Shares results from research study survey of Rowan graduate students conducted in fall 2023.

Join us to explore how Hoboken Public Library has transformed library programming to honor our community's diversity. Learn about our inclusive strategies, community partnerships, and multilingual initiatives, including our impactful Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations boasting over 40 diverse programs catering to all ages. Discover how cultural programming has become a cornerstone of our library's identity.

Our poster session will highlight the recent success of our new Creative Aging programming series. Implemented in 2023, these programs aim to encourage connection and creativity for older adults in our community.

Be inspired to reinvent outreach at your library. While SCLSNJ’s Watchung branch staff visited some familiar places like local schools, staff also participated in unique events in town like the farmer’s market, a food truck event, the harvest festival, and more. Staff partnered with the local parent teacher organization, a local business, the town’s recreation department, and a senior center to increase the profile of the library, attract new users, and further develop stakeholder relationships.

Collette Jones, the Branch Manager at Egg Harbor City Public Library within the Atlantic County Library System, and Susan Van Alstyne, the Director at Taylor Memorial Library, Centenary University, will discuss their journeys as certified Entrepreneurship Librarians through Creative Startups. This non-profit organization is dedicated to fostering the creative economy and nurturing creative enterprises. The New Mexico State Library Foundation, in collaboration with Creative Startups, received the Libraries as Launchpads grant over two years from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Laura Bush's 21st Century grant. Creative Startups, in partnership with recruiting allies such as the New Jersey State Library and other library systems, selected 30 libraries from six regions for Phase One of the program to become Certified Entrepreneurship Libraries. Presently, EHC, TML, and five other libraries are advancing through Phase 3 of the initiative. Collette and Susan will outline the program's stages and share their distinct yet parallel experiences from a public and academic library perspective. Moreover, they will showcase the significant achievements and opportunities that libraries can embrace to foster innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, community involvement, and lifelong learning.

The pride and joy of the Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library is our library lizard, Gus. Not only is Gus adorable, he helps our library attact patrons who love to frequent the children's department to check on their favorite leopard gecko. Our poster session will showcase how Gus has helped bring more patrons through our doors and more visitors to our website.

Describing how I run my Kids Can Cook program for ages 7+.

As librarians know, book challenges have risen exponentially over the last three years. Prior to 2020, challenges would typically originate from the occasional community user, however, they have now become politicized and have expanded to contentious board meetings, local and even statewide legislation, sometimes backed by national groups. The uptick in book challenges coincided with the increased mention of “Critical Race Theory” by media and politicians. Most of the books challenged are diverse books. This poster, part of a larger research study, will showcase the literature review analyzing and contextualizing the recent rise in book challenges; focusing on a history of censorship in libraries, the need for diverse books, and libraries and social justice. This poster will also provide a QR code link to the aforementioned study which will examine New Jersey public librarians’ and New Jersey school librarians’ morale after experiencing a book challenge.

Want to promote curiosity and critical thinking but stuggling with budget constraints? Our presentation details innovative strategies for building a successful STEAM program in a public library with limited resources and a small budget

The NJLA-CUS Information Literacy Progression Standards Task Force will share progress on updating information literacy standards in order to bring them into alignment with the ACRL Framework and to build on the K-12 standards that NJ K-12 school librarians are developing. This poster will present achievements, next steps, and seek valuable feedback. Be part of the conversation shaping the future of information literacy in New Jersey schools from elementary through higher ed. Complementing our session on Thursday, this poster will offer an additional opportunity and alternative setting for academic and school librarians to engage with the work of this task force.

As part of their Intercultural Perspectives in Youth Literature, Sloane Kazim analyzes the depiction of transgender characters and their narratives in graphic novels from around the world.

The NJLA College & University Section/Association of College & Research Libraries-NJ Chapter’s Membership Assessment Task Force undertook a year-long study to learn more about how NJLA CUS/ACRL-NJ can best serve our NJ community of academic librarians. This poster presents the Task Force’s findings and makes recommendations for how professional library organizations of all kinds can stay relevant into the future.

Need additional ideas to supplement your summer reading program’s “Adventure Begins at Your Library?” Come meet Smokey the Bear and his handler at the conference and find out how your library can participate in the Smokey the Bear Reading Challenge even after summer is over. Learn about all the fun events that are being planned across NJ this summer for Smokey’s birthday to share with your library patrons. Find out how The NJ Forest Service partners with the US Forest Service to provide wildfire prevention messaging and education through materials and books, including NJ author Lisa Funari-Willever’s chapter book Nicky Fifth’s Five Alarm. In it, a NJ Forest Fire Service employee and the book’s characters “T-bone” and “Quincy” team up for an exciting forest-themed adventure.

In this poster session, we will delve into the collaborative journey between librarians and history teachers, sharing insights, strategies, and success stories from our partnership. Our goal is to inspire conference attendees to initiate similar collaborations in their institutions and explore the potential for enriching student research experiences. The poster session will include interactive elements such as a Q&A section, handouts with collaborative project templates, and examples of student work.