A+ Partnership

Teen Volunteer of the Year Award: Winners Announced

2008-04-21T16:09:10-04:00

The South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative is pleased to announce the winners of the South Jersey Teen Volunteer of the Year award. The awards ceremony will take place at our Spring Membership meeting on May 21 at the Pine Hill Golf Club. We hope to see you there! (details and registration form are available here.)

Outstanding teens honored in 2008 have been critical to the success of their libraries and have initiated and participated in library-sponsored projects that reached out to the entire community.

Awards to the Teen Volunteers of the Year were made possible
through the generous support of EBSCO Publishing.

Winners were selected in four categories: Middle School Library, High School Library, Public Library, and a Special Group Award. The honorees are:

MIDDLE SCHOOL: Andrew Lee, Voorhees Middle School Library. Andrew was nominated by Dottie Holmes, Voorhees Middle School Library. Dottie wrote,

Andrew has been our most valuable asset over these three years. Because of logistics, it is hard for students to get to the library every day, but Andrew took the initiative to problem solve the situation so that he could volunteer at the library daily. He was instrumental in setting up and helping to organize our entire fall and spring Book Fair. He has trained new 6th grade library helpers and is incredible when assisting students in using the OPAC, finding materials and working with technology. Over three years, he has gone from being an introverted boy to a more self assured young man who is responsible for many aspects of our programs. Next year, when Andrew moves on to high school, his presence, both in terms of the work that he does and in terms of establishing his individuality will be sorely missed.

HIGH SCHOOL: Kristina Limcaco, Bishop Eustace Preparatory School Library. Kristina was nominated by Nancy Croce, Bishop Eustace Preparatory School Library. Nancy wrote,

Kristina is the "quiet type" who gets the job done without fanfare and hype. She has always worked at the library, giving up her 'prep time' to do so. In addition to training, scheduling and supervising volunteer aides, Kristina has volunteered her time and talents to many school and community activities including story hours, creating crafts and decorations, baking, fundraising, and sending donated books to the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. She has a hand in planning all National Library Week activities. In addition, Kristina volunteers four hours every week in the nursing unit at Kennedy Hospital in Cherry Hill. Over the course of four years, her contributions have been many. I sincerely hope that Kristina might be recognized publicly for the library and community service she has performed.

PUBLIC LIBRARY: Paul Monroe, Mount Laurel Library. Paul was nominated by Samantha Marker, Mount Laurel Library. Samantha wrote,

Paul is a funny, charming and gracious teen that any library would Paul is a funny, charming and gracious teen that any library would be thrilled to have as a member. He has been an active member of the Mount Laurel Library Teen Advisory Group since 2006. In addition to being counted on to help at all library functions, Paul led one of the most popular teen events ever held; a pirate-themed "teen lockdown". Paul has volunteered for many library events. When we held our "Funday Sunday", Paul was there to run the scavenger hunt for kids. When we held our Halloween Parade for kids, Paul was there to help lead the parade and hand out candy. He has successfully presented to the Library Board of Trustees on behalf of TAB fundraising efforts. His volunteerism does not end with the library. Paul is an active Boy Scout, and also volunteers time to the Rancocas Nature Center, New Covenant Church and the Sunrise Senior Living Center. His commitment to volunteerism both within the library and the community is exemplary.

SPECIAL GROUP AWARD: Teen Advisory Board, Swedesboro Branch, Gloucester Co. Library. The Gloucester County Library Swedesboro Branch Teen Advisory Board was nominated by Marge Dombrosky and Teresa Carlton. Marge and Teresa wrote,

It is impossible for us to pick one teen to honor over any other. The teens on our board are very diverse, and this diversity has enabled them to successfully provide a wide range of activities and services. In just two short years the accomplishments of our teens has been overwhelming! They have started a teen newsletter (distributed at the library and at local businesses), that contains movie/book/music reviews, and promotes upcoming teen activities and library events. They created a highly successful "Battle of the Bands" event for "Locke Avenue Fun Day". They have planned and carried out two Thanksgiving Festivals for youngsters in the community. In conjunction with another volunteer group, the TAB organized a "Teen Night Out" event that offered live music and food. The goal was to provide a fun evening for teens in an area where there are few local activities and more than 80 teens attended! The TAB's contributions -- including "Hug a GI Day", skits for young kids, holiday parades, summer reading events, and more -- are too numerous to list. We are proud of the accomplishments of this diverse group of teens.

There were so many impressive teens nominated it was a truly difficult decision to select a mere few for this year's recognition. Congratulations to all our winners, and to the nominating libraries. And a big thank you to everyone who nominated a teen volunteer.

Teen Volunteer Award--need public library nominations!

2008-02-11T13:18:01-05:00

We're thrilled that we have received several great nominations already from school libraries, but perplexed that we haven't received any so far from public libraries.

Will the public librarians on this list please send me a quick email to confirm that you're receiving this? The deadline for nominations isn't until March 14th so there's still plenty of time!

South Jersey Teen Volunteer of the Year Award Announcement

2008-01-23T16:49:06-05:00

Do teen volunteers help in your library? (for example, shelving, story times, reading buddies, teaching technology or gaming, etc.)

Do you organize and/or supervise teens for volunteer projects to benefit the general community? (for example, making quilts for hospital patients; meals for homeless; mentoring seniors, etc.)

Do you work with a teen whose contribution to the library and community deserves recognition?

One of your teen volunteers could be the 2008 SJRLC Teen Volunteer of the Year!

What’s in it for them?

Awards presentation in Trenton
Recognition of their work by legislators, parents, peers, library, school, and potential colleges/employers.
$500 grand prize savings bond and $150 savings bonds to runners-up courtesy of EBSCO Publishing.

And for you… recognition of your volunteer and your organization.

Please help us to recognize the great contributions that South Jersey teens are making with the support of your organizations. We’d like to have the biggest awards ceremony ever with librarians, teachers, parents, and all of your teen volunteers invited.

Complete information including nomination flyer and cover sheet are available at http://sjrlcaplus.pbwiki.com/Teen+Volunteer+Award

Nominations are due by March 14^th. It’s easy to nominate, but the time to get started is now. We look forward to hearing from you.

Karen Hyman, Executive Director
South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative
10 Foster Avenue, Suite F-3
Gibbsboro, NJ 08026
Phone: 856 346-1222 Fax: 856 346-2839
Email: hyman@sjrlc.org

A+ Listserv Welcome Message

2008-01-10T15:04:15-05:00

Welcome to the A+ Partnership Listserv, which has been created in response to school and public librarians who attended the "A+ Partnership" workshop at the Gloucester County Library in August, 2007 (http://sjrlcaplus.pbwiki.com/Resources).

This listserv fills a unique and useful niche: The listserv membership consists of South Jersey school and public librarians who serve teens. For the first time, there is a convenient forum for all SJ librarians serving teens to connect with each other.

WHAT IS THE A + PARTNERSHIP?

A+ is a partnership between public and school librarians, parents, teachers, guidance counselors, the entire youth serving community and – most especially -- teens themselves. Our goal is to:

Foster partnerships between public and school librarians, parents, teachers, guidance counselors, the entire youth serving community and – most especially -- teens themselves to improve the quality of life and safe educational experience of South Jersey teens
Increase effectiveness of support services for teens through shared services among public and school libraries and other agencies in the local youth serving community
Harness the volunteer power of teens in the school, library and community. (We're planning a "Teen Volunteer of the Year" award with award ceremony to take place in Trenton in the Spring!)

To see more about A+ initiative goals, please see: http://sjrlcaplus.pbwiki.com/About+APlus

CONNECTING WITH EACH OTHER

At the A+ meeting in August, and in a subsequent survey, you told us that you would like support in forming relationships and working together more often and more seamlessly to provide great service to your overlapping teen populations. To facilitate those connections and working relationships, SJRLC has created a resource page (sjrlcaplus.pbwiki.com/TalkingPoints) that will enable you to easily identify your school/public counterpart, and initiate contact (or simply re-connect).

As the first step in kicking off the A+ Partnership program, we are asking everyone to reach out to your school or public librarian counterpart, and set up a meeting to discuss possible partnerships. We have created a helpful guide for reaching out, available at: sjrlcaplus.pbwiki.com/Talking+points. There are many opportunities to work together to provide a seamless educational experience including:

Classroom visits as a team.

Book clubs and Summer reading lists.

Joint presentations for parents at Back-to-School and College Nights.

Library card sign-up.

Outreach programs to at-risk teens and special needs populations.

Collaborating on volunteer opportunities for kids in the public library and the community (using the library as a safe meeting space.)

If everyone commits to reaching out -- and starts by making one call (or sending one email) -- we can create a truly dynamic community of teen service providers! To that end, we are asking you to make that call (or email), set up a meeting or a phone call with your counterpart in the school or public library, and then share your experience with your colleagues on our new listserv.

WHAT ELSE WILL BE HAPPENING WITH THE A+ PARTNERSHIP? LOTS!

SJRLC is currently working on putting together a "South Jersey Teen Volunteer of the Year" award. Our goal is to have an award ceremony in Trenton this Spring. Stay tuned to the listserv and A+ blog for more information.
SJRLC will continue to update the A+ Wiki (http://sjrlcaplus.pbwiki.com) with your news, updated resources and information about the Teen Volunteer award. The Wiki will be our central site for all things A+
All information (including this email), and news from the listserv will also be archived on the new A+ blog (http://sjrlc.typepad.com/aplus/).
We will plan on having another annual A+ Partnership meeting this summer, to bring together all librarians who serve teens for a day of programs and networking.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the A+ Partnership, or feel that you've been inadvertently added to this listserv and would like to be removed, please don't hesitate to contact Peter Bromberg at bromberg@sjrlc.org.

Thank you! I look forward to seeing your posts on the list :-)

-Peter

Peter Bromberg, SJRLC Assistant Director
Email: bromberg [at] sjrlc.org
Phone: 856 346-1222
Fax: 856 346-2839

A+ Listserv

2007-11-28T13:53:38-05:00

I've set up a Google Group listserv as a forum to share school/public collaboration news and ideas, best practices, A+ updates, and more.

There is a signup form available on the Wiki at: http://sjrlcaplus.pbwiki.com/Listserv
Once subscribed you can post to the list by sending email to: sjrlcaplus[at]googlegroups.com

If you have any questions about the listserv, please contact Peter Bromberg at: bromberg@sjrlc.org

New A+ Partnership Blog

2007-11-28T13:17:16-05:00

This new blog will be used to record and archive news relating to the SJRLC A+ Partnership.

For complete A+ news and information see our wiki at http://sjrlcaplus.pbwiki.com