Free Comic Book Day-5/2/2020- POSTPONED

Free Comic Book Day  for Saturday, May 2, 2020 has been postponed due to COVID 19.
See more information here https://www.freecomicbookday.com/Article/241387-Free-Comic-Book-Day-2020-Postponed


In the meantime:

Check your Public Library, you can access graphic novels on Hoopla, Overdrive and more with your library card!

Check the GNCRT A Quick Guide to Reading Library Comics At Home
http://www.ala.org/rt/gncrt/-guide-reading-library-comics-home

It lists many free sites for comics and graphic novels such as
Dark Horse, Read First Issues
"From Dark Horse’s newsletter: “We're offering over 80 first issue comics, along with a handful of full graphic novels, for free to read on Dark Horse Digital! To start reading, just sign up for free at digital.darkhorse.com with a valid email address, no credit card required. Enjoy!”

Viz, Sample Chapters & Latest Chapters of Popular Manga
"Viz, the English-language publisher of many popular manga, offers the latest English-language chapters of four popular manga for free (all four are designated as Teen level by the publisher). Click on the publisher site below and scroll to the bottom of the page. The website above also advertises other manga for sale that offer free previews. Some sample previews may not be appropriate for all ages."


Also Check out Marvel free Comics

https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/1626/read-these-free-comics
("From Marvel classics, to must-read runs, jump start your comic reading with these events, intro arcs, and storylines.")

National Library Week 2020

It's easy to find the library at your place this National Library Week!

April 19-25, 2020

Find your local public library using this helpful tool

https://www.overdrive.com/libraries

Click your local library website and register online  to get a library card!

You can borrow ebooks, audiobooks and movies.

There are virtual services too!

( Reference, storytimes, databases  and more!)

Help Public Libraries and Literacy- Call Now!

Ask Your U.S. Senators to Sign Library Funding Letters

Appropriations season is heating up in Washington DC. It is imperative that you call your two U.S. Senators by Wednesday, April 24 and ask them to sign two separate "Dear Colleague" letters that will greatly help libraries. Talking points and instructions for the two letters are below.

Support Funding for LSTA in FY 2014

Ask your representative to support funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Here's why:

•LSTA is the primary source of funding for libraries in the federal budget

•LSTA helps many public libraries provide services to users that include, but are not limited to: job searches, résumé building help, digital literacy workshops, access to e-government services, etc.

Your senator can sign a letter indicating their support for LSTA in the FY14 budget, here's how:

Republicans: If your senator is a Republican, ask them to contact Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-ME) to sign on to the LSTA letter.

Democrats: If your senator is a Democrat, ask them contact Sen. Jack Reed’s (D-RI) office to sign the LSTA letter.

Support Funding for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy Competitive Grant

Ask your representative to support Childhood Literacy in FY 2014. Here is why:

•Congress included $28.6 million in the FY12 budget for this competitive grant administered through the U.S. Department of Education to support school libraries and national nonprofit literacy organization working toward childhood literacy

•A minimum of half of this money will go as a competitive grant to low-income school libraries to help update their books and materials.

Ask your representative to sign a letter supporting Childhood Literacy in FY 2014, here's how:

Republicans: If your senator is a Republican, ask them to contact Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) office to sign on to this letter

Democrats: If your senator is a Democrat, ask them to contact Sen. Jack Reed’s (D-RI) office to sign on to this letter

Please call today!
Go to http://capwiz.com/ala/callalert/index.tt?alertid=62592326&PROCESS=Call+Now
Enter your zip code into the "Call Now" box to find the number for your senator.

All calls have to be in by April 24.

Help Public and School libraries Now! Call your representative!

Support library funding: Call your U.S. Rep. today

Appropriations season is heating up in Washington DC. It is imperative that you call your U.S. Representative by Wednesday, April 10 and ask them to sign two separate "Dear Colleague" letters that will greatly help libraries. Talking points and instructions for the two letters are below.


Support Funding for LSTA in FY 2014

Ask your representative to support funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Here's why:

•LSTA is the primary source of funding for libraries in the federal budget

•LSTA helps many public libraries provide services to users that include, but are not limited to: job searches, résumé building help, digital literacy workshops, access to e-government services, etc.

Your representative can sign a letter indicating their support for LSTA in the FY13 budget, here's how:

Democrats and Republicans: Ask your representative to contact Rep. Raul Grijalva's (D-AZ) office to sign the LSTA letter.

Go to http://capwiz.com/ala/callalert/index.tt?alertid=62560381&PROCESS=Call+Now
 if you do not know who your representative is.

Support Funding for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy Competitive Grant

Ask your representative to support Childhood Literacy in FY 2014. Here is why:

•Congress included $28.6 million in the FY12 budget for this competitive grant administered through the U.S. Department of Education to support school libraries and national nonprofit literacy organization working toward childhood literacy

•A minimum of half of this money will go as a competitive grant to low-income school libraries to help update their books and materials.

Ask your representative to sign a letter supporting Childhood Literacy in FY 2014, here's how:

Republicans: If your representative is a Republican, ask them to contact Rep. Don Young's (R-AK) office to sign on to this letter

Democrats: If your representative is a Democrat, ask them to contact Rep. Jim McGovern's (D-MA) office to sign on to this letter

Go to http://capwiz.com/ala/callalert/index.tt?alertid=62560381&PROCESS=Call+Now \
if you do not know who your representative is.

Calls have to be made by April 10, 2013

National Gaming Day, November 12th

Gamers invade libraries on November 12, 2010 for  the 4th annual National Gaming Day

Is your public library taking part? Check here http://batchgeo.com/map/ngd11map
The American Library Association sponsored event has participating libraries  offering  kids and families a chance to meet and play classic board games such as Connect Four and Scrabble or dabble in an international Super Smash Bros. Brawl video game tournament!

Bernardsville NJ Children's Book Festival

Children’s Book Festival at
Bernardsville Public Library

1 Anderson Hill Rd

Bernardsville, NJ 07924-2351

(908) 766-0118

Sunday, November 7
2:00pm—5:00pm

Meet children’s book authors and illustrators:
Danny & Kim Adlerman
Pat Cummings
Doris Ettlinger
Megan Halsey
Dar Hosta
Trinka Hakes Noble
Lena Shiffman
Javaka Steptoe
A variety of books will be available for purchase and signing. Great holiday gift idea!
No sign-up is needed.

Splash into Reading at NJ libraries

New Jersey public libraries have water-related summer reading programs for each age group!

The themes are:

Children: "Make a Splash",

Young Adults:"Make Waves"

Adults :"Water Your Mind"

Parent/Educator Alert

Check out the summer reading website at http://www.njsummerreading.org/

for prograns, reading lists, film and movie lists, and web resources for each age group.

Don't forget to become a New jersey library supporter at http://www.savemynjlibrary.org/!

In SEPTEMBER-visit your public library!

September is Library Card Sign-up Month - a time to remind parents and kids that a library card is the most important school supply of all.

Don't have a public library card?

Just bring a form of ID and a utility bill or mail addressed to yourself at your current address and you can get one. Parents can enroll their children

Already have a library card?

Encourage others to join!

JERSEY CITY:

A Tale of Our City, Jersey City’s 2nd annual book festival,

Saturday, September 12th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in

Van Vorst Park, the Victorian park across from the Main Library,

472 Jersey Avenue (corner of Montgomery Street)

Jersey City, NJ

Meet local authors, storytelling, magic shows, celebrate Hispanic heritage and a farmer's market

Also Library card Sign-up!

Downloadable audiobooks, e-books and more at your Public Library

Teachers needing audiobooks and e-books can download them from their public library to an mp3 player or iPod. The loan period is ten (10) days.

A catalog of offerings can be accessed at your local public library's website or here at the ListenNJ website,
http://www.listennj.com/A8D0DFD2-B331-4AAC-961E-EABEE84AFBBB/10/333/en/Default.htm

Some participating libraries are listed here, http://www.listennj.com/A8D0DFD2-B331-4AAC-961E-EABEE84AFBBB/10/333/en/Libraries.htm

But, there are many more that offer this service.

Some libraries may also offer downloadable videos too!

Great tools for students and teachers!

August 7th-YA Author/YA movie-Elizabeth Public Library

Friday, August 7-4PM
Watch the movie Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings) and
then, after the film, we'll be hanging out with David Levithan, co-author of the book that inspired it! The movie will start at 4pm,
David will be arriving around 5:30pm for the discussion. Interested teens (and their librarians) are invited to attend!

Elizabeth Public Library
11 South Broad Street
Elizabeth, NJ 07202
(908) 354-6060
www.elizpl.org

NJ Graphic Novel Fans Alert!

COME ROCK OUT AT THE SOUTH ORANGE PUBLIC LIBRARY
So Punk Rock (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother), a graphic novel for teens written and illustrated by brother/sister team Micol and David Ostow, will be presented at the South Orange Public Library on Thursday evening, Aug. 6th, at 7 p.m. by the authors, who are South Orange natives.

Micol and David will show the MTV-style book trailer for So Punk Rock, and read a short selection of the book. Teens will have a chance to look at the hilarious illustrations designed by Dave, ask questions, learn a little bit about the writing and publishing process, and maybe even win a copy of the book.

All are welcome and refreshments will be served. For further information please contact Phyllis Kalb at the South Orange Public Library at (973) 762-0230 or pkalb@sopl.org. For a description of the book, see the author website at http://www.micolostow.com/, and http://www.micolostow.com/sopunkrock/

Support NJ Public Libraries-YOU DID IT!

New Jersey Public Libraries face drastic cuts, please read below

From the New Jersey Library Association:

1. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
As you know, Senator Brian Stack (D-Hudson and mayor Union City) has introduced
S. 2775 which would reduce the minimum funding for municipal libraries to 1/6 mil from 1/3 mil of the equalized valuation of the real property. This is very devastating legislation.

NJLA ( New Jersey Library Association, http://www.njla.org/) activated its legislative alert system through Capwiz ( a service which allows you to send a message directly to your state senator).

The alert is at:
http://capwiz.com/ala/nj/issues/alert/?alertid=13301621&PROCESS=Take+Action

So far approximately 1900 messages have been sent but we still need more. If you have not sent your message please do so today.

We urge you to also forward this message other library supporters.. Many of you have Facebook pages so please forward this to your contacts.

If you have had a response from your local Senator to your email, please let me know. For example, Senator Marcia Karrow has already said she would not support the bill. It is important that we know what the legislators are saying.

Senator Stack represents District 33. The two Assemblypersons in this District have now signed onto the A3753 ( the Assembly bill).They are Assemblyman Ruben Ramos and Assemblywoman Caridad Rodriguez. We don’t believe that the addition of these sponsors means that there is widespread support in the Assembly for this legislation.

The library community, however, must do everything it can to see that this bill does not more forward. Get involved. Attend the NJLA Public Policy Forum on June 5 ( see below).

Check out the njla.blog ( on the front of our website). On Friday, northjersey.com had an article entitled “Towns fill budget gaps with surplus library funds.” On Sunday, the Record also had an extremely supportive editorial against S2775.

2. STATE BUDGET
A message from the NJ State Librarian Norma Blake regarding the NJ State budget. “Last week the NJ State Library received from the Office of Management and Budget another directive to give suggestions as to where they can take an additional $1,606,000 from the library FY2010 budget, bringing our total projected cut to $3,564,000. The suggestions were very difficult to make. However, we have tried to spread the budget cuts across a number of areas of the library budget, including cuts to the State Library, to minimize the impact on any one program. There is no guarantee that the Office of Management and Budget who makes the cut will follow our suggestions or will allow us to make transfers among budget lines. I will write again as soon as OMB makes their final decision. We have every reason to believe, based on the revenue projects, that this may not be the last library budget cut FY2010. Sincerely, Norma E. Blake, State Librarian, New Jersey State Library.”

IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM NJLA - YOU DID IT!

I am very happy to forward the message we received from JoAnne Serrano, president of the library board of Hoboken Library. JoAnne was contacted by Senator Stack’s office on Friday. They indicated he will “withdraw” S2775 as soon as possible.

This is absolutely wonderful news. We have removed the “capwiz” legislative alert from out website. Over 2200 messages were sent to legislators regarding S2775 through this site.

We also want to thank the NJ State Library which called public libraries to encourage them to contact their legislators regarding this bill.

This has been an outstanding advocacy effort by the entire library community. I particularly want to thank the library community of Hoboken who are represented by Senator Stack in District 33. The entire library board led by Board President Joanne Serrano, Library Director Lina Podles and the Friends of the Hoboken Library all contacted Senator Stack’s office and told them how detrimental this bill would be for the entire library community.

This demonstrates that local advocacy efforts coupled with electronic resources such as “capwiz” can make our library message known in Trenton.

We certainly hope this is the end of the efforts to reduce library funding to 1/6 mil. Assemblyman Prieto, sponsor of the bill (A3753) on the Assembly side, has told us he will not go forward with the legislation.

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
the JCFPL Daily Read
the new blog from Jersey City Public Library, NOW!

Jon Scieszka and more at Newark Public Library 10/22/08

Attention Teachers, Librarians, Parents!

Jon Scieszka, Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, will be the keynote speaker at
Showcasing Information Literacies: New Dimension 2008,
which will be held on Wednesday, October 22,2008,
from 9:30am to 3:30pm,
at the Newark Public Library

Fee: $55 (Parking, a continental breakfast and a hot and cold luncheon buffet will be provided as part of the registration fee.)

Door prizes include a laptop and a Kindle!

The NJ Center for the Book has planned a day of celebration with a focus on literacy, book arts, and poetry in partnership with the Newark Public Library.

The program includes sessons on teaching literacies, the art of storytelling for youth at risk, showcasing how to present Shakespeare in the classroom, instruction in genealogical searching for young people, and, finally, partnering with New Jersey's Public Broadcasting Station in teacher resource training.

For the full program click and registration see http://www.njcenterforthebook.org/news_events/Oct22Program.pdf
Online registration is available at http://www.njcenterforthebook.org/registration/register.php

An Important Library program for Teens-7/9/08- Maplewood

Free and open to the public.
Wednesday,July 9,6:00 pm in Memorial Hall

Meet actor Michael B.Jordan from the HBO Series,The Wire

Michael B. Jordan, former cast member of the HBO Series The Wire will discuss the impact of the show on teenagers and adults in regard to drug trafficking, drug addiction, and drug prevention. Jordan will also discuss the difference between reality and the fictional depiction of selling drugs.

This program is co-sponsored by Maplewood Memorial Library and the Maplewood Municipal Alliance; Sponsor of Anti Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Programs for the Township of Maplewood.

Maplewood Memorial Library
51 Baker St. Maplewood
973-762-1622
http://www.maplewoodlibrary.org/