NJLA Organizational Update: October 2024
NJLA’s Executive Board met on Tuesday, October 15. Here are some of the highlights:
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Tiffany McClary, Director of Communications, Marketing, and Outreach at the NJ State Library collaborated with NJLA Executive Director, Brett Bonfield, on a Media Training 101 Guidebook to help library staff feel more confident when journalists ask for interviews or comments. The Guidebook is posted on the NJLA website in the Resources section. Our thanks to everyone who made suggestions on the Guidebook, including several members of the NJLA Executive Board, and the newly formed NJLA Public Relations and Marketing Section. You do not have to have “PR” or "Marketing” in your job title to join this section; it’s for any member with an interest in promoting their libraries and programs.
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The New Jersey Senate's Education Committee approved S2421 (Freedom to Read Act) on September 30. NJLA and New Jersey libraries were represented by Brett Bonfield, Jennie Pu, and Jeanne Marie Ryan, along with the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), and other key partners, including Jen Nelson, the State Librarian. Fittingly, Senator Zwicker, our primary partner through this process, substituted as chair for the Senate Education Committee session. The next step: Senate and Assembly floor votes. We’ll keep you informed as the bill progresses.
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NJLA President, Jeff Cupo, is visiting Unsung Libraries. This month, he is visiting Worth-Pinkham Memorial Library in Ho-Ho-Kus on October 16, and Collingswood Public Library on October 29.
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NJLA is partnering with the State’s Department of Human Services to provide free Narcan at libraries statewide. The Overdose Prevention Act requires libraries (and many other public agencies) to have Narcan and at least one trained staff member or volunteer. We also encourage libraries to distribute Narcan to those who need it. Narcan saves lives, and conversations around Narcan offer opportunities to answer questions about harm reduction. Libraries can obtain free supplies through the State’s Naloxone Distribution Program.
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