LibraryLinkNJ News

For more details about any of our projects, programs, or services please visit the LibraryLinkNJ website!

For questions, suggestions, or help with your account, please reach out to our CE Team: ce@librarylinknj.org

Autumn can be a busy time of year, so I hope you have been able to take some time to pause and enjoy the change of seasons. The changing colors are simply magical!

Highlights for me this month included enjoying time with colleagues and friends during the final day of our Super Library Supervisors training at Monroe Township Public Library (Middlesex) and also at the Pennsauken Free Public Library’s Reopening Reception. I always enjoy participating in the Super Library Supervisors graduation ceremony and celebrating this milestone in the career of the attendees. Likewise, the brand new Pennsauken Free Public Library is a milestone for that community. Congratulations to Director Tanya Finney Estrada, her team, and the library’s Board of Trustees for creating such an amazing space for their community!

As we head toward Thanksgiving, we are always grateful for our colleagues and the work of the NJ Library Community. No matter what type of library you work in, we are here to support you. Please contact us if you need assistance.

Best regards,

Ralph

We asked, and you delivered! This year, we got a ton of amazing entries from all around NJ for our costume contest! Because of the incredible turnout, we couldn't fit all of the entries into this newsletter. If you'd like to vote on your favorite costumes, click on this link!

Thank you to everyone who submitted entries! Voting will be active until November 12th.

EDI-NJ has launched the EDI-NJ Institutional Assessment Pilot Project, a statewide initiative helping New Jersey libraries deepen their equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) practices through structured assessment, reflection, and action. We invite 10 libraries across New Jersey to participate in a collaborative pilot designed to test, refine, and apply the EDI-NJ Institutional Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Assessment Tool. Participation is free of cost. Please review the pilot overview (link), eligibility criteria, and timeline outlined below before submitting your application.

We will host a virtual information session for this project on Thursday, November 13, 2025, from 1:30 to 3:00 PM. Register today via Zoom!

Applications submitted by the Priority Review Deadline (November 20, 2025) will receive early review, and selected libraries will be notified between November 21 and 24, 2025.

LibraryLinkNJ invites all interested members of the New Jersey library community to join us for a brand-new, three-part certificated program designed to equip emerging leaders with the skills, confidence, and self-awareness needed to step into supervisory and leadership roles!

• Sessions will take place on January 13 (in person), January 27 (virtual), and February 11 (virtual) at a cost of attendance $200 per person, inclusive of all 3 sessions.

• Registration for this series opens on Monday, November 10, 2025 at 8am and is limited to 35 individuals. Registration will be first-come, first-served and does require a LibraryLinkNJ user account.

For further details or to register beginning 11/10, please visit the Leadership Lab webpage.

LibraryLinkNJ member Libraries can receive special member pricing.

Welcome to Library Chef! Your go-to platform for live online cooking, wellness, and nutrition classes for all ages! Accessible with your library card, Library Chef provides fun, interactive learning experiences for kids, teens, and adults, all designed to engage your community and support your library’s mission.

• Wellness & Nutrition Corner: Live sessions with professional nutritionists covering healthy living, wellness, and mindful eating.
• Cookbook Authors: Learn directly from cookbook authors in special interactive classes.
• Summer Camps for Kids & Teens (Online Live): Fun, hands-on cooking and wellness activities, included at no additional cost.
• Spice Club: A unique program designed to boost engagement and increase library card sign-ups and foot traffic.

Find more details at: https://librarylinknj.org/discounts/library-chef

LibraryLinkNJ members receive 15% off ASLDeafined annual licenses.

ASLdeafined is a comprehensive, easy to use online video based digital resource program for learning American Sign Language. Learning is organized with over 400 themed lessons with retention exercises, Illustration support to make learning easy. All signing instructions by Deaf individuals - including our one-of-a- kind ASL dictionary with 18,000+ signed video words! Please consider joining our mission to make your community a more accessible place for the Deaf community!

Find more details at: https://librarylinknj.org/discounts/asldeafined

Find more discount offers, including those from Newsreel and Library Journal, at https://librarylinknj.org/discounts!

The LibraryLinkNJ LearningSpace is packed with fresh content made just for you. From emerging tech to critical thinking and inclusive practices, there's something for every library role. No login needed to browse—just click and learn.

Courses on the LearningSpace are specifically designed to support the professional development of library staff. Please note that these courses are not intended for use or access by the public.

Skill-Sharing Conversations: D&D Programs for All Ages

Are you looking for offer D&D programs for adults or teens at your library? Feel free to join us as we talk about the appeal of D&D, and the values the game can instill in players of any age. Library staff of all types are welcome to join!

• Skill-Sharing Conversation: D&D Programs for All Ages; Virtual; Wednesday, November 5, 11am-12pm.
  

_____________________________

Signing Basics—"Customer Service Signs for Librarians: Part 1"

LibraryLinkNJ is proud to partner with Signing Basics to offer "Customer Service Signs for Librarians: Part 1," a series of workshops which will teach library staff how to better communicate with members of their community who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing. Included are interactive handouts featuring all the signs learned during the training, along with video tutorials allowing attendees to continue learning after the training is concluded.

• Signing Basics—"Customer Service Signs for Librarians: Part 1"; Virtual; Thursdays, November 6, November 13, November 20, 10am-10:45am.
• By registering, you are making a commitment to attend all three courses in each training.
• Those who are successfully completed Part 1 are welcome to participate in Customer Service Signs: Part 2.

____________________________

Developing an A.I. Chatbot for the Library: The Rebecca Crown Library Experience

In this webinar, Zach Claybaugh walks through the process of developing an AI chatbot as a tool for library patrons. Zach discusses the origin of the project, cross-departmental collaboration, student involvement, and AI anxiety. By the end of the presentation, participants will have an understanding of some of the challenges of developing an AI chatbot, as well as finding ways to address the concerns of library personnel and students who are anxious about the impact of AI technology.

• Developing an A.I. Chatbot for the Library: The Rebecca Crown Library Experience; Virtual; Tuesday, November 11, 2pm-3pm.
• Brought to you by the Professional Development Alliance of Library Consortia.

____________________________

Popping Up All Over: An Interdisciplinary Library Outreach Strategy for Unexpected Spaces

This webinar explores strategies for staging pop-up libraries aligned with the themes of local events. Drawing on their experiences in liaising with campus affiliates and community members at performing arts venues at two universities, the presenters will share methods for highlighting connections between event attendees’ interests and library collections.

Webinar participants will engage in collaborative knowledge building around leveraging this flexible outreach tactic to fit their own capacity and collection parameters.

• Popping Up All Over: An Interdisciplinary Library Outreach Strategy for Unexpected Spaces; Virtual; Thursday, November 13, 3pm-4pm.
• Brought to you by the Professional Development Alliance of Library Consortia.

____________________________

Adult Craft Show and Share Fall 2025

Programming library staff who serve adult patrons are invited to join us for a Show & Share event! Show off your successful adult crafting ideas, get inspired by your colleagues from around the state, and even share or swap your leftover craft materials at this in-person event brought to you by LibraryLinkNJ and the Hunterdon County Library System! Registration is limited to 50 participants.

All Are Welcome: If you don't have a craft to share or materials to swap, don't worry! Library staff looking to get inspired are still welcome to join us, though this event will be most successful with lots of attendee participation.

• Adult Craft Show and Share Fall 2025; In Person; Friday, November 14, 10am-1pm.
• This event is brought to you by LibraryLinkNJ and the Parsippany Library.

_________________________________

Book Mending Workshop

Join LibraryLinkNJ and VALE New Jersey for this in-person workshop on book mending techniques. This hands-on version of the Spring 2025 book mending lecture will allow participants to do basic book repair, including page tipping, page repair, corner(s), cover(s), spine repair, hinge(s), and more.

New Jersey librarian Stephanie Sussmeier of Stockton University will walk us through the above, as well as discuss book repair products, everyday items that can be used for book repair that are also budget friendly, what product is best for type of book (hardback vs. paperback), cover the pros and cons of book treatments, and review the general lifespan of certain book repair treatments. Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage in some hands-on practice!

• Book Mending Workshop; In Person; Tuesday, November 18, 10am-12pm and 1:30pm-3:30pm.
• Located at Wright Library, Princeton Theological Seminary

__________________________________

Enchanting Escapes: Romantasy Readers’ Advisory for Libraries

Step into the magical world of Romantasy in this webinar designed for library staff. Explore the recent surge in popularity of this subgenre and discover strategies for recommending titles that blend romance and fantasy, appealing to both YA and adult readers. Learn how to spot compelling tropes and story elements that hook readers, match readers with the right level of romance, and uncover hidden gems using NoveList. The session will also provide practical ideas for connecting with patrons, including book clubs, displays, and targeted programming, along with ready-to-use recommendations to inspire your community.

This webinar is co-hosted by Rachel Koury, who leads the highly popular Romantasy book club at Harnett County Public Library. By the end of the session, you’ll be equipped to enchant your patrons with Romantasy suggestions they won’t be able to resist.

• Enchanting Escapes: Romantasy Readers’ Advisory for Libraries; Virtual; Tuesday, November 18, 2pm-3pm.

• Brought to you by the Professional Development Alliance of Library Consortia.

__________________________________

ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries Series

In this fourth webinar of CARLI's ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries series, Ann Fredricksen will share ways in which libraries can start thinking about tackling the A/V material on their websites, strategies for working with smaller vendors to improve the accessibility of their content, and emerging AI tools that can be utilized to reduce the workload.

• ADA Title II Toolkit for Libraries Series; Virtual; Wednesday, November 19,11am-12pm.

• Brought to you by the Professional Development Alliance of Library Consortia.

__________________________________

NJ Statewide EDI Initiative Group (EDI-NJ) Meeting

Join us in this coalition of NJ's library organizations to tackle EDI issues in our state's libraries.

• NJ Statewide EDI Initiative Group (EDI-NJ) Meeting; Virtual; Wednesday, November 19, 2:30pm-3:30pm.

Join us for any or all of our MentorNJ Meet-ups this month. No registration required!

Zoom links go out to our entire email list each Monday morning for the Meet-ups to be held that week.

• Disabled & Neurodivergent Library Staff - November 5, 2pm
• Wellness Wednesday - November 5, 3pm

• Indigenous American Library Staff - November 6, 10am

• API - November 6, 11am

• Maker Meet-up - November 6, 3pm

• LGBTQUIA+ Library Staff - November 12, 11am

• Let's Talk Zines! - November 12, 1pm
• In Person: Middletown Township Public Library

• Adventures in Administration - November 13, 10:30am

• AI in Libraries - November 13, 2 pm
• Juggling Parenting & Library Work - November 14, 10am
• School Libraries - November 19, 4:30pm

• Tech - November 20, 3pm

• API - December 4, 11am

Want to know more about a meet-up? Check out our calendar!

There will be no statewide delivery service on November 11, 27, and 28, 2025, in observance of Veteran's Day and the Thanksgiving Holidays.

The LibraryLinkNJ office is closed on November 4, 11, and 27.

A huge thank-you to everyone who joined us for the Super Library Supervisors Workshop, Fall 2025! We were thrilled to see such a strong turnout and so much enthusiasm. Your engagement, ideas, and collaboration made this series a huge success!

New Jersey school librarians and NJASL Executive Board members Andrea Caporale (left) and Tricina Strong-Beebe (right) were the recipients of the Villy Gandhi and Richard B Lewis awards, respectively, at the AECT international convention in Las Vegas in October! Congrats to two incredible NJ librarians on this achievement!

LLNJ team members joined library staff from around the state, as well as community members and the Pennsauken team and their families, at the grand opening reception of the new Pennsauken Public Library building on Friday, October 24. Thank you to Pennsauken Public Library Director Tanya Finney Estrada and her entire staff for inviting us to celebrate, and congrats on your beautiful new library!

Did you miss the LLNJ 2025 Virtual Conference this year? Do you want to go back and review an interesting session? Was there a session you wanted to attend, but couldn't because of your schedule? Now you can view all of the sessions on the LearningSpace!

The playlist highlights each session, but each session has also been saved as an individual lesson on the LearningSpace so it can be found independently! Each session has the opening remarks, links to further sessions, and closing remarks included.

To access the recordings, click on this link!

This module introduces the essentials of AI literacy: how AI tools work, the types of AI, and what responsible use looks like in college. You’ll learn about ChatGPT, citing and acknowledging AI use, and maintaining academic integrity. Part 2 explores the bigger picture, including bias, misinformation, labor and environmental impacts, and data privacy. The final section dives into the art of effective prompting.

Check this module on our LearningSpace!

New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) is asking all school library media specialists(SLMS) to participate in a survey with the following goals:

• Determine NJASL membership status and possible reasons for not joining NJASL
• Determine specific needs of SLMS related to daily work duties
• Determine specific professional development needs of SLMS to guide NJASL PD opportunities
• Inform and build support for school library legislation

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and share it with your colleagues who may not be NJASL members. NJASL is looking to use the results of the survey to help develop goals for the organization as well as guide the work of the organization. It is important to gather as much data as possible from certified SLMS throughout NJ. Thank you for your time and assistance with this project. Any questions, please contact Mary Moyer Stubbs, mmoyer@njasl.org.

Please click here to fill out the survey by November 15th.

Schedule a Meeting with the Rapid Response Team!

The NJASL/NJLA Rapid Response Team is here to help! Serving libraries of all types state-wide, RRT can provide guidance, support, and response tactics to staff and institutions facing book challenges, censorship issues, and similar concerns. Whether you're dealing with a loud and formal challenge, trying to be prepared for a rumored event, or just aren't sure if what you're dealing with is acceptable, RRT can help. And now, you can quickly and easily schedule an appointment to chat, using the Rapid Response Team Calendly link below!

https://calendly.com/njrrt

Registration is now open for New Jersey Makers Day 2026! Please register your sites here. New Jersey Makers Day 2026 will take place March 20-22nd. As always, we strongly encourage sites to pick dates that work best for your community.

While our mini-grant program is not available this year, we highly encourage you to check out the STEM Month Mini-Grants program from New Jersey STEM Pathways Network! This fantastic opportunity is open now through January 9th, 2026.

LibraryLinkNJ's Executive Board will hold their next meeting on Thursday, November 20th at 3pm via Zoom.

All LibraryLinkNJ members are welcome to attend Executive Board meetings. Find more information on the Executive Board page on our website!

We want to hear what you've got to say.

Please email suggestionbox@librarylinknj.org with feedback about our services and programs. Suggestions for new services and programs are welcome, too.

LibraryLinkNJ: Every New Jersey Library - Connected and Thriving

LibraryLinkNJ (formerly known as INFOLINK) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Its members are multi-type libraries and library-related agencies located in the twenty-one counties of New Jersey. This area includes 8.79 million people. The population of the state is highly diverse and includes some of the largest communities of Spanish speaking and Asian Indian persons in the U.S.

LibraryLinkNJ – The New Jersey Library Cooperative has over 1100 voting representatives from over 2,500 public and private school, public, academic, institutional, corporate, health sciences and special libraries and library-related agencies. A member-elected Executive Board meets regularly to oversee the programs and services of the organization.

LibraryLinkNJ and its services are funded by the New Jersey State Library, which is responsible for the coordination, promotion and funding of the New Jersey Library Network. Members join at no charge and pay no dues.

Email: info@librarylinknj.org
Website: www.librarylinknj.org
Location: 2300 Stuyvesant Avenue, Ewing Township, NJ, USA
Phone: 732-752-7720
Facebook: facebook.com/librarylinknj
Instagram: @librarylinknj