Youth Services Specialist,
Library Development Bureau,
NJ State Library
Part of the NJ State Library’s (NJSL) Library Development initiatives, Youth Services supports certified librarians and library staff who work with youth from ages 0 – 18.
Sharon Rawlins, Youth Services Specialist at NJSL, shares booklists, resources, and information on grant opportunities, best practices, reader’s advisory, and other topics of interest with youth services librarians across the state.
The unit administers award programs, coordinates the annual Statewide Summer Reading Program, provides continuing education opportunities, and serves as a liaison to local, regional, and statewide organizations working with youth through collaborative partnerships.
Do you have a child or teen in New Jersey who has difficulty reading standard print because of blindness, a physical impairment, a reading disability or a vision impairment? Visit our Talking Book and Braille Center Children and Teen Services page.
For More Information
If you have any subject matter questions, please e-mail:
Sharon Rawlins
Youth Services Specialist
Library Development Bureau
NJ State Library
srawlins@njstatelib.org
Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL) Program for NJ Libraries
With funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Space Science Institute, through its Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL) program has provided NJSL with solar science kits, and information and activities to share with public libraries for their library patrons.
Summer Reading Program
NJSL’s Summer Reading Program is a statewide initiative that encourages reading and lifelong learning for all ages through annual themed activities. Supported by the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), it provides libraries with resources, promotional materials, and programming support.
Authors and Illustrators Born in or Associated with New Jersey
An exhaustive, but on-going, list of authors and illustrators born in or associated with the state of New Jersey.
Family Literacy Resources
Resources for librarians and parents to use to help families engage with their children to help promote literacy and literacy programming, whether it’s reading literacy, financial literacy or other kinds of literacy.
New Jersey Youth and Children (NJYAC)
NJSL has a long-established free listserv called NJYAC for youth services librarians. It was created in order to reach out to youth services librarians and library staff with announcements, grant opportunities, information about upcoming programs and discussions on youth services issues. Feel free to subscribe to get advice from fellow librarians or to share your own success stories.
Teaching Information Literacy
NJSL, in collaboration with the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, LibraryLinkNJ, and the New Jersey Department of Education, is leading a statewide initiative to advance information literacy education.
This multifaceted effort includes developing standards, instructional resources, training programs, and a National Forum to support and assess information literacy across K–12 and beyond.