Fall 2019 NEWSLETTER
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THE FRIENDS OF THE NEW JERSEY LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND AND HANDICAPPED, INC. Fall 2019 NEWSLETTER |
Well folks a very exciting summer/fall for the library. It started on October 3 with the very anticipated launch of our new LEAP Center at the NJSLTBBC. I hope many of the members of the Friends were able to attend. It’s exciting for me to because I received my first two cartridges from the library under the new system. I’ve got 16 books to read. I hadn’t used my player in so long that the battery would not charge so I had to replace it. I took the opportunity to finally set up my BARD account. I had originally done that in 2009 thinking I’d have broadband but didn’t until the next year and then lost my thumb drive. I have had to adjust from Windows XP then to Windows 7 and then to 10. So, it’s that time of year when the Friends prep for our next meeting. The date and all info will appear later on in this newsletter. In the meantime, we must continue our drive for new membership so I would urge all members to share this newsletter with all of your friends in all the other blindness organizations. Remember the library serves all of new jersey’s blind community. With our organization stronger, the NJSLTBBC is stronger because they can better serve the blind of the state by knowing wht the concerns and needs are. The friends make Adam’s job a lot easier and we certainly don’t want to be back in the days of the library being detached from the people it serves so looking forward to lots of new members either at the meeting or on the conference call. Thanks much and see you all at next meeting.
Respectfully submitted Ken Lawrence, president of the friends of the NJ library for the blind and physically handicapped.
The next meeting of the Friends will be held on Saturday, November 30, 2019 from 10:00 A.M. until 12:00 P.M., followed by lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 P.M. The location is the Joseph Kohn Training Center (JKTC) located at 130 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ. Directions to the JKTC will appear at the end of this newsletter. Anyone wishing to stay for lunch will be asked to contribute $5.00 toward the cost of the food. Please call Mary Jo Partyka at 609 888-5459 by November 25 to advise us of your attendance so we can plan for lunch. We hope you will consider joining us for an informative and important meeting.
If you cannot attend the meeting, we would like to invite you to dial in to the conference call. Please note; this is not a toll-free number. On November 30th at 10 AM dial 605-468-8005. Enter the access code 425 373#. You will be asked to press 1 after the access code is repeated correctly.
In time for Blindness Awareness month, on October 3rd, CBVI and TBBC hosted a ribbon cutting event to launch the LEAP program at TBBC. As light refreshments and cake were served, patrons and guests were offered the opportunity to visit the latest location for the LEAP program as well as visit with members from various state organizations. The Library Equal Access Program offers classes to 55 and older who wish to learn more about iPhone, iPad and other computer access. Please contact TBBC for further details.
The Eighth Annual TBBC Golf Classic was another successful fundraiser held on Tuesday June 11, 2019 at the Bedens Brooke Club in Skillman, NJ. We credit this success to our sponsors, golfers, staff and volunteers. The Friends of the New Jersey Library for the Blind & Handicapped were one of 8 very generous sponsors of the day’s event. Our usual Presenting Sponsor had to step down and the Friends eagerly stepped in and filled the sponsorship level. 40 golfers enjoyed a fun filled day of golf, contests, fine dining, auctions, prizes and awards. 25 various donors contributed to the Penny Auction, the Silent Auction and Prizes for the golfers. At the end of the day, we were very satisfied with the results of our fundraiser that profited $3,150.00 and look forward to next year’s golf event.
Linda Cerce
A Note from Richard J Smith, NLS Chief Library Division
Network Library Highlights:
Kudos goes out to Adam Szczepaniak and the staff of the New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center for quick implementation of DoD service. In only its second month of DoD, NJ1A reports servicing 5,875 patrons with more than 66,000 books on close to 10,000 cartridges. That averages to 6.9 books per cartridge with 75% of readers receiving 8 books per cartridge.
At our June 2020 meeting, the Friends will be electing the slate of officers who will be holding positions for the next 2 years. The Nominating Committee Chair, appointed by President Ken Lawrence, is Bernie Zuckerman. If you would like to be considered for an office, please contact Bernie at Friendsnjlbh@yahoo.com or (732) 221-5362.
The summer of 2019 was another successful Summer Reading Program for TBBC.
There were 50 participants with the average age of 12.
The participants received their materials in braille, audio and large print books and magazines. This summer, 22 participants were sent braille materials, an increase over last year.
TBBC also welcomed participants from the Helen Keller House. Each individual participant who completed summer reading received four mailings (letters, incentives, challenges, etc.) Last year it was six. TBBC reduced the number of mailings because of the transition in the software used to send out books. This year, 1,062 books and magazines were read: 648 by children, 414 by teens. The Friends have been supporting this program for several years and hope to continue doing so.
Submitted by Elizabeth Burns
The Friends would like to thank Metuchen Lions Club and Jo-Ann & Richard Sidney for their generous donations. As we support the Library in any way we can, the contributions are most welcome. Thank you!
This is a friendly reminder that our annual dues for FY 2019 annual dues are past due. If you have not sent them in yet, please do so ASAP. Please send your dues and donations to the Friends mailing address and write your check out to the Friends of the Library for the Blind and Handicapped. The Friends appreciate your efforts and your participation in helping the NJSLTBBC meet its goals. A membership form is attached to this newsletter for those who wish to join the Friends or pay dues. Dues are $10.00 for an individual membership and $25.00 for a family membership. These dues cover the 12-month period from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020.
The newsletter is available in Large Print, E-Mail, on our website http://friendsnjlibraryfortheblind.org/ and for those who do not have computers, by telephone on Newsline. You can access these Newsletters with a Newsline subscription and a touch-tone telephone. If you do not have a Newsline subscription, contact Reader Services at the New Jersey Talking Book and Braille Center at 1-800-792-8322 to get signed up for a Newsline subscription. If you have a Newsline subscription, but do not remember your login information, contact Christian Riehl at the above number extension 821. Once you have secured your login information, dial in to the service by calling 1-888-882-1629, or the local dial up number provided to you for accessing the service. Follow the prompts for logging in and reading the Newsletters. Choose option 2 off the main menu for your state’s information channel, followed by option for the blindness groups, then the option for the Friends Newsletters. Happy reading.
Please check out our website for information on community services as well as present and past copies of our newsletters at http://friendsnjlibraryfortheblind.org/
Address:
JKTC
130 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2421
Cross Street: Seaman Street
From the North
South on Route 1 to Route 18 heading toward New Brunswick.
Get off Route 18 at the New Street ramp.
Turn slight right onto New Street/ NJ 26.
Take the 2nd left onto Livingston Avenue/NJ 26.
Turn left onto Seaman Street and left into the JKTC parking lot.
From the South
North on Route 1 to Livingston Avenue/NJ 26 toward New Brunswick.
Turn right onto Seaman Street and left into the JKTC parking lot.
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Please return this form together with your check payable to:
The Friends of the NJLBH
PO Box 434, Woodbridge, NJ 07095