Ocean County Library, Toms River, New Jersey

http://oceancounty.lib.nj.us
Press Contact: Glynis Wray; 732-349-6200, ext. 5121; gwray@oceancounty.lib.nj.us

Left to right: Mrs. Laura Bush, Director Elaine McConnell, community member Elias Vazques, and IMLS Director Anne Radice. Click image for a larger version.

With 21 branches serving more than 540,000 residents in Ocean County, the Ocean County Library is dedicated to fulfilling its mission of “Connecting People, Building Community.”
Open since 1924, the Ocean County system serves residents spread among 33 municipalities, from manufacturing areas to suburban bedroom-communities to rural farms that keep the Garden State green. The approach taken by library leaders has been anything but cookie-cutter. Programming recognizes and celebrates the richness of the area’s African American, Latino, Jewish, and Muslim cultures, and adroitly addresses the needs of seniors and handicapped patrons.

By partnering with the municipalities the library has provided an environment that all residents can proudly call the center of their community.

With an eye toward engaging and recruiting a new generation of readers and volunteers, the library has focused heavily on youth and families, through teen advisory boards, focus groups, and award-winning community service projects with local partners. The GangWise Project teaches teens and parents about the dangers of gangs and resisting involvement. In schools, youth librarians receive training in providing story programs and materials to special education students.

U.S. citizenship workshops and informal English conversation groups assist immigrants in the naturalization process, while outreach services deliver books and audio books to homebound customers. Within the business community, the library provides ongoing networking and educational opportunities for business people, through monthly business breakfasts and advisory programs.

Ocean County Library’s obligation to outreach doesn’t end at its borders. In 2006, the library earned the American Library Association’s John Cotton Dana award for outstanding public relations for its “Hurricane Katrina – Partners in Caring” project, which raised more than $120,000 through concerts and special programs to help restore services in Mississippi’s Hancock County Library System, and in turn, built a lifelong bond between the two systems.

In their local libraries, Ocean County residents have more than a place to check out books. They have a place they can champion and proudly call the focal point of their community.

“Throughout our history, the library has served as a testament to the thirst of knowledge we all share as human beings. Libraries have also been a critical component of our democracy as a center of shared knowledge and education. It is my honor to salute the staff, volunteers, and patrons of the Ocean County Library, who work so diligently to share the power of books with all New Jerseyans. I commend you for the critical role you play in keeping our communities unified and informed,” said U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

“Ocean County Library is one of our state’s largest and most impressive public libraries,” said U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). “I congratulate the Ocean County Library for such a prestigious award and I will continue my work in the U.S. Senate to promote its goals of increasing education and literacy.”

“The Ocean County Library serves the public extraordinarily well,” said U.S. Representative Jim Saxton (R-NJ), a former public school teacher. “I was proud to have written to the Institute of Museums and Library Services in support of its nomination for the award. The people who work at the library cater to the literary needs of over a half-million people at more than 30 sites across the county. Their dedication is not confined to our own community, however. They have raised more than $120,000 to help rebuild libraries in Mississippi that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.”

“I am pleased the Ocean County Library system received special recognition for helping the libraries in Hancock County recover from the extensive damage suffered from Hurricane Katrina,” said U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS). “Their Partners in Caring program helped boost morale and raise funds needed for the restoration of library services in Hancock County.”

Community member Elias Vazquez -- Learned to Read, Excel
When Elias Vazquez first came to this country from Mexico, he had never been to a public library. He quickly became an avid library user and learned how to read through a library program. He excelled in middle school, but in high school had to drop out to help support his family. In his current position as a SMART kids tutor, Vazquez now has an opportunity to give back to the community that has served him so well by helping Spanish speaking children who are new to this country. He has almost completed his associate’s degree, and will next pursue his bachelor’s degree. His ultimate goal is to complete a Master of Library Science degree