City, Five Finger Discount.

Source: Hudson Reporter, Ricardo Kaulessar

Jersey City Readers, Writers Alert

Interested in Hispanic Heritage?
Have you written a book that is about Jersey City?
Are you interested in news about reading, literacy and community events?
Then check out
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