July 29, 2019

Board Reorganization Meeting

At the July 18 Executive Board Reorganization Meeting the following officers were elected for Fiscal Year 2020:

  • Chris Carbone, President, South Brunswick Public Library
  • Jennifer Podolsky, Vice-President, East Brunswick Public Library
  • Deborah Magnan, Secretary, Hackensack University Medical Center Library
  • Steven Chudnick, Treasurer, Brookdale Community College, Bankier Library
  • Phillip Berg, MAIN: Morris Automated Information Network

The Board decided to add two Membership Representatives to these Board Committees: Nominations, Membership, Bylaws. If you might be interested, please contact Executive Director, Kathy Schalk-Greene, kathy [at] librarylinknj.org, with your contact information and the name of the Committee you’re interested in.

Rick Vander Wende resigned as one of our two Lay Representatives. We thank Rick for his service on the Board since 2013. The Nominations Committee will propose a candidate at a future Board Meeting.

The following Board Meetings will be held in-person at the LibraryLinkNJ office, Thursdays starting at 2:30 PM: August 15, September 19, October 17, November 21, and December 19. Information on how to participate in meetings can be found here. Meeting locations and format for January - June 2020 meetings will be announced later this fall.

Kathy Schalk-Greene, Executive Director, had announced her retirement effective December 31, 2019. The Executive Board Personnel Committee will suggest options for a replacement process at the August 15 Board meeting.

Delivery Cost-Share

Invoices for the Delivery Cost Share will be sent during the summer and fall. Information about the policy and amounts for individual libraries can be found at the Cost Share page on our website.

CE: On-Site, On-Demand Staff Development

On-Site, On-Demand Staff Development
– FY20 (July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020) Offer for All Members of LibraryLinkNJ
New Programs Added!

LibraryLinkNJ Provides a Subsidy of Up to $500 for a Staff Development Program Held at Your Library 
Let us Help You Make a Difference!

Ongoing professional education is essential in the work lives of all staff members, and we want to make it as efficient and cost-effective as possible. We will subsidize up to $500 of the cost of one staff development workshop a year for participating member libraries of all types. The On-Site, On-Demand Staff Development program directly supports our strategic goal of providing opportunities for staff to acquire new skills, advance their learning and grow professionally.

Key Points:

  • Members are not limited to a specific menu of on-site training options. We provide a variety of suggested options for your convenience.
  • You may either choose a workshop from our Suggested Programs & Consultants List or work with other vendors/consultants.
  • LibraryLinkNJ offers a subsidy of up to $500 for each approved request.
  • There is a limited budget for this service, so please submit requests early.

For all the details on how this service works, go to The On-Site, On-Demand Page.

Deadline for submitting a request for a subsidy is Friday, April 10, 2020.
Deadline for holding a LLNJ subsidized staff development program is Friday, May 15, 2020.

If you have any questions, please contact Mi-Sun Lyu, lyu [at] librarylinknj.org.

MentorNJ Updates

MentorNJ Small Meetups

MentorNJ Meetups are an opportunity for interested library staff, at any level, to get together informally and discuss issues, ask questions, seek guidance, and learn more about various different topics related to libraries and library work. These particular meetups focus on technology in libraries, so from ILS systems, to social media, to IT issues, to makerspaces, to workshops and tech sessions, and much more, any topic related to technology and libraries is fair game. Register now for upcoming MentorNJ Meetups!

  • Technology Meet-up
    • Friday, August 16th, 1-3pm
      (This meet-up has been rescheduled from August 23 to August 16!)
      @ Warren County Library - Southwest Branch
      404 Route 519, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
    • Hosted by Doug Baldwin, Head of Technology, Piscataway Public Library
    • Site Host: kdurkin [at] warrenlib.org (Kelly Durkin), Branch Manager, Catherine Dickson Hofman Branch
    • MentorNJ Technology Meetups are a casual yet informative informal gathering of library staff at any level interested in discussing issues, challenges, successes, and new resources and tools related to technology both in and out of libraries. Please use the registration form to attend.
       
  • Going Fine Free Meet-up
    • Wednesday, October 23rd, 10am-12pm
      @ Gloucester County Library Mullica Hill Branch (Meeting Room B)
      389 Wolfert Station Road, Mullica Hill, NJ 08062
    • Hosted by Ralph Bingham, Director, Gloucester County Library System 
    • More libraries are going fine free throughout the country, and are you (or is your library) interested in joining the movement? MentorNJ is hosting a meet-up to talk about 'Going Fine Free'. Linda Devlin, Director, and David Lisa, Associate Director, from the Camden County Library System will join the meet-up as guest experts. The Camden County Library System eliminated fines for all overdue items as of July 1. Please come and join this timely conversation, and use the online form to register!

If you have missed our past meet-ups, all meeting notes are documented in real time and shared with attendees, as well as made publicly available on the past meetups list (where you can find archived notes from the past meetings).

Would you like to host a small meetup at your library, or to attend any upcoming meetups? Please find more about how you can promote your hosting meetup on the MentorNJ meetup page.

If you have any questions about MentorNJ meetups, please contact our meetup coordinators:


SAVE THE DATE: MentorNJ In-Person Networking Event

  • Date: Thursday, November 7, 2019 (Morning refreshments & lunch will be provided)
  • Location: Monroe Township Public Library (Middlesex County)
  • Theme of the Day: All about Professional/Career Development
  • Have your headshots done for your resume or social media profiles with a professional photographer for free!

More information including the event schedule, programs, registration information, etc. will be announced soon!