Next Chapter Book Club for NJ Libraries (NCBC4NJL)

NCBC4NJL (Next Chapter Book Club for New Jersey Libraries) is a project that will fund and support six New Jersey libraries in setting up their own Next Chapter Book Clubs for adults and teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through a contract awarded by LibraryLinkNJ to Scotch Plains Public Library, support for setup, recruitment, training and publicity has begun, and will continue through the end of 2014. Clubs will launch in Fall 2014.

The Next Chapter Book Club (NCBC) offers weekly opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to read and learn together, talk about books, and make friends in a relaxed, community setting. A program of The Ohio State University Nisonger Center, NCBC was established in June 2002 to provide adolescents and adults with IDD – regardless of reading ability – the chance to be members of a book club. NCBC has become the preeminent program of its kind. Today there are NCBC programs in over 100 cities across North America and Europe.

Individual Next Chapter Book Clubs usually consist of five to eight people with disabilities and two facilitators, some of whom also have disabilities. The clubs meet in local bookstores, cafés, and similar gathering places to read aloud and discuss a book for one hour each week.

Find out more information about the project, including how your library can get on board:
http://librarylinknj.org/projects/NCBC4NJL