Library News
2009 Candidate Profiles
Watch for EBTV's 2009 Candidate Profiles in October
EBTV will televise 2009 Candidate Profiles featuring the two candidates for the East Brunswick Township Council in October. Meet Matthew Korten, Democratic candidate, and Camille Ferraro, Republican candidate as they vie for a three-year seat on the Council. Host John Saccenti will speak with each candidate for a half-hour, focusing on the candidates’ backgrounds, civic involvement, and plans and aspirations for the township. Election Day is November 3: watch EBTV 2009 Candidate Profiles and know who you’re voting for!
The 2009 Candidate Profiles will be televised on EBTV, Comcast Channel 3, in October, as follows:
Mondays at 7 a.m.
Tuesdays at 11 p.m.
Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
Thursdays at 3 p.m.
Saturdays at 5 p.m.
Honored Friends
The Friends of the Library are Honored For Their Dedication to the East Brunswick Public Library
Congratulations to the East Brunswick Friends of the Library. The group has won the 2009 Libraries of Middlesex Friends Award in recognition for their “over the top” support of The Library. Nominated for the honor by the Library Board of Trustees and Library Administrators, The Friends have always been strong supporters and advocates of The Library, providing funding for an amazing array of programs for children, enhancing The Library’s mission to provide lifelong learning and particularly, to make our library welcoming to everyone in our diverse community.
The list of Friends accomplishments this year is a long one. In 2009, in order to help library staff assist our customers in these tough economic times, the Friends of the Library funded a wide array of adult programming aimed at job hunters, entrepreneurs and alternative employment opportunities. Programs teaching computer skills, resume writing and interview techniques were added to the adult programming lineup thanks to funding supplied by the Friends of the Library.
In addition, as construction on the new library “push-out” nears completion, The Friends have committed funds to furnish an Adult Quiet Reading Area with living room furnishings that will set the tone for a peaceful, serene reading space in The Library. The Friends generosity and commitment to provide the “extras” that are enjoyed by all our residents did not stop there. They also sponsored new carpeting and a futuristic bulletin board in the Youth Services department.
In the midst of a difficult cut to The Library budget, The Friends have been a “shining light.” Responding to the challenge head on, The Friends’ Executive Board held planning meetings all summer long, developing new ideas with regard to fundraising, membership, and marketing, as well as a strategic plan to help their beloved library move forward in the coming year.
The Friends of the Library will be honored at the Libraries of Middlesex Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Farrington Manor.
Big Advice for Small Businesses
Some big help for that small business at the East Brunswick Public Library
Thursday, Sept 24th from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
If you are in the market for some sound advice on starting or running a small business, then come to the East Brunswick Public Library on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Visit with retired executives in the region and volunteers from SCORE -- Counselors to America’s Small Business -- for tips on starting or building your own business. If you have ever dreamed of having your own business, if the economy has you looking for alternatives to traditional corporate jobs or if you already own a business that is suffering due to the recession, then come by this free event and pick the brains of some of the savviest business minds in the region.
New World, New Ways
New Americans get tips on how to adapt to American ways
and how to conduct business in their new country
Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Learning the cultural norms of a new country is important, especially for foreign students and employees. Attend Intercultural Training for New Americans on Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the East Brunswick Public Library and get a better understanding of American customs and tips on how to conduct business in this country. The program’s emphasis will be on work environment issues, but will touch on other areas as well, time permitting. The program is sponsored by the East Brunswick Human Relations Council and the East Brunswick Public Library.
For more information, please call 732-390-6767.
The Freedom to Read
Join Libraries Across the Nation in Spotlighting Banned Books Week
Join the East Brunswick Public Library in spotlighting Banned Book Week from Saturday, Sept. 26, to Saturday, Oct. 3. Banned Book Week has been celebrated since 1982 with exhibits, readings and special events to remind Americans of the freedom of speech and of the press. The East Brunswick Public Library has a month-long display showing books that have been formally challenged, including such children’s and teen favorites as Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax,” the Harry Potter series, “Where’s Waldo?,” “The Princess Diaries,” the Goosebumps series, The Chronicles of Narnia and Winnie the Pooh. Challenged authors read like a Who’s Who of literature, including William Faulkner, Earnest Hemingway, Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, William Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Maya Angelou, Walt Whitman and Ray Bradbury. Although they were the targets of attempted bannings, most of the books featured during BBW were ultimately not banned, thanks to the efforts of librarians to maintain them in their collections.
The founder of Banned Book Week, Judith Krug, died in April. Ms. Krug spent more than four decades working to preserve intellectual freedom, serving as Director of the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom and Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. In recent years, she fought a provision in the Patriot Act that allows federal investigators to peruse library records to determine patrons’ reading habits. The East Brunswick Public Library invites the community to read a banned book this month (see the America Library Association's Banned & Challenged Classics) in celebration of intellectual freedom and the “marriage of open books and open minds.”
Interviewing Help Online
Optimal Interview at the East Brunswick Public Library has the tools you need for a great job interview
Job seekers can brush up for job interviews and get tips on how to put their best foot forward, all online and from the comfort of their own home. Use Optimal Interview , available through the East Brunswick Public Library’s Web site, and sharpen your interviewing skills with real-to-life, multi-media interview scenarios that were developed by seasoned employment professionals. With Optimal Interview, job seekers can practice screening interviews, behavioral interviews, initial face-to-face Interviews, hiring manager interviews, tag team panel interviews, pressure interviews and final interviews, all with help from professional actors. Select the length and type of your session as well as the interviewer. You also can choose from hundreds of interviews, create your own or have Optimal Interview pick questions at random. Virtual coaching is available with recommended tactics for responding to challenging interview questions. Job seekers can save their practice session as a link and e-mail their interview to others for feedback. It's easy to use and gets job seekers ready for face-to-face or online employment interviews.
For more information, please call 732-390-6767 or go to The Library’s website at http://www.ebpl.org and click on “Research Tools” and then “Online Databases.”
Fight the Flu
Get flu shots at the Cultural Arts Center in September
Tuesday, September 15th from 10 a.m. to noon
The Middlesex County Department of Health will provide flu shots on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cultural Arts Center on Dunhams Corner and Cranbury roads. Shots are $10, cash only. Medicare will be accepted. Proof of age and residency are required. These are for the seasonal flu, not Novel H1N1.
Showcase Your Writing
Teen writers invited to literary workshops at the East Brunswick Public Library beginning Monday, Sept 24th.
Teen writers who want to share their work or just sharpen their skills have to look no further. Bring your ideas and a pen to Teen Lit at the East Brunswick Public Library each month for the chance to practice and show off your writing skills. Whether you write poetry, fan fiction, short stories or have your eyes set on the next Great American Novel, you’ll want to attend the next sessions, which will be held Monday, Sept. 24, and Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. each night. You’ll even get the chance to post your best work on the group’s blog and see your writing online. Registration for each session begins on the first of each month.