NJLA Organization Update: August 2024

Dear NJLA Members,

NJLA’s Executive Board met on Tuesday, August 20. Here are some of the highlights:

• NJLA President, Jeff Cupo, is making Unsung Libraries one of his presidential priorities. Many New Jersey libraries overcome challenges and continue to provide great service. Jeff visited Atlantic Cape Community College last month. He will visit The Somerset County Library System’s Bound Brook Memorial Library’s Digital Van this month and Bayonne Public Library in September. 

• NJLA hired Melissa Johnson as its Event Planner, and introduced Melissa to NJLA members through NJLA’s website and weekly email update.

• Ozy Aloziem, who is helping New Jersey’s libraries and library organizations assess and align their EDI initiatives, led us in creating an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Training Needs Survey for Library Leaders.

• NJLA is reviewing new website and Association Management Software options (MemberClicks replacements). James Keebler and Eileen Palmer joined NJLA staff for ten vendor demos. This list of semi-finalists started with 28 potential vendors. We will set up trials for two finalists and choose between them.

• The Executive Board approved agreements with the following credit unions, who will soon offer membership at no charge to NJLA members:  

  • Library of Congress Federal Credit Union

  • Credit Union of New Jersey

  • Garden Savings Federal Credit Union

  • First Harvest Credit Union

• The Permanent Construction Task Force submitted a Case for Capital Investment in Public Libraries that was accepted by the Executive Board. The Public Policy committee will work with NJLA’s lobbyists on a strategy for construction funding.

• The Chairs and Co-Chairs for Public Policy and Intellectual Freedom worked with Porzio (NJLA’s lobbyists) to plan for the next legislative session. We will submit formal strategies to the Executive Board at the September meeting. For now, Porzio will focus on Freedom to Read getting New Jersey Senate approval.

• The Performance Measurement Task Force had its first meeting. Their goal is to help libraries benchmark their performance in clear, quantifiable ways, enabling them to share best practices and advocate for the resources they need.

• Brett is collaborating with Tiffany McClary (NJ State Library) to develop a resource to help library staff feel confident knowing what to do when journalists ask for interviews or comments. We expect to have this ready at least a week before ALA’s United Against Book Bans Community Day of Action on October 19, 2024.

Board meetings are open and we welcome your attendance. You can also find Organizational Updates on the NJLA website.

We would love to hear your feedback about this update or any other NJLA service. Please contact us using the methods below.  

We appreciate you,
Brett, Katy, and Alicia