Watch this video and discover some powerful statistics about libraries.   Did you know that libraries in New Jersey had 11 million more visitors than New Jersey’s casinos last year?  Sports fans, listen up — the number of visitors to New Jersey’s libraries last year could fill Giants Stadium 573 times!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8kd4fC1bwo]

Would you like to take a tour of the world’s most beautiful libraries?  An extraordinary array of photographs has been compiled at the blog Curious Expeditions.  If you are considering a construction project, share this with your Board! Here is one photo - just enough to intrigue you to explore the link:

Now for the ultimate contrast.  The photo above is the library of the Strohav Monastery in Prague.  The photo below is a rendering of what will be the National Library of Prague:

This is part of a feature article from bd The Architect’s Website. 

Thanks to Bob Belvin, New Brunswick Public Library, for the link to this article about the National Library of Prague.

The New Jersey State Library encourages you to go online to The Chronicle, a publication of the Southern New Jersey Development Council at http://www.snjdc.org/.  Please read the President’s Message on page 2 of the summer issue regarding libraries and their role in economic development.  Tina Keresztury provided some background information for the article.  We encourage you to thank President Marlene Asselta at marlene@snjdc or at (856)228-7500 for her support of public libraries in the state.  Libraries in southern New Jersey may wish to learn more about how to participate in the Southern New Jersey Development Council’s activities, since the organization has been very supportive of libraries.

According to a survey conducted by the Associated Press/Ipsos, one in four American adults read no books last year.

“The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year — half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn’t read any, the usual number read was seven.” Read the rest of the article here.

“On September 10, librarians are asked to “Slam the Boards!â€? by visiting online “answer sites” such as Yahoo! Answers, Ask MetaFilter, Wikipedia Reference Desk, or Amazon’s Askville, fielding as many questions as possible, and making it clear that the service was provided by a librarian.”  Please read the rest of this article written by Lynn Blumenstein in Library Journal.

Thanks to Peter Bromberg South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative Assistant Director, for pointing to an additional site: Answer Board Librarians which includes a list of other answer boards and the advice:

“End each answer with the mention of your own library, your VR service, etc.  Add the link. Mention that readers should consider their own libraries, too.  Promote it to local media.  Keep in mind how many people don’t even realize that libraries offer reference services.  Let’s surprise and delight them with our quality.

I’d like hundreds of librarians to do this.  Thousands.  Why not?”