Take part in the 2010 National Day of Listening!

How many times have you said you wanted to record a loved one’s story and never found the time to do it? Well this year can be different.

The New Jersey State Library (NJSL) is pleased to be an official partner of StoryCorps’ third annual National Day of Listening on Friday, November 26, 2010.

On the day after Thanksgiving the NJ State Library and StoryCorps are asking all New Jerseyans to start a new holiday tradition: set aside an hour to interview a friend, a loved one, or someone in their community about his or her life.

NJSL will be taking part in the 2010 National Day of Listening by pre-recording five interviews with New Jerseyans who would like to talk about a turning point that changed their lives. Each conversation will be recorded in a soundproof booth with the help of a professional sound engineer. An overview of each conversation will be posted to Storycorps’ National Day of Listening website. Participants will receive a CD of their conversation to keep.

This is a great opportunity to finally record that story!

Who:

You can interview anyone you choose—an older relative, a friend, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. Or if you would like to share your story and need someone to interview you, we can arrange for that as well.

What:

Record interviews to honor the lives of the people you love or to create your own archive. The story you record will become a treasured keepsake that grows more valuable with each passing generation.

Where:

NJ Talking Book and Braille Center

2300 Stuyvesant Avenue

Trenton, NJ 08618

Directions: http://njsltbbc.org/directions

When:

1-3 p.m., November 10, 17 or 24

To set an appointment for any of the above dates email ndowd@njstatelib.org

To arrange for other times and dates call Nancy Dowd 609-278-2640 x 122

Background

The National Day of Listening was started by StoryCorps in 2008 as a way to provide an alternative to "Black Friday" shopping sprees. By participating in this year’s National Day of Listening, we hope you’ll find that taking the time out to interview someone about his or her life is the least expensive but most meaningful gift that we can give.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, preserve, and share their stories. Each week, millions of Americans listen to StoryCorps’ award-winning broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition. StoryCorps has published two best-selling books: Listening Is an Act of Love in 2007 and Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps in 2010.

ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY STATE LIBRARY The New Jersey State Library has three bureaus: the Library Development Bureau (LDB), the NJ State Library Talking Book & Braille Center (TBBC) and the State Library Information Center (SLIC). The State Library connects people with information through its service to libraries, government and people with special needs. The State Library, affiliated with Thomas Edison State College, coordinates, promotes and funds the New Jersey Library Network, of which they are a proud member. Last year, attendance in New Jersey’s public libraries was over 48 million with total circulation of almost 58 million, an increase of almost 2 million.