State Librarian’s Update – February 2026

February 5, 2026

February has always struck me as a “month of Thursdays” – you know something good is about to happen, but it’s not quite there yet. This sentiment is proving true with the New Jersey State Library’s building on State Street in Trenton. Like many of your libraries, it suffers from deferred maintenance, and the stairwells were damaged in the earthquake a couple of years ago.

The good news is that repairs to the stairwells are now underway, so we’re almost there. However, the noise and dust from the demolition mean the building will be closed to walk-in traffic through February 13th. We remain open for email and telephone reference service, and invite you to check out our Ask A Librarian webpage if you have an information need we can help with.

Here’s looking ahead to March, when something good is bound to happen.
I hope all is well in your corner of New Jersey, or wherever you may be. If you’ll be attending the NJLA/NJASL conference mid-month, please look for sessions sponsored by the New Jersey State Library or stop by our exhibit table to say hello. We’d love to see you!

Jen Nelson
State Librarian

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