ABOUT US

VISION:
Every New Jersey Library - Connected and Thriving

MISSION:
We connect all New Jersey's libraries to each other and to the resources they need to serve their communities.

ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES STATEMENTS:
Adopted by the LibraryLinkNJ Executive Board on August 15, 2024

“Collaboration and Connection to the Community”
We believe in the collaborative power of the library community to share knowledge and connect with one another.

“Inclusion and Belonging for All”
We lead a culture of inclusion and belonging for New Jersey’s library communities and the individuals they serve, giving a voice and equal opportunities to all.

“Trust and Respect for One Another”
We act with trust and respect, engaging in a culture that listens deeply to lift up all members.

“Learning and Innovation that Promotes Individual and Community Growth”
We provide innovative, high-quality programs and services that promote resource sharing, learning, and professional growth for all New Jersey libraries and library workers.

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Description of LibraryLinkNJ

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.

Governance of LibraryLinkNJ

LibraryLinkNJ is a member-based organization operating within the Regulations provided by the New Jersey State Library.  The voting representatives elect a 15-member Executive Board intended to represent all geographic regions and all types of member libraries.  Each of the member organizations has a designated voting representative.   They are authorized to attend the annual membership business meeting to elect members to vacancies on the Executive Board and to vote on a strategic plan, an annual program and an annual budget.

Under the Bylaws of the Executive Board, the Board meets regularly to conduct the business of the organization.  The Executive Board appoints standing committees to study and make recommendations regarding the acceptance of new members, the proposal of budgets, and administration of personnel.  The Executive Board hires an Executive Director who, in turn, hires the staff.

The Executive Director coordinates the appointment of a number of committees from among the membership to provide advice and technical expertise in such areas as Planning and Technology.

Holidays 2024

LibraryLinkNJ follows the State of New Jersey’s Holiday Calendar. Our office is closed on the following days in 2024:

The LibraryLinkNJ Office

The LibraryLinkNJ office is located at 2300 Stuyvesant Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08618 in Mercer County. The facility includes a meeting space, private offices for the Executive Director, office space for staff and limited storage.  

Currently there are six full-time staff and two part-time staff members. The full time positions include an Executive Director, an IT Project Manager, a Programming and Outreach Manager, an Administrative Operations Manager, an Online Learning and Digital Content Specialist, and a Membership Services Coordinator. The part-time positions include a Programming and Outreach Specialist and a Bookkeeper.   

The History of LibraryLinkNJ

New Jersey Library Network.  In 1983, the Library Network Law was enacted establishing the New Jersey Library Network as a mechanism for academic, institutional, public, school and special libraries to cooperatively provide New Jersey residents with full and equal access to library materials, programs and information that might not otherwise be available in their local communities.  That premise is that the sharing of resources has the capacity to improve services while controlling the cost of maintaining local libraries.

Before 1985, the New Jersey State Library administered an area library system in which the state provided funding to specific public libraries and public library systems in New Jersey to deliver enhanced services to public libraries in their area.  In 1985, the New Jersey legislature established a multi-type library cooperative structure in which six geographic regions were designated and six non-profit corporations were set up to provide services to all member libraries in each of the six respective regions.

Region One serving Bergen and Passaic counties and Region Two serving Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties merged in December 1993 to form the Highlands Regional Library Cooperative.  Region Three serving Hudson and Essex counties and Region Four serving Middlesex and Union counties merged in December 1993 to form INFOLINK, The Eastern New Jersey Regional Library Cooperative.  The Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative (Region Five) served Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties.  The South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative (Region Six) served Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.

The consolidation of the New Jersey Regional Library Cooperatives is documented earlier in this section.  The present New Jersey Library Network includes the New Jersey State Library and LibraryLinkNJ – The New Jersey Library Cooperative, a statewide multi-type organization which has a service contract from the New Jersey State Library.