Congratulations TBBC’s Rising Star; Luisa Martucci

NJLA Rising Star Award

Luisa Martucci the Hispanic Outreach Coordinator at the Talking Book and Braille Center. She is the recipient the Rising Star Award at the NJLA/NJASL Joint Conference called “A New Chapter Imagine the Possibilities” held at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City on February 19th. This award is open to Librarians, Paraprofessionals, and Students. It recognizes one or more deserving individuals for innovative and creative work in a New Jersey library in the last twelve months.

Luisa Martucci joined the New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center (TBBC) in July 2022 as our Hispanic Outreach Coordinator, bringing with her a background in education and art. Luisa has become an indispensable member of our team, demonstrating creativity, leadership, and a deep commitment to accessibility and inclusion.

Luisa leads TBBC’s Hispanic Outreach program and actively supports all TBBC’s services. She has built strong relationships with several organizations, including the Newark Hispanic Commission; the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development; Consulate of Columbia, Newark; GLACO (Grupo Latinoamericano de Cónsules en Nueva Jersey), the Latin American Consular Group in New Jersey; and the Hispanic Association of Atlantic City. Through these events, Luisa has expanded TBBC’s reach to both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking communities statewide. She frequently serves as the primary contact for community events, planning, coordinating, and presenting in both English and Spanish.

Luisa played an important role in LibraryLinkNJ’s 2025 LLNJ ¿Cómo Se Dice? Spanish Conversation Hour, moderating sessions and facilitating discussion groups to help library staff improve Spanish language skills. She is also contributing to the 2026 version of this LLNJ program. Her work on these programs demonstrates her ability to develop impactful training initiatives and collaborate effectively with partner organizations.

Luisa has created Spanish-language outreach materials for TBBC, including brochures and bookmarks, ensuring our marketing about our services are accessible in both English and Spanish.

Luisa has shared her expertise and knowledge at NJLA conferences. She was a panelist for TBBC’s 2024 program, A Week in the Life of an Accessible Library, and also took part in another panel, Talking the Talk: Supporting and Valuing Bilingual Staff. In 2025, she designed TBBC’s poster session, Breaking Barriers with Accessible Books in International Languages.

Luisa personifies the qualities of a rising star. She has embraced challenges, values inclusion, and has shown innovation in her programs and outreach. She values collaboration with both her coworkers and partner organizations. She has helped TBBC succeed in its mission of providing accessible materials and services to individuals with visual and print disabilities and in the New Jersey State Library’s mission of “connecting people with information through libraries.”

Luisa has done amazing work in her short time at TBBC! We are so excited to see what more she will do!